“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.”
| Greek Term | Transliteration | Parsing | Theological Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| εθανατώθητε | ethanatōthēte | Aor. pass. ind., 2nd pl. (thanatoō) | You were put to death. Strong language—believers were ‘killed’ to the law through Christ’s body. |
| τῷ εκ νεκρῶν εγερθέντι | tō ek nekrōn egerthenti | Dat. + aor. pass. ptc., dat. masc. sg. | To the one raised from the dead. The risen Christ is the new ‘husband’ to whom believers now belong. |
| καρποφορήσωμεν | karpophorēsōmen | Aor. act. subj., 1st pl. (karpophoreō) | That we might bear fruit. The purpose of belonging to the risen Christ: fruitfulness for God. |
Paul employs the analogy of marriage: a woman is bound to her husband while he lives, but freed by his death. Yet Paul applies the analogy with a twist—it is not the law (“husband”) that died but the believers themselves who “died to the law through the body of Christ.”
Murray explains that ethanatōthēte (“you were put to death”) is even stronger than “you died”—it indicates that death was inflicted upon believers in their union with Christ’s crucified body. The purpose of this death is positive: “so that you may belong to another.” The risen Christ is identified as this “other” to whom believers are now united.
Schreiner observes that the specification “him who has been raised from the dead” is theologically essential: believers are not merely freed from the law’s condemnation but positively joined to a living, reigning Lord. The resurrection is what makes the new union possible and fruitful. Calvin comments that fruit-bearing is impossible apart from union with the risen Christ, for it is His resurrection power that produces holiness in believers. Lloyd-Jones noted that this verse demonstrates that the Christian life is not mere moralism or law-keeping but a vital, organic relationship with the living Christ.
Theological Summary: Romans 7:4
The resurrection is what makes the believer’s new covenant relationship possible. Death to the law (through Christ’s body) frees believers to belong to the risen Christ, and this new union produces the fruit of righteousness. The resurrection transforms the believer’s relationship to God from legal bondage to vital, fruit-bearing union.