Life In The Spirit

Both Rich Mullins and Third Day sang a song entitled “Creed,” that began like this: “I believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth; and in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord.” This song was based on one of the early Church creeds, called the Nicene Creed.(1) In reference to the Holy Spirit this Creed says, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified.”(2) In the Nicene Creed the Holy Spirit is called “the Lord and Giver of Life.” This is a truth about the Spirit that the early church recognized and a truth which I hope we will discover today – that the Holy Spirit is One who gives life – as we look at “Life in the Spirit.”

The Spirit Abolished Condemnation by the Law (vv. 1-2)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

We read here that there is no more condemnation for those who know Jesus, and walk according to the Spirit; and those who walk in the Spirit of life are free of the “law of sin and death.” The key word here is “law.” Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23), but only because conviction of sin is brought about by the law (Romans 3:20, 4:15, 5:13). The law leads to conviction, judgment, and thus condemnation. The law is not bad in and of itself, for the law was a tutor that taught us about Jesus and led us to Him (Galatians 3:24). In Romans 7:7 Paul stated, “Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law.”

The law becomes bad when we use it in an attempt justify our own righteousness, or when we try to earn our way into heaven by working hard at keeping the precepts of the law. A works-based belief system cannot attain the desired result of righteousness by the law. Why? Well, James said in James 2:10-11, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” “According to a third century rabbi, Moses gave 365 prohibitions and 248 positive commands”(3) – 613 total. There are just too many commands for one person to keep, and if we mess up one time then we are unrighteous before God and unworthy to come into His presence. We cannot be saved from sin and death by keeping the law (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Holy Spirit abolished condemnation by the law, and the condemnation that arises from legalism. In 2 Corinthians 3:15-16, Paul said, “Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Some of us who already know Jesus act as though our hearts are veiled and cannot see the freedom we have in Christ. We walk around as though we are judged, for we allow the criticism and condemnation of other people to rule us and determine our life’s course; however the “life course” that is set by the world does not lead to true life. We are free, however, if we choose to lay hold of our freedom and walk in it daily. Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed!” (John 8:36).

In Romans 7:6 Paul told us, “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” We have newness of life (Romans 6:4), and freedom in life by the Holy Spirit! If you are a believer then you need to embrace your freedom!

The Savior Fulfilled the Requirement of the Law (vv. 3-4)

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.