Chapters 5 Through 8 of Romans—
The Kernel of the Bible
Message Four
The New Husband
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Rom 7:2-4 For the married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he is living; but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law regarding the husband…So then, my brothers, you also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ so that you might be joined to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit to God.
Rom 7:6 But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter.
Word of Appetizer
Which two husbands are there in chapter 7 verses 2 through 4a of Romans?
The first husband, the old husband, is the old man mentioned in 6:6, who has been crucified with Christ. The second husband, the new husband, mentioned in 7:2-4, is Christ.
As believers, we have two statuses: The first is our old status as the fallen old man, who left the original position of a wife dependent on God and took the self-assuming position of a husband and head, independent of God. The second is our new status as the regenerated new man, restored to our original and proper position as the genuine wife to God, depending on Him and taking Him as our Head.
Spiritual Burden
Our old man has been crucified to the law through the body of Christ so that we might marry another husband, Christ, who has been raised from the dead. Since Christ is our Husband, we must depend on Him and take Him as our Head. Christ is not only our Head—He is also our person and our life.
We need to realize that we, as the new man, are freed from the old man’s law and have been married to our new Husband, the resurrected Christ, that we might bear fruit to God and serve the Lord in newness of spirit.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Christ is the new Husband; our old man, the old husband, has been crucified.
Our old man has been crucified to the law through the body of Christ so that we might marry another husband, Christ, who has been raised from the dead.
We have died to the law in which we were held so that we might be discharged from it; we, as the wife and the new man, are no longer under law.
The Experience of Life
Our old man has been crucified to the law through the body of Christ so that we might marry another husband, Christ, who has been raised from the dead. This joining indicates that in our new status as a wife, we have an organic union in person, name, life, and existence with Christ in His resurrection; now we are married to Christ, our new Husband.
We have died to the law in which we were held so that we might be discharged from it; we, as the wife and the new man, are no longer under law.
Practice and Application
As the wife, we should also serve the Lord in newness of spirit, not in oldness of letter.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 God our Maker is our Husband (Isa. 54:5)
(Please illustrate that in God’s creation, man’s original position was that of a wife.)
T2 God did not intend that the old man keep the law, because the old man cannot keep it (Rom. 7:2)
(Please illustrate that God gave the law to man that he might break it and that, by breaking it, he might be completely exposed.)
Day 2
T1 Romans 7:2-6 reveals that Christ is the new Husband (Rom. 7:2, 6:6)
(Please illustrate that as the old man, we were the husband; as the new man, we are the wife.)
T2 As believers, we have two statuses (Rom. 7:3-4)
(Please illustrate that we now have only the new status of the proper wife, in which we take Christ as our Husband, and should no longer live according to the old man, that is, no longer take the old man as our husband.)
Day 3
T1 Since Christ is our Husband, we must depend on Him and take Him as our Head (Eph. 5:23)
(Please illustrate that what it means to “take God as our Husband.”)
T2 Before a person believes into the Lord, he lives by the old man under the law. After he believes and is baptized, something within him begins to regulate him not to live in the old way (Rom. 7:3-4)
(Please illustrate with experience that according to their experience, many regenerated and baptized believers can testify to this change.)
Day 4
T1 A vivid contrast between death and God, between bearing fruit to death and bearing fruit to God (Rom. 7:4-5)
(Please illustrate that the phrase bear fruit to God means that God comes forth, that God is brought forth as fruit.)
T2 After we are saved, we can gain the righteousness of the law without keeping the law (Rom. 7:4-5)
(Please illustrate that we are not saying that after salvation we don’t need to keep the law and can sin freely; rather, being saved by grace, we have the Lord’s life within us and naturally do not sin, which is having the fruit of the Spirit.)
Day 5
T1 The function of the law (Rom. 7:6-7)
(Please illustrate that the law decreed by God functions in at least three ways.)
T2 We cannot be holy, but we can be sanctified (Phil. 2:12)
(Please illustrate that the Lord wants to come into us, be our life, and fulfill every requirement for us.)
Day 6
T1 Both newness of life and newness of spirit are related to the Spirit (Rom. 6:4, 7:6)
(Please illustrate that we have the newness of life for our living; we have the newness of spirit for our service. )
T2 We all must learn how to exercise our spirit (Rom. 6:4, 7:6)
(Please illustrate with experience that when you come to the meetings of the church, exercise your spirit, you will have something new to offer the brothers and sisters.)
