What is the meaning of Romans 7:6? But now “ But now ” (Romans 7:6) signals a decisive change. Paul has been explaining the struggle of anyone trying to keep God’s standards through human effort alone (Romans 7:1-5). Now he turns to the difference Christ makes. • Ephesians 2:13 likewise begins, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” • Colossians 1:22 says, “But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death.” These “but now” moments underline a before-and-after reality: once hopeless under sin, now rescued and transformed by grace. having died to what bound us Union with Christ means we are counted as having died with Him. The “what bound us” is the dominion of sin using the law to condemn (Romans 7:1-5). • Romans 6:6: “our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless.” • Galatians 2:19-20: “I died to the law so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ.” Because death severs every legal tie, the believer’s identification with Christ’s death ends the enslaving grip of sin and the condemning function of the law. we have been released from the law Release is not an escape from God’s moral will but a transfer from the Mosaic covenant’s jurisdiction to Christ’s fulfilled covenant. • Romans 8:2: “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” • Galatians 3:24-25: “the law was our guardian until Christ came… Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” • Colossians 2:14: He “canceled the record of debt… nailing it to the cross.” The law’s righteous requirements are satisfied in Jesus, releasing us from its condemning role. so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit Freedom is not aimless; it equips us to serve. “New” points to a fresh quality of life empowered by the indwelling Spirit. • 2 Corinthians 3:6: “the Spirit gives life.” • Ezekiel 36:26-27 promised, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” • Galatians 5:16-25 details the Spirit’s fruit and guidance. Serving “in the Spirit” means: • Dependence on His power, not personal grit. • Obedience flowing from love, not fear of penalty. • A life characterized by inner transformation, not merely external compliance. and not in the old way of the written code The “written code” refers to the letter of the law engraved on stone (2 Corinthians 3:7). Trying to keep rules without new life only exposes sin. • Romans 2:29 contrasts “a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” • 2 Corinthians 3:6: “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” • Hebrews 8:13 calls the old covenant “obsolete” because Christ has inaugurated the better covenant. The “old way” relies on self-effort and external regulation; the “new way” relies on the Spirit’s internal work producing genuine righteousness. summary Romans 7:6 announces a dramatic shift: through union with Christ’s death, believers have been set free from the law’s condemnation and from sin’s mastery. This freedom is not lawlessness; it is the privilege of serving God through the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit rather than through mere rule-keeping. The verse invites every follower of Jesus to rest in Christ’s finished work and to walk daily in the Spirit, experiencing the vibrant, liberated obedience God always intended. |
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