The Law of the Life-Giving Spirit

November 19th, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Romans 8:1-2 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

The word “law” is used twice in v. 2, but not in reference to the Mosaic Law. The first use, “law of the Spirit of life,” or “law of the life-giving Spirit” (NET), speaks of a general principle of operation, not the Mosaic Law. Paul speaks of these principles elsewhere, as in “a law of faith” (Rom. 3:27) and “the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). Again, these “laws” are principles, not references to the Mosaic Law. Believers in Christ are saved from the condemnation the Law prescribes for sinners by submitting themselves to the “law of the Spirit of life.” In this they are freed from the curse of the Law. After all, it is the Law that cannot be kept, condemning all of humanity as sinners and earning them death as their fair wage (6:23). It takes a much higher law than the Law to save, and that law is “the law of the Spirit of life”—the life-giving Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is of course the third member of the Trinity. In speaking of the Spirit, Paul told Titus that God “saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6). In John 3:5 Jesus said that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” It is therefore the Spirit who grants life in all those who place their trust in Christ Jesus. So, the Spirit grants life, but He only grants life through the second member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.

The second use of “law” in v. 2, the “law of sin and of death,” speaks also of a principle, not the Mosaic Law. One might interpret the verse as “the principle of sin that leads to death.” For it is indeed sin that leads to death—a universal law for all of humanity. It is the first principle of the life-giving Spirit that sets Christians free from the captivity of the law of sin Paul spoke of in 7:23, namely, “a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.”

Now although the verb tense in v. 2, “has set you free,” signifies that Christians already have freedom from the law of sin and death through faith in Christ, this speaks of a now-not-yet state. Christians are of course currently free from the sin that leads to death through their first father Adam, and although they will all die physically, they will live eternally with Christ because He lives eternally, and they are one with Him. But until that day, they continue in the war between the law of their regenerated minds and the law of sin in their members (cf. 7:25). Ultimately, Romans 8:2 concerns the transfer from one realm to another—from the realm of death through Adam to the realm of eternal life in Christ. This is accomplished by the life-giving Spirit—the regeneration—through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Food for Thought

The reality of being a Christian, one who receives Christ as Lord and Savior, is that we are freed forever from the penalty of sin and delivered from the deserved condemnation that sin brings upon us. We are, however, still subject to God’s discipline when we do sin: “For those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines…” (Heb. 12:6). Moreover, we are still accountable for holy behavior: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Sin’s power in the life of a Christian, therefore, still lingers (cf. Rom. 7:14-25). But the penalty for sin, namely death, has been paid in full through the death of Jesus Christ. He is our substitute, and His death qualifies as our death—our payment for our sins. All glory to Jesus Christ for His substitutionary atonement on our behalf. No condemnation for us now!