Faith Talk – July 27, 2025

Sunday: July 27, 2025
Series: Romans: The Righteousness of God
Sermon: Your New Life in the Spirit

Romans 7:4 – Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the body of Christ so that you may belong to another. You belong to him who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.

This sermon explores Paul's marriage analogy to explain why believers are no longer bound by the Old Testament Law but are free to live under the Spirit's rule. Just as a woman is legally freed from marriage when her husband dies and can marry another, believers who have died with Christ are released from being bound to the Law and are now united to life in the Spirit.

Paul addresses the misconception that freedom from the Law means freedom to sin, clarifying that the Law actually arouses sinful desires in our flesh rather than empowering righteousness in the Spirit. The Law serves as a holy mirror that reveals our sin and drives us to Christ, but it cannot produce the righteousness it demands.

True sanctification comes not through striving to obey the letter of the Old Testament Law but through living in the newness of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who empowers the fruit of righteousness that the Law could never produce.
 
Main Points

• Death releases legal obligations - just as death frees from marriage bonds, spiritual death frees from Law bonds
• Believers are bound to a new husband - from Law (husband 1) to Spirit (husband 2) through death and resurrection in Christ
• The Law arouses sinful passions - telling the flesh "Don't do this" actually triggers the desire to do it
• The Law is a holy mirror - reveals sin and drives us to Christ
• Sanctification comes through the Spirit - not through self-willed obedience to Law but Spirit-empowered transformation
• The Law's purpose is to lead to Christ - it makes sin so obvious we must confess our need for a Savior

Heavenly Father, thank You for freeing us from the bondage of trying to earn righteousness through our own efforts to follow the Law. We're grateful that through our death and resurrection in Christ, we've been released from the impossible task of achieving righteousness through rule-keeping and have been united to life in Your Spirit.

We ask for help in understanding the difference between Law-based living and Spirit-led living. When we're tempted to return to trying to please You through our own efforts, remind us that true righteousness comes through relationship with You, not rule-following. Help us to see Your Law as the holy mirror it is—revealing our sin and driving us to Christ rather than something we can use to make ourselves righteous.

We commit to living in the newness of the Spirit, allowing You to produce in us the fruit of righteousness that the Law demands but cannot create. Thank You that we are no longer bound to the husband that could only show us our failures, but are now united to the Spirit who empowers us for victory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Materials needed:

• Hand mirror
• Face paints or washable markers
• Wet wipes or washcloths
• Two signs: "LAW (Mirror)" and "SPIRIT (Makeover Artist)"

 
Instructions:

• Set up the demonstration:
  • Place the mirror under the "LAW (Mirror)" sign
  • Place the face paints and wipes under the "SPIRIT (Makeover Artist)" sign
• Act out the problem:
  • Have one family member draw "dirt spots" on another's face with washable markers
  • Give them the mirror and ask them to fix the problems
  • Demonstrate that the mirror can only show the problems, not fix them
  • Let them try unsuccessfully to use the mirror to clean their face
• Demonstrate the solution:
  • Move to the "SPIRIT (Makeover Artist)" station
  • Use the mirror to see and the wipes to clean off the dirt spots
  • Use face paints to create something beautiful
  • Show how the "makeover artist" can actually transform, not just reveal problems
• Connect to the lesson:
  • Explain that God's Law is like the mirror—it shows us our sin but can't fix it
  • The Holy Spirit is like the makeover artist—He actually transforms us and makes us beautiful
  • We need both: the mirror to show us our need, and the Spirit to do the actual work
• Family discussion:
  • Talk about times when you've tried to "fix yourself" through rule-following
  • Share examples of how the Holy Spirit has changed your heart, not just your behavior
  • Discuss the difference between external rule-keeping and internal transformation
• Create reminder cards:
  • Make cards that say "The Law shows me my need; the Spirit gives me new life"
  • Keep these visible as reminders of how God works in our sanctification

This hands-on activity helps families understand Paul's distinction between the Law's role in revealing sin and the Spirit's role in producing righteousness.