Serving in the New Way of the Spirit

Rev. (Rtd.) Osei Kwabena Nkrahene | Saturday, August 22, 2026 | Romans 7:1–6

KEY VERSE: “While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions… were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law… so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit…” — Romans 7:5-6 ESV

MESSAGE:

After explaining that believers now belong to the risen Christ, Paul shows what this new relationship means for daily service. Freedom from the Law is not freedom to live for ourselves. It is freedom to serve God in a new way through the Spirit.

Paul describes something that may appear paradoxical. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions were aroused by the Law and worked in us to bear fruit for death. The problem, as we have already seen, was not with the Law itself. Sin took advantage of what the Law prohibited and stirred within fallen humanity the desire for what was forbidden. Paul will explain this more fully as the chapter progresses.

It is instructive to note that these sinful passions were at work in our members and produced fruit for death. The Law could reveal what God required, but our sinful nature could not produce the life that God desired. This takes us back to the human problem with which Paul began this discussion with. Left to ourselves, our passions lead us away from God and ultimately to death.

Fortunately, verse 6 begins with the decisive words, “But now.” Through the finished work of Christ, a new era has opened for the believer. We have been released from that which held us captive so that we may serve God “in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” Our liberation therefore leads to a new way of serving God, with the Holy Spirit working within us and directing our lives.

FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:

Depend on the Holy Spirit as you serve God today. Ask Him to shape your desires, choices and obedience according to God’s will.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for setting me free. Help me to depend on the Holy Spirit and serve God in the new way He has made possible. Amen.

THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.

SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

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The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING

Day 234 Isaiah 19–21 — The Lord Rules Over Nations and Their Destinies

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DAILY word study: THOUGHT The word “released” in Romans 7:6 comes from the Greek katargeō, meaning “to render inactive,” “to release from,” or “to bring to an end the controlling force of something.”

Paul says believers have been released from the Law, having died to what once held them. This release opens the way for a new manner of service. Through Christ, we now serve God “in the new way of the Spirit.”

Reflect on This

You have been released to serve God in the new way of the Spirit. Depend on the Holy Spirit today.