Released From the Law to Live by the Spirit | Devotional

“But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” —ROMANS 7:6

A young woman falls in love with a wonderful man. He is the most perfect man. He cannot be faulted for anything and people respect him. The couple gets married. His name is Mr. Law, Mr. Mosaic Law. She loves him dearly and feels secure in his disciplined life. 

When they come back from their honeymoon and he goes to work, the first day he says, “While I’m away, I want you to behave exactly as I behave. I am giving you a list of things I want you to do. When I get home, I am going to make sure you have done everything on this list.” When he comes home, he does not ask her how she is, nor does he give her a kiss. He says, “Bring me the list. Let me see how you’ve done.” Looking at the tasks he has given her, he says, “This one looks okay, but most of them have not been done very well. Tomorrow I am going to give you the exact same list and you’d better do them well, because I’m going to check it when I get home.” 

This goes on for months where he does not show his wife any love, but only makes demands. She becomes exhausted, develops a huge inferiority complex, and is plagued with guilt and failure. Then one day, Mr. Law dies. She is polite about it, and mourns properly. But what a relief! 

Later, she meets another man, and he is just as perfect as Mr. Law. They fall in love and get married. His name is Mr. Life, Mr. Resurrection Life. He also makes demands and his standards are the same as Mr. Law’s, but he says, “I want you to know you cannot do this alone. We can do this together because I am able to infuse inner strength into you.” Sometimes she fails, but he does not condemn her. He says, “There is no condemnation in this marriage. In everything, I am here to help you.” She is relieved and Mr. and Mrs. Resurrection Life live happily ever after. 

This portrays what Paul is teaching when he says, “We have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” Is the law sin? Certainly not. Is Mr. Law a bad man? No, he is a good man. The law, although it reveals the character of God, is totally insufficient for our needs. All the demands of the law, which expose our sin and failures, were crucified with Christ, and the goal of Mr. Life is to restore the character of God, which Mr. Law reveals.

Dear God, thank You for sending your Son who exemplifies your character, and is always patient and loving with me. 

Do I tend to depend on Mr. Law or Mr. Resurrection Life?