Sermons on Romans 7:6
The various sermons below converge on the interpretation of Romans 7:6 as a decisive moment marking the believer’s definitive break from the law and entrance into a new life empowered by the Spirit. They emphasize that Christians have “died to the law,” not that the law itself has died, underscoring the believer’s freedom from legalistic bondage. This deliverance is portrayed as a once-for-all event rather than a gradual process, highlighting a radical transformation from the old covenant’s written code to a Spirit-led existence characterized by sincere faith, a purified heart, and a good conscience. The newness of the Spirit is consistently depicted as a fundamental recreation of the self, animated and led by the Holy Spirit, resulting in a life of spontaneous “fruit bearing” rather than compelled law-keeping. The sermons also stress that Christian service flows from the confidence of justification, not from fear or performance anxiety, framing the Christian life as one of freedom and empowered obedience rather than legalistic striving.
Despite these shared convictions, the sermons diverge in their theological emphases and analogies. One sermon highlights sanctification as the ultimate goal of salvation, positioning the law as aggravating sin when misapplied and insisting on the necessity of union with Christ and the Spirit for genuine holiness. Another sermon focuses on the law’s primary role as a convicting agent for the unregenerate, warning against attempts to reinstate law-keeping as the basis for Christian living, which would undermine the gospel’s freedom. A third sermon uniquely stresses the new self as a divinely created reality marked by new desires and a living faith, rather than a mere improvement of the old self. Meanwhile, a fourth sermon frames the passage as a clear dividing line between two religions—one fighting for justification and one fighting from it—introducing the concept of “double glory” for Christ’s atoning and sanctifying work and cautioning against reversing the gospel’s order of justification and sanctification...
Romans 7:6 Interpretation:
Living in the Newness of the Spirit (MLJTrust) offers a detailed and nuanced interpretation of Romans 7:6, emphasizing the radical and complete nature of the Christian's deliverance from the law. The sermon highlights the Greek linguistic nuance in the phrase "that being dead wherein we were held," arguing that the correct translation is "we having died to that wherein we were held," thus clarifying that it is the believer who has died to the law, not the law itself that has died. This distinction is crucial for avoiding theological errors, such as antinomianism or the belief that the law itself is abolished. The preacher uses the analogy of a discharged soldier, who, once released from service, is no longer under the authority of his former sergeant major, to illustrate the believer's freedom from the law's dominion. The sermon also stresses that this deliverance is not a gradual process but a definitive, once-for-all event, marking a total transition from the old to the new.
Understanding the Law: Purpose, Misuse, and Christian Freedom (Desiring God) interprets Romans 7:6 as a pivotal text for understanding the Christian's new relationship to the law. The sermon underscores that Christians have "died to the law" and now "serve in the new way of the Spirit, not in the old way of the written code." The preacher draws a sharp contrast between the old covenant's written code and the new covenant's Spirit-empowered service, suggesting that the Christian life is now lived on a "new footing." This footing is characterized by sincere faith, a purified heart, and a good conscience, rather than by external law-keeping. The preacher also notes that the Mosaic law, particularly as a written code, is no longer the operative principle for Christian living; instead, the Spirit leads believers into a life that fulfills the law's intent through love. This interpretation is supported by a close reading of the Greek and by situating Romans 7:6 within Paul's broader argument about justification and sanctification.
Victors Over Sin: Embracing Freedom in Christ (Desiring God) interprets Romans 7:6 as the pivotal transition from bondage under the Mosaic law—with its curse, guilt, and condemnation—to a new mode of service empowered by the Holy Spirit. The sermon uniquely frames the verse as the "crystal clear" dividing line between two religions: one that fights for justification and one that fights from justification. The preacher uses the analogy of a courtroom, contrasting the "trial behind you" (irrevocable verdict of not guilty) with the "trial in front of you" (living in fear of not measuring up), and insists that true Christianity is marked by serving God out of the confidence of acceptance, not the anxiety of performance. The sermon also stresses the importance of giving Christ "double glory"—both as the ground of our acceptance (his blood and righteousness) and as the power for our transformation (his Spirit's work).
Romans 7:6 Theological Themes:
Living in the Newness of the Spirit (MLJTrust) introduces the distinctive theological theme that the ultimate purpose of salvation is sanctification—holiness before God—not merely forgiveness or justification. The sermon insists that the entire redemptive work of Christ, including his death, resurrection, and the sending of the Holy Spirit, is aimed at producing a holy people who serve God in "newness of spirit." This theme is developed in opposition to both legalism (reliance on the law for sanctification) and antinomianism (disregard for holy living), arguing that true grace leads to transformation and holy service, not moral laxity. The preacher also adds the facet that the law, when misapplied to believers, actually aggravates sin rather than restrains it, and that only union with Christ and the indwelling Spirit can produce genuine fruit for God.
Understanding the Law: Purpose, Misuse, and Christian Freedom (Desiring God) presents the fresh theological angle that the law's primary function is to confront and convict those outside of Christ, not to serve as a rule of life for the justified. The sermon uniquely frames the "new way of the Spirit" as a life where the law of love, empowered by the Spirit, replaces the external written code. The preacher further develops the idea that attempts to reintroduce law-keeping as the basis for Christian living undermine the gospel and the new identity of believers as those who have been declared righteous and set free from the law's jurisdiction.
Embracing Our New Identity in Christ (Desiring God) introduces the theme that the "new self" is not a self-improvement project but a divinely created reality, fundamentally different from the old self, and that the mark of this new self is the indwelling and animating presence of the Holy Spirit. The sermon adds the nuanced idea that the new self is characterized by a new set of desires—specifically, a compelling love for righteousness and a faith that is alive to God, not merely to moral rules. This theme is further developed by emphasizing that the believer's actions ("fruit bearing") flow naturally from this new identity, rather than being the means to achieve it.
Victors Over Sin: Embracing Freedom in Christ (Desiring God) presents the distinct theological theme that the order of justification and sanctification is essential to the gospel: justification (no condemnation) is the foundation, and sanctification (empowered service) is the evidence, not the cause, of acceptance with God. The sermon adds a fresh angle by warning that reversing this order results in "another religion"—one that is marked by fear and self-effort rather than confidence and Spirit-empowered victory. The preacher also introduces the idea of "double glory" for Christ, insisting that both his atoning work and his sanctifying power must be honored, and that to give him only one is to diminish the gospel.
Romans 7:6 Historical and Contextual Insights:
Living in the Newness of the Spirit (MLJTrust) provides historical context by referencing the cultural and legal norms of marriage in the ancient world, particularly the binding nature of the marriage contract and the absolute authority of the law over a married woman until the death of her husband. The preacher explains that Paul's analogy of marriage and death would have resonated with his original audience, who understood the legal impossibility of being bound to two husbands at once. This context illuminates the radical nature of the believer's release from the law and union with Christ, as it would have been seen as a total and irreversible change in status, akin to a widow's freedom to remarry after her husband's death.
Victors Over Sin: Embracing Freedom in Christ (Desiring God) provides historical context by clarifying that "the law" in Romans 7:6 refers specifically to the Mosaic law, as established in the preceding verses (Romans 7:1-5). The sermon explains that in Paul's context, the law was experienced as a source of curse, guilt, and condemnation, and that Christ's work was to break the curse of the law (citing Galatians 3:13). This contextual insight helps the listener understand the radical nature of the freedom Paul describes—a freedom not just from generic legalism, but from the specific covenantal obligations and penalties of the Mosaic law.
Romans 7:6 Cross-References in the Bible:
Living in the Newness of the Spirit (MLJTrust) references several biblical passages to expand on Romans 7:6. The sermon draws on Romans 6:14 ("for sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace") to reinforce the idea of a complete transition from law to grace. It also cites Romans 8, especially verses 1-4, to show that the new life in the Spirit is the fulfillment of what Romans 7:6 anticipates. Galatians 3:3 and Philippians 3:3 are used to illustrate the contrast between "flesh" (self-reliance, law-keeping) and "Spirit" (faith, grace), while Ephesians 2:3 is referenced to distinguish between the "lusts of the flesh" and the "lusts of the mind." The preacher also alludes to 1 Corinthians 15:56 ("the strength of sin is the law") and 1 Timothy 4 (regarding asceticism and the misuse of natural appetites) to clarify the law's role in aggravating sin and the error of equating bodily appetites with sinfulness.
Understanding the Law: Purpose, Misuse, and Christian Freedom (Desiring God) explicitly cross-references Romans 7:4-6, using these verses to explain the believer's death to the law and new life in the Spirit. The sermon also references Titus 3:5-7 to discuss justification by faith and the washing of regeneration, connecting the new way of the Spirit to the broader Pauline doctrine of salvation. Additionally, the preacher draws a parallel between the list of sins in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 and the Ten Commandments, showing how the law continues to function as a standard for convicting those outside of Christ, but not as a rule of life for believers.
Embracing Our New Identity in Christ (Desiring God) cross-references several passages to expand on Romans 7:6: Colossians 2:11-13 and 3:1-4 are used to illustrate the believer's union with Christ in death and resurrection, emphasizing the creation of a "new self." Romans 6:4 is cited to show that believers "walk in newness of life" through the Spirit, and Galatians 2:19-20 is referenced to highlight the believer's death to the law and new life "to God" by faith. 1 Peter 2:24 is used to explain that Christ's death enables believers to "die to sin and live to righteousness," and Galatians 5:22 is mentioned to describe the "fruit of the Spirit" as the natural outworking of the new self. Romans 7:4 is also referenced to reinforce the idea of dying to the law in order to "belong to another" (Christ) and bear fruit for God.
Victors Over Sin: Embracing Freedom in Christ (Desiring God) references Romans 8:1-4 to draw out the relationship between justification and sanctification, using the structure of the passage (especially the word "for" or "because" in Greek) to argue that sanctification is the evidence, not the basis, of justification. Galatians 3:13 is cited to explain that Christ "became a curse for us" to break the curse of the law. The sermon also references Romans 7:1-5 to clarify the meaning of "the law" as the Mosaic law, and uses these cross-references to support the claim that freedom from the law's condemnation is the foundation for Spirit-empowered service.