“Serving In The New Way Of The Spirit!”(Rom.7:4-6).
“…until death do us part” as pronounced by a couple at their wedding is a commitment to a moral and ethical expectation. This is to say “by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage”(Cf. Rom 7:2-3). What is missing here is that there is no consideration concerning what precipitates the death of a spouse; and some have used this negatively to their gain – especially when a rich legacy is involved.
However, circumstances notwithstanding, the death of a spouse is the freedom of the other spouse; with the liberty of choosing another.
The law is good to maintain moral and ethical standards, but does not liberate from sin. Jesus Christ died to cause our liberation so that we are no longer captives to sin through the law. This is because we “aslo died to the law through the body of Christ, so that we might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead,in order that we might bear fruit to God.”
We are now “new creations.”
“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.”
The law is still relevant as a moral and ethical guide, but the law does not provide salvation. Salvation is in Christ.
Points of reflection:
- We have died to sin as understood by the parameters of the law.
- We now belong to Christ.
- We are intended to bear fruit to God.We must now serve in the new way of the Spirit as we bear fruit to God. These fruits are: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”(Gal.5:22-23).
Bottom line is that our earthly efforts should now be to live life by the dictates of the Spirit so that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is not in vain.
Prayer: Holy Spirit lead me so that I should serve in a new way and bear fruit to God. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.