“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.” – Romans 7:4
If you’re a believer in Jesus, this verse is about you! We seldom think in these terms, but we must. As Christians, we have died to the law. We have been set free not only from the power of sin, but also from the power of legalism. Blind rule-following cannot and will not save us. Rituals and habits will not save us. They may have value, but not the kind that saves. Only God’s grace saves us through faith in Christ.
However, that doesn’t mean we’ve been freed from sin and its consequences just to do whatever we feel like. Not at all! If Christ has saved you, then He is your Lord. He is and must be the ultimate authority over every single aspect of your life, public and private. He is a gracious, kind, and merciful Lord, but His authority is, and must be, absolute.
Your guilt has been forgiven, your shame washed away, your sins forgotten for a purpose. Not to jump back into the mess Christ pulled you out of, but to bear fruit for God. We are to bear the fruit of changed and holy lives that increasingly reveal love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We are to bear the fruit of making disciples: introducing people to Jesus and helping them grow and mature as His followers. We are to bear the fruit of God’s Kingdom, advancing the gospel message, values, causes, and concerns of God’s Kingdom.
You have been raised to life in Christ, but not to waste that life in pursuit of temporary trivialities and pitiful pleasures, but to live a life of great value, significance, and glory to God!