There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own on in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
– Explain how we came to this question
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
The LAW of Liberty
So the question is, how secure is this freedom? And the scriptures declare this freedom a law. The law of liberty. The law of liberty is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. So we have ourselves a distinct topic. The law of liberty. It almost sounds like an oxy-moron. I thought freedom meant the absence of laws and rules. Well no it doesn’t. So that gives us an understanding of liberty. Liberty is not above the law, but they co-exist. (Flirting with another topic)
So this law of liberty is named the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This name alone speaks volumes of the security of our freedom. There’s alot of topics here and honestly, I’m not sure how to give all this to you nor have I had the time to really dive into alot of this. But the name itself speaks volumes of the security of our freedom.
#1 The law – Here’s where we can study law. What is law? What are the characteristics of law. What does it mean for something to be a law. This not a suggestion. This is not a theory. This is not probability. This is not a possibility. This is not a hopeful event. This is LAW. That in and of itself means something, and we’re gonna look at that.
#2 The law of the Spirit – Here’s a good place to preach about the diety of the Spirit. Understand that this is the law of GOD the Spirit. This is not some secondary law. Like God the Father is the federal government and the Spirit is the state government and the federal law trumps the state law. No it’s not like that. The Holy Spirit is God just as much as God is God. (Elohim) So when we speak of the law of the Spirit, we speak of the law of Almighty God. If anything, I would venture to say the the law of liberty is greater and more powerful than the law that was given on Mount Sinai. The law of liberty trumps the law of sin and death. It proves the diety and divinity and glory and majesty of the Holy Spirit. For his laws (the law of the Spirit) are greater and more powerful that the law of sin and death. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh…” The law of the Spirit could do that which the law of Moses could not do. This world did not experience sin and death until Adam and Eve partook of that fruit in the garden. Romans 5:12. Well the Mosaic law was given for sin and for death. But God was without sin. God the Holy Spirit is eternal and without sin. This is the law of the Spirit, the eternal, holy Spirit, and it trumps the law of sin and death. It condemns sin in the flesh and brings to nothing the law of sin and death.
#3 The law of the Spirit of life – The Spirit of life. What does that mean? What does it mean to be the Spirit of anything. Nirvanah’s teen spirit? Spirit of a football game: We go Spirit, yes we do…. I think a real good understand of the Spirit of anything is the Christmas Carol:
– The Spirit of Christmas Past, Present, and Future
– They were distinct personalities
– They had a domain, a jurisdiction, a territory
– They had an expertise, authority, and knowledge in that domain
– They had power
I think that’s a real good understanding of the Spirit of anything. We’re dealing with the Spirit of life. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of LIFE! He’s got a life giving personality, amen? His domain, his jurisdiction, his territy is LIFE! He is the authority on life. That is his expertise and he possesses all the knowledge of life, and most of all he’s got power over it. Power over life. Power to give it and power to take it. He’s the Spirit of life
#4 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus – So it’s not just life vanilla or life in general. It is specifically life in Christ Jesus. What is life in Christ Jesus? I can’t answer all that right now, but I can tell you that it’s under the jurisdiction of the law of the Spirit. In other words, if there’s anything in the life in Jesus, if there is any benefit, any truth, any difference to a life in Christ Jesus as opposed to a life outside of Jesus, it is dictated by what? The Law of Liberty, the law of the Spirit, the law of Almighty God the Spirit. The life that Jesus promised (quote) will be manifested not by the Spirit’s desire, but by his LAW. How secure is this freedom in Jesus Christ that God has given us?
God wrote the law and God executes the law! (Compare to today)
We’ve mentioned alot in this study of Romans about law: The Mosaic law, the Levitical law, the book of the law. We’ve made a lot of reference to this. I’d like to take just a step back, and take out all the adjectives or titles and simply look at law. What is law? There’s so many kinds: There’s Mosaic Law, There’s federal law, state law, county law, city law, natural law, scientific law, physical law, mathematical law. There’s even church by-laws. There’s the study of law, law degrees, lawyers, and courts of law. So strip all that away and leave only law! What is law? Here’s a few things that ideally represent what law is:
#1 A law is always true given the same circumstances.
A law is a description of cause and effect. A law is an explanation as to what circumstances led to certain condition. What is the cause of this condition? Or what is the effect that is produced by certain circumstances? A law defines a relationship between the cause and the effect; or the circumstances and the condition. And the nature of this relationship is that of certainty, or imminence; a definition of surety. There are no exceptions, no anomalies. The given circumstances will never ever never produce a different result. A law is always always always now and forever true. That is what makes a law a law. In the text, we’re dealing with two different laws: The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus and the law of sin and death. I’d like to deal first with the law of sin and death.
The law of sin and death is always true given the same circumstances. What are these circumstances? This is what Paul describes in Romans 7:21. “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” Paul discovered the law of sin and death. These are the circumstances. Repeat. What is the effect? Vs 23: It brings me into captivity. Vs 25: “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” And he had already determined earlier that the wages of sin is death. And if these are the circumstances that plague all, then undoubtedly this same condition will likewise effect us.
This brings me to a topic I’ve mentioned before but had never spent much time on. And that is the unbelief of one’s circumstances. Paul in admonishing the Romans to place not their trust in the Mosaic law. In Galatians, Paul is writing to rebuke them for following after Judaisers; Jews that were trying to get Christians back under the bondage of the law. A theme throughout all of Paul’s writings. So it’s very tempting, whether consciencly or unconsciencly, to believe that these circumstances do not apply to us.
We are not Jews. So when we start preaching about the law and trying to follow the law, one can easily dismiss what is said. “I don’t try to follow the law so what do I care? This doesn’t apply to me!” So I want to stress that yes, it does apply to us, even though we are not Jews. Whatever is not by grace through faith, is by default under the law. If it’s not of the Spirit, then it’s of the flesh. If it’s not grace, then it’s works. If it’s not of God, then it’s of the devil, of the world, or man, and it will perish. What did Jesus tell the Jews that argued, “Our Father is Abraham!” He said, “No your father is the devil!” Jesus said, “I am the door” and if you try to get in any other way but by the door, you’re a “thief and a robber!”
Maybe we don’t have Rabbis hounding us and bugging us to get back under the law. Maybe we don’t have members in the church that are persecuting us and trying to bewitch us and trouble us because we don’t want to put ourselves under the law. But we do have on the inside that which was born of the flesh, that which is subject to the law, trying to subvert, trying to bewitch, trying to trouble that which is born of the Spirit. And as long as we live in this flesh, these circumstances will remain true. As long as we live in this flesh, and try to do good, evil WILL BE PRESENT. It’s the LAW of the sin and death. It will always always always be true. The law in your mind and sin in your flesh will always produce condemnation.
You may think that you’re not troubled by the flesh and the law, but you are mistaken. John said, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” “Well, preacher, I don’t have a problem with that, I know I sin. I know I have sin in my flesh. It’s the law in my mind that just don’t see as true. I just don’t see as a true circumstance in my situation.” But I say unto you: How can you have anything else, BUT the law of God in your mind. And whisper of morality in your head, comes from God’s law. Even the slightest sense of right and wrong, comes from God’s law. Even the wild bushmen in the Amazon running around naked, completely uncivilized, have within themselves some sense of what is right and what is wrong. It might not match ours. It might not be written down. But they have laws that govern. Where do you suppose that they got these laws?
Paul said in chapter 2 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another…” Read Romans 1:18-20. So if the heathen have the law of God in their minds, and they have never as much seen a Holy Bible, what makes you think that we don’t have the law of God in our minds.
If there is any hint of right and wrong in your head, it had to come from God. Even the stern look your mother or father has given you when you did wrong is ordained of God. And in those eyes is the judgment of God, whether we realize it or not. And that look, rich in the law and wrath of God, will penetrate and affect your soul for eternity. Anytime, we see a beautiful sunrise or sunset, we always quote that passage, “The heavens declare the glory of God!” We stand in awe and the wonder and majesty of God, but remember the glory of God will slay the sinner! What we see in the heavens is just a hint of his glory and declaration of his glory. If you have eyes to see, the heavens have declared not just his glory, but the very Law of Moses and the judgement of God upon you.
Patty asked me the other day, “What do you tell a person that asks, if God is so good, why does he let all this bad stuff happen in the world?” And I have to admit, I don’t have a good answer for those type of questions. But I have learned enough about God to say this, “Stand just two seconds before Almighty God and then ask him yourself. Stand just two seconds before the majesty and glory of God and then question his judgement.” That day I got saved, that day that God revealed to me how utterly wretched a creature I was, how dismally black was my heart was, and hopeless my condition was. That day I met God, I know without a shadow of a doubt, his glory was veiled. I was given just the slightest glimpse of his glory. Just a pin prick of light through a curtain of darkness. I just barely touched the hem of his garment. I was given just the knowledge of his glory. And I though I was gonna die. People say, “I can’t wait to get to heaven. I can’t wait to see Jesus.” I’m not so sure about that. There’s no way I can stand before God in this body. No way. Why do you say that? Because I have the law of God in my mind. And so do you. Adam and Eve ate it 6000 years ago and we haven’t gotten rid of it yet.
So the circumstances have never changed, therefore the results never change. Why? Because the relationship is law; the law of sin and death. A law is always true given the same circumstances. The circumstances must change for the results to change. Now hold on a second, there’s two laws that Paul is dealing with: the law of sin and death (which he covered in Romans 7) is just one of them. The other law is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The circumstances have changed. Verse 3: “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;” The circumstances have changed. Jesus, took our sin upon him, and took it all the way to Calvary and nailed it to a cross. He paid the price for our sin. He suffered the results of the law of sin and death. Now, things are different. The circumstances are different. There is now a new law. Different circumstances will result in a different effect or a different condition. Verse 4: “…the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us!”
A law is always always true given the same circumstances. What are your circumstances? Have you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you come to him? Have you believed in him. Have you cast yourself on the mercy of God, and trust the shed blood of Jesus Christ? If so, according to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, you are free from the law of sin and death! He’ll save anybody that comes to him. It’s true everytime. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. He will not cast you out. He will not deny you. He will not break his law. If you trust him, if you come to him, you don’t have to doubt it, he’ll make you free! And if the Son make you free, you will be free indeed. It’s true everytime. Every saved person has got in this way. Every saint has been forgiven. Every saint bears the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every saint is bathed and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. Every saved person has come this way. Every saved person has stepped upon the path of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This path has brought every person that has walked it from death to life, from condemnation to righteousness. A law is always always true given the same circumstances.
Now, there’s another circumstance, which really and truely this message or Romans 8 is about. Vs 1 and Vs 4: “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” I want you to see in Vs 4 a particular word that I think we should consider: ‘might’ That the righteousness of the law MIGHT be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. There’s one more circumstance that is needed to get the results we’re looking for; and that’s to walk after the Spirit. It’s very important that we have right view of this freedom we been given in Jesus Christ.
There is a freedom wrought and then there’s freedom effectual. There’s the freedom that Jesus Christ has won for us through his death, burial, and resurrection. But then there’s freedom in which we walk in and freedom that effects us. Is it the same freedom? Yes. Is there a difference? Yes. Let me explain. If I give you 20 dollars and you put it in your pocket, that 20 dollars wrought. When you take it out and spend it, that 20 dollars effectual. In efectivo! Is it the same 20 dollars? Yes. Is there a difference? Yes. The first 20 dollars CAN purchase you something. The second 20 dollars HAS purchased you something. It’s very similar to how we view salvation. John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Jesus blood was shed for all the world and is sufficient to atone for every sin ever committed or ever will be committed. But will all the world be saved? No. The bible says that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. God stands ready to forgive any sinner, the price has been paid, but not all will go to him. Jesus has wrought salvation for us. But when you call upon the name of the Lord and are saved, that salvation become effective to you.
So it’s similar with the freedom in Jesus Christ. The freedom which we have in Jesus Christ has been purchased for us in the finished work of Jesus Christ. That is freedom given. But then there’s freedom livin; which is us walking in that freedom and using this freedom. And it’s that freedom, freedom livin, that erases that ‘might’ and righteousness is fulfilled in us. What I’m saying is that there is a distinction between imputed righteousness and fulfilled righteousness. It’s the same righteousness, but imputed righteousness is what God gives us when we come to him a lost sinner and fulfilled righteousness happens when we walk after the Spirit. There’s freedom given, and then there’s freedom livin!
I know I might sound like a broken record, but walking after the Spirit is more than just being indwelt with the spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is real. I don’t think see how anyone can ever be filled with the Spirit or walk after the Spirit, unless they realize the reality of it and the need for it. There is a difference. That’s why Paul says in Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Is it the same Spirit? Yes. Is there a difference though? Yes! Later on in Romans 8, Paul says, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” It’s very easy to gloss over these things and in our minds no make the distinction that little expression “in the Spirit” means “walking after the Spirit” and it doesn’t. It only means that the Spirit of God dwells in you. It means what Paul is saying in Galatians, “If we live in the Spirit…” Walking after the Spirit is more than just being “in the Spirit” just like in Galatians where walking “in the Spirit” is more than just living “in the Spirit”
Like I said before, you are what you believe. If you don’t believe there more to just the indwelling of the Spirit, there is a walking in the Spirit, there is a filling of the Spirit, then you’ll never walk after the Spirit, you’ll never be filled with the Spirit. You are what you believe. Do you believe the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus? And brings us to a second truth about law?
#2 A law is proven through much experimentation
A law is proven through much experimentation. This is what we need. Some experimental knowledge of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. How we need to see the manifestation of this law, this great truth, in our life. If we didn’t, how would lives be any different from those that are lost. A law is proven through much experimentation.
Paul speaks of experimental knowledge in Romans 5. He said, “…we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” How can we know the love of God but through experimentation. How do we obtain hope but by experimentation. How do we experience the work of the Holy Ghost but by experimentation. Experimental knowledge.
If the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus only pertained to the indwelling of the Spirit of God, then there would be no way to broaden your experimental knowledge of the law. You’d have to get saved over and over and we know that’s not going to happen. But the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is not just of the indwelling, but about walking in the newness of Spirit, about walking after the Spirit, about being filled with the Spirit. That is something that we can prove through much experimentation.
#3 A law does not change.
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