The Law of the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 Living in the flesh, as described in chapter seven, can be most frustrating for believers in Christ. In contrast to that, in chapter eight living in the freedom of the Holy Spirit is described. That freedom comes when we walk in the Spirit who is the source of freedom. The scope of that freedom is limitless when our mind is subject to God and the things of God. Life and peace are the result. The sequel to freedom is that it came to us because the Son of God condemned sin in the flesh when He “laid down His life for us.” He conquered sin and death by doing that of His own will and He took His life back again by His own power and authority.
The person who is controlled by the Holy Spirit is not condemned by the law. His or her past is forgiven. They are able to do what the law requires by the power of the Spirit while we wait for the redemption of the body at the resurrection of life. We are children of God now and look ahead with hope and joy to a future that is far beyond our comprehension.
The Holy Spirit is the key to the Christian life. He blesses us with seven covenant blessings that are stated in this chapter. Justification, v.1; obedience, v.2-8, 12-13; His indwelling; resurrection, v.11; adoption, v.14-16; inheritance, v.17; glory (through suffering). Jesus’ death and resurrection and the indwelling Holy Spirit give us a spiritual intimacy so personal that we can know God as “Abba Father.”
V.1. A wonderful and gracious pronouncement from the seat of righteous justice introduces another fundamental part of the doctrine of the Gospel. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." This pronouncement of God’s justification, “not guilty,” is final. The death of Christ blots out the sins of every believer and leaves no place for our condemnation. We are free to live through the power of the Spirit and love for Christ in ways that please Him.
The blood of Christ shed on the cross has cleansed us from all sin. The person who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior has died with Christ to sin and to the sin principle that Adam had brought us into. Now because of the triumphs of the grace of God, we are not under law but under grace. Sin does not rule over us. There may be opposition from people and chastening from the Lord, but there is no condemnation. There is deliverance from the struggle we may have with indwelling sin in our bodies of flesh, through our Lord Jesus Christ. All of His great work has brought us a new freedom. The work of Christ has already been done for us. Now the Holy Spirit makes this new life to be ours. We have been declared "Not guilty!" and are free in Christ Jesus.
V.2. The power of the Holy Spirit was evident in the creation of the world. The power of the Holy Spirit was also seen when the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. That same Person and that same power has freed us from the law of sin and death. So, the delivered believer has been sanctified by the Holy Spirit and brought under a new law, the law of life in Christ Jesus. We are now able to live spiritual and victorious lives in Christ. The life-giving power of the Spirit sets us at liberty from the constraints of the law that leads to death. When we are born again, He makes it possible for us to live each day for the Lord.
Looking back there has been a whole series of pages turned that unfold the glorious Gospel. We started out condemned. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Now through the gracious work of God - there is "no condemnation." Between those two phrases, a great unfolding of the way of salvation has revealed that the law of sin and death has no authority over those who have new life in Christ and live under "the law of the Spirit of life."
V.3. The law could not rid us of sin because we were bound by sin already. The law can point out sin but not do anything about it. God did something about it when He sent His Son to take on sinless humanity and pay the price of our guilt. By doing that, He defeated the power of sin. Now, we not only have new freedom and a new law of life we live by, but we have new power from this new law of the Spirit of life. We were not able under the old law to live a holy life because of the flesh. Now this new power enables us to walk according to the Spirit.
We are not in bondage to the flesh. The Lord Jesus Christ, when here in the flesh was absolutely perfect, even though He was "found in fashion as a man." He put away our sin and guilt of sin by His blood when we were crucified with Him. Our sin was judged and fear of condemnation is past. The law was powerless to free us because of our flesh. But Christ condemned that when He was here in the flesh because of His perfection as a man.
V.4. Now we can, in Christ, fulfill the righteousness of the law by being declared holy and without blame before Him in love. Now that we are declared righteous, that righteousness is not fulfilled by us but in us when we choose to walk according to the Spirit. The moral and ethical guidance of the law was “fully met” by our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. We are freed from the power of inward sin to do the empowering work which the Holy Spirit directs.
The Holy Spirit has all power and we have the choice to walk according to the Spirit within us. That new freedom, that new law of life, that new power creates in us a new desire to walk holy and blameless before our Lord and before men as well. This sanctification of life is a work of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:1. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”