◄ What Does Romans 8:2 Mean? ►

The failure of Romans 7, which came by carrying out works of the flesh in his own strength, ended in defeat for Paul who cried out: "Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" (i.e. the old sin nature). But his defeat blossomed into the liberation of chapter 8 with a shout of victory and thankful praise: "No condemnation! For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death." And so Paul found freedom from the power of sin, life from the icy fingers of death, deliverance from the curse of law, emancipation from the lust of the flesh, and liberty to live in newness of Christ's resurrected life as guided by the Holy Spirit.

We were sentenced to death because of our sins and our imputed sin nature, but Christ was judged in our place, paying the full price for our sin, by faith. His death became our death. The penalty for our sin was paid in full by Christ on our account, and there is no 'double jeopardy' which forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same charge.

We are FREE from the curse of the law because of HIS death. We are delivered from the power of sin by HIS life. We have been set free, because we are IN Christ. By grace we are identified with HIS death so that we can be identified with HIS resurrected life.

There are two life principles by which a believer can live - death or life, law or grace, the flesh or the spirit, bondage or freedom, carnality or spirituality, the old sin nature or the new life in Christ. The believer can choose to retain control and allow the flesh to dominate OR he can submit to the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit Who is mighty to save. He can submit to the old sin nature OR he can submit to the new life in Christ.

The old sin nature in the unregenerate man or the Christian who is living carnally, is defenceless against the power of the law of sin and death which is at work within every member of the human race. But when as believers we submit to the Holy Spirit, we discover a higher law working within (the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus) that gives power to the new-life-of-Christ within which we received when we were born again, bringing us to certain victory.

The Holy Spirit is the 'Spirit of Life' Who regenerates our human spirit, places us in the Body of Christ, gives us the life of Christ, and then works in the new-life within - but only when we submit to Him and walk in spirit and truth, and do not engage in fleshly carnality and ungodly practices. Having been made FREE we are empowered to stand in that freedom, which is done by submitting to the Holy Spirit on a day by day basis, and often minute by minute.

Let us live our life in the power of the Holy Spirit and submit to Him in all things, knowing that there is: "NO Condemnation," for those of us who are positioned in Christ: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death."

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace, which has set me free from the curse of the law and the power of sin in my life. Thank You for sending Christ Jesus Whose death procured my freedom from the power of sin and death. I pray that I may walk in spirit and truth as I submit to the Holy Spirit so that my old sin nature is kept in the place of death. Help me to walk in spirit and truth and not to revert back to the law or engage in fleshly carnality, knowing that I have been set FREE and am enabled to stand fast in that liberty, as I submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.