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LAST month’s sermon, entitled A NEW LIFE (Part 1), could be considered as depressing, and far from exemplifying new life. This is true, but the Apostle Paul’s genius is always to contrast the reality of human life naturally, with the new life in Christ, in order that we may appreciate fully the wonder of the new way. It is also true that most people go on living in our world, complaining of many things in life, fearing many other things, but not wanting to change, simply because they have never considered or faced the true condition of human nature, or the eternal loss which is involved. If only people really took to heart the teaching of the Bible concerning human sinfulness, which Paul describes in verse 5 of this chapter, they would desperately seek a remedy, and Christ, and the new way in him, would become exceedingly attractive.

Having said this, what is also true is that appreciation of our sinful lost human condition as we are born into this world, is something that is impossible, unless light is given supernaturally by God. This leads us into verse 6, which brings out the wonderful contrast between the new way in Christ and to the natural way of human life in our world.

It is a fact that much of Christian understanding these days is superficial, and so Christian people simply do not appreciate the awful condition of humanity in sin, nor do they appreciate fully the wonder of Christian Salvation. I hope our study in these two verses, with the vast contrast which the Apostle sets before us, will deepen our Christian understanding to the blessing of our lives.

Again I feel the best way forward is to take each sentence in this verse in turn, and meditate on what is being revealed to us.

What force and power are in these two words. Having described the awful condition in bondage that is the lot of all human beings, Paul says ‘But now’. This awful condition of humanity does not have to continue. A person who appreciates this lost condition can find a new way, if he or she wants to. Paul is seeking to help every Christian to appreciate the wonder of the new way that we have been brought into. We were in this lost condition before we believed in Jesus, but now everything is different. In Christ we live in a totally different way, and have a totally new life.

That which bound us was our sinful nature and the law of God. The law of God ruled over us. Because of our sinful nature, all that the law of God did was to excite our passions which issued from our sinful nature, so that we more and more broke the principles of the law. We were bound in an ever increase scenario of judgement, where judgement increased as the law condemned all our continual failure to keep its precepts, and there was nothing we could do which did not produce death. We were bound in this way by the law. We were bound in this way by our sinful nature. We were in prison, chained so that we could not escape. But now things are different.

As Christians who believe on Jesus alone as our Saviour, we have died to the law. By this we have been freed from the law. We have died in the body of Christ. Being joined to Christ by faith, we were in Christ, in his body so that his body became our body, when he died on the cross, and so we died when Jesus died on the cross. We died and so the punishment for our sin was executed to the full, and so we were freed from the law. The law was fulfilled. We died in Christ, and so the dominion of the law over us was finished. The chains and fetters of the law were broken off, and we became free for the first time, and free for ever. Our death in Christ freed us.

By this death in Christ, we have been released from the laws authority over us. The law has no more dominion over us. The law can never again pronounce condemnation or sentence us to death again. The law is still there to guide us, and show us the holiness of God, but the law can no more charge us with sin, or sentence us to death, or harm us by judgement. In truth the law has no quarrel with us now we have believed, because in our Saviour every detail of the holiness of the law of God has been fulfilled completely, and so the law of God only sees us as holy, and without any sin against us.

This is the tremendous release that Christ has achieved for us by his death, which comes to us because we have died in him when he died on the cross. Jesus took all the pain and suffering, and we benefit from this wonderful release and salvation. The penalty of the law, which is death, can never harm us. In Christ we are freed from this awful penalty, and are given eternal life.

This marvellous release is not so that we cease to have to consider God, and can live as we like, but rather that we may continue to serve God, but in a new way. This new way is a way that succeeds. It is a way that is acceptable to God.

Firstly, this new way is a way of serving which is without fear. Under the law and its dominion the motive for service was fear. The penalties of falling short of the law’s demands were held over us, so that by fear of the penalty we may be coerced into obedience. This never worked and never does work. All it does is to excite our sinful passions. Soon in despair we give up. We still fear, and fear more and more, but we feel our condition is hopeless and though frightened we cease to care.

Being freed from the law, and being in a condition so that we can no more be condemned, and being in a position where, through Christ, God always and for ever looks upon us as righteous in his sight, we serve God without fear. This is a new way indeed. We still want to serve God, but we want to serve God even more than before, because there is no coercion or threat.

Secondly, the new way is that we serve God from a new relationship. We serve God because we belong to God and are beloved of God. We saw from verse 4 that we died to the law, and were delivered from the law’s dominion through Christ, so that we may belong to Christ. Jesus Christ gave his life a ransom for us because he wanted us to belong to him, and be in his family. God gave his Son to die for us because God wanted us to be his sons and daughters.

No more do we serve a God who, being high and holy, is far above us and separate from us, whom we fear because he as total power over us; but now we serve God because he is our Father, and we know he loves us, and that we can come to him without fear. Paul tells us later in Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship, and by him we cry, “Abba, Father”.”

Thirdly, the new way is that we serve God in the new way of the Spirit. Because we have been made free from the law, and are accounted righteous in God’s sight, and are raised to new life in Christ, we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us. We now serve God with real power. It is the Spirit who guides us, and teaches us, and it is the Spirit who empowers us, and it is the Spirit who gives us the holy desires which desire to please God and serve him.

There can be no idea that in being freed from the law we have a license to sin. This is impossible because we have freed in order to belong to Christ, and be filled with his Spirit, and so the new way is that we have a new nature that desires only holiness, and to live only as God approves.

Fourthly, this new way is a way of love. We serve God out of fear when we were bound, and failed terribly in our efforts, now because we have been freed from the law, and belong to Christ, we serve out of love, and with the desire of love to please the one we love. We love him so much because he first loved us so much, and we have been led to experience this love through the Spirit he has given us. We love him because he first loved us, and this love fills our hearts and the love overflows in fruitful service. This service is fruitful because the motive is love. It is fruitful because it comes to God cleansed by the precious blood of Christ. It is fruitful because it is in the context of real life. It is fruitful because through the power of the Spirit it is pleasing to God. It is fruitful because being freed from the law, this service has no condemnation against it. It is fruitful service because all that issues out of it is life.

We serve now in this new way from a heart that is in tune with God. We have been created to be like God in true holiness and righteousness. Our heart is full of holy thoughts and desires issuing out of the new nature we have. Like Adam before he fell into sin, we have a new nature and are a new person which only desires to please God. Serving God is natural to us. This is the purpose of our life.

This service has no coercion in it, or any threatening because it comes from the desire and love which is in our hearts. This is totally different to the way under the Law. Paul speaks of the law in this last sentence of verse 6 as ‘the written code’. How hard and implacable this is and sounds. There are the rules written down and codified. Every rule must be kept. There is penalty pronounced on the least breech of this code. The old way was one of fear and compulsion.

The new way is one of free service which comes from the heart. We love God so we want to please him and serve him. This is no burden to the new person we are. The still fallen flesh may seek to hinder this and sometimes make this service seem hard and onerous, but in our hearts and the new person we are, we are free and serve with desire to serve and please God. We look into the loving and smiling face of God, and his commands don’t come to us as a soulless written code, but directions which we want to know so that we may please him, and show our love for him in this way. Jesus said ‘If you love me you will keep my commands’, and this we find to be true in our experience. This is the life we want to lead, and when we fail due to our fallen flesh, we are grieved and truly repentant, and hate the failure we have done.

This new way is a wonderful way. This new way is because we have been freed from the law. This new way, far from promoting sin, is the only way that produces holiness and true service for God. Let us grasp hold of this wonder of being freed from the law, and the new way we enjoy by such freedom, that we may live more and more holy lives.