A New Way To Live

“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” – Romans 7:6

“But now,” Paul writes in Romans 7:6, signaling a dramatic shift from the bondage of the past to the freedom of the present. Before Christ, we were under the law’s jurisdiction—condemned, guilty, and bound to eternal punishment. But now, we have been delivered from the law because we died to it through Jesus. Just as death severs legal ties in earthly matters, our death with Christ severs the law’s condemning grip. It no longer has authority over us. Salvation is secure, and sanctification is not maintained by law-keeping but by grace. We cannot legally place ourselves back under condemnation when we sin, because we are no longer married to the law—we are joined to Christ.

This new life isn’t passive—it’s powerful. Paul says we now serve “in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6). Before, we poured our energy into sin and self. Now, that same energy should be redirected toward serving God—not out of fear, but out of love. It’s not about outward performance or moral checklist Christianity. It’s about inward transformation. The saved person doesn’t just try to do what’s right—they want to. The Holy Spirit compels us from within. Like a tree planted by rivers of water, we bear fruit because of the life flowing through us. Our obedience is not forced—it’s the natural overflow of a heart changed by grace.

Paul’s message is clear: grace doesn’t give us permission to sin—it gives us power to live holy. A genuine Christian is marked by a desire to walk in righteousness, to serve Christ, and to love others. These marks may not be perfect, but they are present. The Spirit within us produces holy living—not because we fear punishment, but because we love the One who saved us. You are dead to the law and alive to God. Serve Him in the newness of the Spirit. Let your life reflect the inward change. And as you walk through Romans 6, 7, and into chapter 8, remember—victory begins with understanding your standing. You are under grace. Live like it.

“The law may discover sin, but it cannot conquer it. It may condemn the sinner, but it cannot save him. It may direct, but it cannot empower. Only the Spirit, working through grace, can produce that newness of life which the law demands but cannot supply.” – Thomas Goodwin