Paul uses the analogy of Roman marriage law to illustrate the Christian state. No matter how you interpret it, the marriage that linked Jewish Christians to the law has been broken by double death. If we consider the husband—the law—he has died through the work of Christ, making the wife—the Jew—free to marry another. If we look at the “wife”—the Jew who is now a Christian—she too has died through baptism, and in her new life she is no longer bound to her former husband—the law. Paul highlights the new reality for Christians, comparing it to a marriage in which the risen Christ is the “husband” and the Christian is the “wife.” Their union is fruitful for God (cf. Jn 15:8). This is the complete opposite of the deadly results of passions “stimulated by the law” (5) that produce fruit meant to die (cf. Jas 1:15).