But now we have been delivered from the law

[Doc Thomas]

“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”-- Romans 7:6. This passage lets us know that we have freedom from spiritual liabilities and penalties of God’s Law but not freedom to do what God’s law forbids. There are many things that Christians can do that we choose not to do because of our own prejudices, prideful thinking, and ignorance. As redeemed souls of Christ, we died in Christ when He died, therefore the Law with its condemnation and penalties no longer has jurisdiction over us. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”--John 8:36.

Much too often we fail to realize what our Christian liberties are—we are “free indeed,” when we are “in Christ.” We are no longer slaves to sin. “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”--John 8:34. We are dead to the Law but we cannot be lawless. The Law helps us understand that we aren’t meeting God’s standards. However, we cannot get caught up in legalism and become circumcised physically only; we must have circumcised hearts. Today we are to serve Christ, not on the basis or the motive, “I ought to do it,” but now it should be: “I delight to do it because I want to please Jesus.” As believers we are set free but now in love, we give ourselves to the Savior as we never could do under the Law.