Living in the Law of the Spirit

“…because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

Why is there no condemnation? Because the law of the Spirit, that is, life in Christ Jesus, has set us free from the law of sin. Paul was contrasting two different laws (or principles); the old law is the power of sin that inevitably results in death and the new law, which sets the believer free from the power of the old, is the law of the Spirit. The new law of the Spirit says that only by living in union with Christ Jesus can believers break the power of sin in their lives. Sheer determinism or willpower will never be able to break the bonds of sin. It is the Spirit of God who provides victory, and that Spirit is the available to every true child of God.

When the freedom of the Spirit that is the theme of Romans 8 is compared with the oppressive power of sin in chapter 7, it seems strange that both could be operating concurrently in the same person. The believer has a choice to live by the old law of the flesh or the new law of the Spirit. We lose the battle when we engage the enemy without the resources supplied by His Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The difficulties of the Romans 7 experience are self-imposed; they show the natural outcome of failing to appropriate the Spirit of God. The victory of Romans 8 results from living in vital union with Christ Jesus, sustained and empowered by the Spirit of God.