Life in the Spirit
A Sermon on Romans 7:6
Originally preached May 22, 1959
Scripture
6But 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.
Sermon Description
What makes Christians different from others is that they have been granted a new mind and new desires by the Holy Spirit. This new life in Christ puts believers in a new relationship to the law of Moses as now the law is written upon the heart of every believer. This creates a heart of worship that is not focused on the externals of religious acts, but on the orientation of the heart. True worship flows out of a heart renewed and freed from the curse of the law and the power of sin and flesh. In this sermon on Romans 7:6 titled “Life in the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is emphatic that this new relationship to the law does not bring about antinomianism since all of God’s commands are good and just. It means that Christ fulfilled the law and gives believers a new heart that has new desires. The end of the law is not a license to live in sin but it comes with the joy and privilege of seeking to love God and neighbor out of the new person that Christ Jesus is fashioning all believers to be. Sanctification cannot be separated from salvation and glorification because Christ Jesus is the one who begins and completes salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- We have been delivered from the law. We have been discharged and set free from it. We are no longer under its control and dominion.
- We have died to the law. The law is not dead, but we have died to it. We are no longer under its rule.
- We have been delivered and died to the law in order that we might serve in newness of spirit. The purpose of our deliverance is so we can serve God in a new way.
- We now serve in newness of spirit, not in oldness of the letter. We serve in the power and sphere of the Holy Spirit, not under the law.
- There is a contrast between the old and the new. The Christian life is completely new, not just an addition or improvement to the old life. We are new creations.
- There is a contrast between the letter and the spirit. The letter refers to the written moral law. The spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. We live by the Spirit, not the letter.
- The Christian life is a life lived in, by, and through the Holy Spirit. Everything we do is spiritual, not fleshly. Our minds, worship, prayer, and walk are spiritual.
- The Christian life is a complete contrast with even the best type of moral, fleshly life under the law. It is a totally new kind of life.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 7:6
What does "But now we are delivered from the law" mean in Romans 7:6?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, this phrase marks the complete change that occurs in becoming a Christian. The phrase "But now" signals the contrast between our former state and our present one. Being "delivered from the law" means Christians have received a complete discharge from the law's authority. We are freed from the law's condemnation, from its inability to justify us, and most importantly from its inability to sanctify us. We are also delivered from the law's tendency to aggravate our sinful nature. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this deliverance is not gradual but complete - "there's nothing gradual about becoming a Christian. You are either a Christian or you're not a Christian."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the contrast between "oldness of the letter" and "newness of spirit"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "oldness of the letter" refers to the written moral law given through Moses, where people attempted to conform to a written code. In contrast, "newness of spirit" (with a capital "S" for Spirit) means living "in the sphere and realm of the Holy Spirit of God." The Christian life is not merely trying to keep the law with a better attitude, but an entirely new life made possible because "the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us as the result of our union to and marriage with the Lord Jesus Christ." This creates a complete difference in our thinking, worship, prayer, and every aspect of life. Lloyd-Jones states, "The Christian life is a complete contrast to the old and unregenerate life. At its very best, it is the difference between the new and the old, between life in the Spirit of God and life under and dominated by the law."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about the purpose of our deliverance from the law?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the purpose of our deliverance from the law is clearly stated in the text with the words "in order that" - the purpose is "that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." He stresses that "the great grand object of salvation is our sanctification, is holiness." Everything God has done through Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit has this one grand end: "that we might be holy before him in love." This refutes both the critics who claimed Paul's teaching would lead to moral chaos and the antinomians who care about doctrine but not practice. Lloyd-Jones states, "If you are really concerned about morality and good behavior... you'd better believe the gospel, because as long as a man is under the law, not only can the law not deliver him, it'll even aggravate the position for him."
Is Romans 7:6 describing the experience of only certain exceptional Christians?
No. Dr. Lloyd-Jones is emphatic that this verse describes what is true of all Christians without exception. He states: "This which he's saying here is true of all Christians. He's not only speaking of some Christians, he's speaking of all Christians without exception. He's not simply speaking of certain Christians who've had some additional or some second blessing, which therefore puts them into this position. No, he isn't doing that at all." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes this point because he believes Romans 8 is "nothing but an exposition of this 6th verse of chapter seven," and therefore Romans 8 is also true of every Christian, not just certain "special Christians."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain what it means to "serve" in this new way?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that the word "serve" actually means "slave" - the same term used in Romans 6. He says, "All this has happened to us that we might now slave in newness of spirit. That's what serve means, to slave." Just as the wife in Paul's marriage illustration is "the slave of her husband," Christians are willingly slaves to Christ. Lloyd-Jones notes that "Paul rejoiced in calling himself the bond slave of Jesus Christ" and adds that "there's nothing more wonderful than to be the slave of such a husband, the bond slave of Jesus Christ." This service is now characterized by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit rather than the written code of the law.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.