DATE POSTED: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.
SCRIPTURE: Romans 7:1-3 (NLT) – Now, dear brothers and sisters – you who are familiar with the law— don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.
DEVOTIONAL: Having studied Paul’s teaching concerning sin, grace, and the law, we now find him helping those who were very familiar with the law of Moses understand an important truth. The law had served its God-given purpose, but it could never provide the salvation that sinful mankind desperately needed. Only Jesus Christ could do that.
Paul uses marriage to illustrate his point. A husband and wife are bound together in marriage as long as both are living. However, when one dies, the surviving spouse is released from that marriage covenant and is free to marry another. Death has changed the relationship.
In the verses immediately following today’s Scripture, Paul applies this illustration to the believer. Through our identification with the death of Christ, we have died to the law as the means by which we attempt to become right with God. We now belong to Christ. What an important distinction! We are not saved by how well we keep religious rules; we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross.
While it may be easy for us to look back at the Jews of Paul’s day and wonder why some found it so difficult to loosen their grip on the law, perhaps we should pause and examine our own hearts. Could we possibly be guilty of doing something similar today?
Do you find it easier to follow the rules and traditions of your church and its leaders, or are you committed first and foremost to following the teachings of God’s Word? Churches, pastors, teachers, and denominations can be tremendous instruments in God’s hands, but none should ever take the place that belongs to Christ alone.
Please don’t misunderstand me. God’s Word teaches us how His children should live. Grace is certainly not permission to disregard God’s commands or live however we please. Rather, obedience should flow from a heart that has already been changed by Christ, not from an effort to earn salvation or God’s favor.
You may have been saved in a church, but you were not saved by the church. You may have learned about Jesus from a preacher, teacher, or Christian friend, but none of them could save you. Only Jesus can do that.
Without the Word of God, a church risks becoming little more than a gathering of like-minded people. Without Christ, even our most sincere religious efforts cannot make us right with God. Paul wanted his readers to understand that their hope was no longer found in their ability to keep the law. Their hope was found in Christ alone.
Friend, could it be that you have become more attached to a denomination, a church tradition, or a list of religious expectations than you are to Jesus Himself? There is nothing wrong with godly traditions that agree with Scripture, but they should never become a substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or take precedence over the authority of His Word.
Therefore, please allow me to invite you to examine your heart today. Don’t place your hope in religion, church membership, good works, or your ability to follow the rules. Place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, because you belong to Him, allow His Word and His Spirit to guide the way you live.
Churches may point us to Christ, but only Christ can save us. God’s Word may reveal our sin, but only Jesus can make us right with God.
TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Ask yourself honestly: Am I following Jesus Christ, or am I simply following the religious practices with which I have become comfortable? Choose Christ above tradition, His Word above human opinion, and obedience that flows from love rather than an attempt to earn God’s favor.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Word and for revealing to me that I could never make myself right with You through good works or religious observance. Thank You for Jesus, who accomplished for me what I could never accomplish for myself. Please search my heart and reveal anything I have allowed to become more important than Christ or the truth of Your Word. Help me to appreciate the church and those You have placed in my life to teach and encourage me, while always remembering that my salvation and my hope are found in Jesus alone. May my obedience flow from a heart of love and gratitude for all You have done for me. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray that one of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue, your walk with Jesus. For my earlier devotionals, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org, or if you choose, subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you invite God to work through you to bless them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!
