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Question 6
Verse 4 says the purpose of being “dead to the law” is “so that we should bring forth fruit to God”—how does that purpose confront any view of grace that mainly aims at assurance, comfort, or “not being condemned,” rather than transformation and fruit?
Another way to ask: If God’s goal in making us “dead to the law” is that we bear fruit for Him, how does that challenge a view of grace that is mostly about comfort and “not being condemned”? What would grace look like if it is meant to change you?

Direct Answer The transcript frames grace as God’s power to free a “wretched man” from sin’s grip, so the stated purpose—“bring forth fruit to God”—pushes beyond mere relief from condemnation. It confronts any view of grace that stops at comfort by insisting union with Christ is meant to produce real, observable fruit.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot says Paul’s larger argument: being “under grace does not mean we are free to sin.”
  • Chapter 7’s portrayal is meant to show “the utter futility of trying to live a godly life apart from the grace and power of God.”
  • Romans 7:4 is quoted with purpose language: dead to the law “so that you might belong to another… so that we should bring forth fruit to God.”
  • The lesson repeatedly emphasizes freedom is for a new relationship: “free to be married to Jesus Christ… become part of His bride.”
  • Service shifts direction: “serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter,” implying a new kind of lived obedience, not mere status.
Discussion Follow-ups What “fruit to God” would you expect from someone who says they’re under grace? How does the lesson’s “wretched man” warning expose grace-without-transformation as inadequate?

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