The Law of the Spirit of Life In Christ Jesus
August 2021 |
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” —Romans 8:2
Three Laws of the New Covenant
There are three great laws that attach themselves to the new covenant. Every believer should be aware of their existence, their meaning, and how they apply to God’s redemption plan under Christ. They are:
- The law of faith
- The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
- The law of Christ
Last month we focused on the first of these laws, the law of faith. This month we will look at the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
This Is A Spiritual Law
All three of the laws we are discussing are spiritual laws that never alter or change. These are laws that are established and maintained by God Himself. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus guarantees that abundant life can be provided by the Holy Spirit to every believer. God has established a legal means that guarantees the help of His Spirit when we operate within the framework of His redemption plan. While the transformation of every saint is complex, this spiritual law guarantees that the Holy Spirit will address Himself to every weakness found in the saint. Why should we turn to other methods for being transformed into the image of Christ when God has already provided the one and only means needed for successful spiritual transformation?
The truth is, many believers are not aware of this spiritual law or how it works. Change in the heart may vary in time and development because every believer is unique, but the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus assures us that anybody and everybody can be freed from anything and everything! This is a law established by God that will not fail.
The Spirit Brings Life
In Romans 8:26, the Bible says, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities.” The word infirmity can be connected to either physical or spiritual weaknesses. As believers, we have already been saved. A supernatural regeneration has already occurred. The soul and the spirit have been recreated. We have been equipped with the ability to commune with God, and the Holy Spirit Himself has moved into our hearts. The Holy Spirit is not a silent partner. He begins immediately to transform us from what we are into what God wants us to become. But the believer is not yet glorified. We live in this amalgamation of flesh and spirit. That is, we, as human beings, have been impacted greatly by the fall of man. We must come to understand and accept, even as the apostle Paul did, that “in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” The mind can still contain thoughts that are contrary to God. The heart can still yearn for things that the Holy Spirit doesn't want us to have. This is our present state, and the Holy Spirit is here to help us rise above these weaknesses. He is present and available to deliver us from every weight and sin that does so easily beset us. He desires to generate the abundant life that Jesus promised. He is the Spirit that brings life. What do we do to earn the labor that He desires to perform within us? We are to place our faith in Christ and Him crucified. The Spirit of God is then granted the legal right to work continually within us. If Christ crucified remains the object of our faith, He will continue to do so until the day that Jesus Christ glorifies every saint. He is the Spirit of life!
In Christ Jesus
What does it mean to be “in Christ Jesus?” The “in Christ” position is granted to every individual who accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. The moment the believing sinner expresses his or her need for salvation through Jesus, the response of God is to have the Holy Spirit immerse that believing sinner into the very person of Christ. That individual receives a status that includes being cleansed, justified, and sanctified. Christ is not only our substitute—dying for us on Calvary—He is also our representative man. In a covenant that is established between two parties, representatives from each group of people come together. Each one represents the people from which they come. When Jesus Christ cut covenant for us, He represented every individual who would ever become a believer. The moment someone is saved, he is immersed into Christ, baptized, into Him— baptized into His death and raised up with Christ—to live in Him, with the new power source being the Holy Spirit. The believer becomes a member of the body of Christ. His new status is one of being “in Christ.” Being in Christ Jesus qualifies the individual for the work of the law of the Spirit of life.
Our role in all of this is to maintain the proper object of faith. The same faith that brought us into relationship with Christ is the same faith that will continually transform us into the image of Christ. This can happen because faith has been properly centered upon Christ and Him crucified, thus giving believers the position of being “in Christ Jesus.”
The Law Of Sin And Death
The law of sin and death is another law that is a constant. The Mosaic law was given in part to reveal the sinfulness of man to men. It not only detailed the difference between right and wrong, but it also had the by-product of stimulating rebellion against God's Word. An insurrection against God's Word will always result in physical or spiritual death. Indwelling sin can produce a dominion over man that results in death when consistently practiced. Sin brings death into the picture. This is an incontrovertible law. There is only one law that has the ability to overwhelm the law of sin and death. The greater law is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This law can cause one to rise above the law of sin and death. It is much like an airplane that overcomes the law of gravity through the law of aerodynamics. The law of the Spirit of life provides the only source of strength that brings freedom from sin and the death that results from sin. If you find yourself struggling to free yourself of some unwanted habitual attitude or action, I implore you to seek after the full understanding of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. It will set you free from the law of sin and death. This is a law that will not fail you when properly understood, applied, and maintained. Through faith in Christ crucified, you too can be free!
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