“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”
My Notes
What Does Romans 7:6 Mean?
Paul declares that believers are "delivered from the law"—freed from its hold, released from its jurisdiction—so that they can serve God "in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." The contrast is between two modes of service: Spirit-animated newness versus letter-bound oldness. One is alive. The other is dead. Both involve service to God. Only one produces life.
The phrase "that being dead wherein we were held" means the law's power over believers has died. Not that the law itself is dead or evil (Paul will clarify this in verse 12: the law is holy). But the law's ability to condemn, to hold, to imprison believers under its accusations—that power has been broken. You're no longer under the law as a system of condemnation. You're under grace as a system of empowerment.
The "newness of spirit" (kainotēti pneumatos) describes service animated by the Holy Spirit—responsive, creative, life-giving. The "oldness of the letter" (palaiotēti grammatos) describes service constrained by written code—rigid, external, death-producing. Both involve obedience. But Spirit-obedience flows from relationship. Letter-obedience flows from obligation. One produces life. The other produces the desire to escape.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does your faith feel like 'newness of spirit' (alive, responsive, joyful) or 'oldness of the letter' (rigid, draining, obligatory)?
- 2.If you've been delivered from the law's condemnation, why are you still living under its guilt?
- 3.What would Spirit-animated service look like in the specific areas where you currently serve out of obligation?
- 4.How do you shift from letter-service to Spirit-service—from checking boxes to experiencing life?
Devotional
"Newness of spirit" versus "oldness of the letter." Two ways to serve God. One is alive—animated by the Spirit, responsive, creative, joyful. The other is dead—constrained by the code, rigid, external, draining. Both are obedience. Only one is life.
Paul isn't saying the law was wrong. He's saying the law-as-a-system-of-condemnation has lost its power over you. You're delivered from the law's ability to imprison you under guilt. What held you—the endless cycle of command, failure, guilt, more command—has died. You're free to serve God in a completely different way: from the inside out, animated by the Spirit, rather than from the outside in, compelled by the letter.
The difference is felt, not just believed. Spirit-service feels like life: responsive to God's leading, creative in application, energized by relationship. Letter-service feels like death: checking boxes, maintaining minimums, serving out of obligation rather than love. Both involve doing what God asks. But one is a marriage and the other is a prison sentence. Same house. Completely different experience.
If your faith feels like "the oldness of the letter"—if serving God feels like checking boxes, maintaining a religious minimum, going through motions that drain rather than fill—Paul says: you've been delivered from that. The Spirit offers a new kind of service. Not less obedient. More alive. Not less demanding. More joyful. The letter kills. The Spirit gives life. Which one is your daily experience?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But now we are delivered from the law,.... From the ministration of it, by Moses; from it, as a covenant of works; from…
But now - Under the gospel. This verse states the consequences of the gospel, in distinction from the effects of the…
But now we are delivered from the law - We, who have believed in Christ Jesus, are delivered from that yoke by which we…
Among other arguments used in the foregoing chapter to persuade us against sin, and to holiness, this was one (Rom…
now as the fact stands.
are delivered Lit., and better, were delivered; by our Representative's death ideally, and…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture