Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)
In the Old Testament, God gave His people laws to abide by, starting with the Ten Commandments and continuing on with other details of how to live in purity for Him. His promise was that as long as His people kept His laws, they would remain pure and worthy of His Kingdom. If they didn’t, they would be separated from God and subject to all the attacks of hell.
Yet no matter how hard they tried, the people of Israel had to constantly repent of their sins, constantly be offering sacrifices, and constantly face the ugliness of their fallen human condition. Every human being born into this world carries that rebellious, selfish nature that is opposed to God, which makes perfect obedience to rules and laws virtually impossible. The law of the Old Testament didn’t save anyone, it just revealed how broken and fallen humanity truly was and is.
But Jesus brought something new, the law of the Spirit of life. Becoming pure, righteous and acceptable to God isn’t a list of dos and don’ts, but a relationship with Him where His Spirit teaches us right from wrong, good from evil. Jesus took on sin and willfully became the personification of sin when He died on the cross. He crucified all evil so that we no longer have to be condemned.
How do we start living by this law of the Spirit of life? By dying to our own flesh, by living for God alone, and by sacrificing anything that is contrary to God in our lives. We will always be sinners and need forgiveness as long as we are alive, but we can now live on another level where the Spirit Himself guides and speaks to us in total agreement with God’s Word. If our hearts are dull, rebellious and insensitive to God, we will never be able to hear His direction or live by the law of the Spirit. Jesus death has given us direct access to God - let’s take full advantage of all He has for us by surrendering our lives to Him so that His Spirit can do His work in us.
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