The Newness of the Spirit vs. the Oldness of the Letter

Thinking about Romans 7:6.

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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)

At the end of yesterday’s post, I promised that today we would look closer at the final phrase of Romans 7:6.

What did Paul mean by “the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter?”

Remember the Context.

Being “delivered” or “discharged” from the Law made it possible to “serve in the newness of the Spirit.”

Paul told the Christians in Rome that they had “become dead to the law through the body of Christ” (Romans 7:4).

So the context is considering how we have been set free from the Law through Jesus Christ so that we may “bear fruit to God” (Romans 7:4) and “serve in the newness of the Spirit” (Romans 7:6).

The Christian’s new life in Christ apart from the Law, is what’s under consideration here.

“Newness of the Spirit.”

There is a question about whether “Spirit” should be capitalized - which means it refers to God. If it shouldn’t be capitalized, that would mean it refers to our human spirit.

In the New Testament, the word for “newness” (kainotes) is found only here and in [Romans] 6:4. It is best understood in light of the fullness and freshness of salvation in Christ over against the negativism and cramped vision for life that the Law represented. Echoes of “newness of life” from 6:4 resonate here. It is the Spirit brought by Christ who makes this happen, and not our human spirit. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 235

The “newness of the Spirit” refers to the new life Christians have through Jesus Christ. It reminds me of what Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia when he told them to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).

“Oldness of the Letter.”

Since the “newness of the Spirit” refers to the Christian’s new life in Christ Jesus, that should help us understand what Paul meant by the “oldness of the letter” - since he is contrasting the two.

This is the only occurrence of the word (palaiotes, “oldness”) in the New Testament. It describes what is “outdated” or “not of much worth.” Paul brought out the incompatibility of the old way of the Law and the new way of the Spirit found in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 3:6, 14). Everything Paul said about the Law must be seen in light of the coming of Christ. At one time, the Law was the will of God for His people, but once Christ came the Law did not have the same status or purpose as it did before. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 235

In speaking about the “oldness of the letter,” Paul is referring to the “outdated” way of life that was found in the Law of Moses in contrast to the “new” way of walking in the Spirit brought about through Jesus Christ.

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4)

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So, does this mean that the Law was a bad thing?

Beginning with Romans 7:7, that’s where Paul is going next - to explain the true purpose and value of the Law.

I hope you will continue to follow along with us in this study!