The Law Of The Spirit Of Life

In January 1910, a raging plague was sweeping through parts of the nation of Africa, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of bodies. In less than a month, one quarter of the entire population had died. The plague was so contagious that the government was offering $1000, the equivalent of $27,170 today, to any nurse who would be willing to care for the sick.

John G. Lake, a well-known healer, and his ministry team had just returned to Africa after a year in America. When he heard about the deaths, Lake and his team went to help free of charge. He and one of his assistants would go into the houses, bring out the dead, and bury them. But no symptom of the plague ever touched them.

At the height of the horrible plague, a doctor sent for Lake and asked him: “What have you been doing to protect yourself? You must have a secret!” To this Lake responded:

“Brother, it is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. I believe that as long as I keep my soul in contact with the living God so that His Spirit is flowing into my soul and body, that no germ will ever attach itself to me, for the Spirit of God will kill it.”

Lake then invited the doctor to experiment with him. The doctor took foam from the lungs of a dead plague victim and put it under a microscope and found masses of living germs. Lake told the doctor to spread the deadly foam on his hands and the germs would die.

The doctor did so and found that the germs died instantly upon touching Lake’s hand. Those who witnessed the experiment were shocked as Lake continued to give the glory to God.

Let me share one more John G. Lake story with you.

Lake was interviewed by a group of scientists at a hospital. They were looking for a logical explanation for his healing gift. At the conclusion of the interview Lake said:

“Gentlemen, I want you to see one more thing. Go down in your hospital and bring back a man who has inflammation in the bone. Take your instrument and attach it to his leg. Leave enough space to get my hand on the leg. You can attach it to both sides.

“When the instrument was ready, I put my hand on the man’s shin and prayed like Mother Etter prays: no strange prayer, but the cry of my heart to God. I said, ‘God, kill the devilish disease by Your power. Let the Spirit move in him: let it live in him.’

“Then I asked, ‘Gentlemen, what is taking place?’ They replied, ‘Every cell is responding.’”

Lake said the one thing that enabled God’s healing power to flow through him was his connection to God through “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Let’s look at where this is found. Turn with me to Romans 8 and we’re going to read verses one and two.

(1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

(2) For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Lake had tapped into something that most of the Church today doesn’t understand. Why was an understanding of this law so important to Lake’s healing ministry? The real question for us today is this: why should a clear and thorough understanding of this law be important to us? Oh, I am so-o-o glad you asked!

It’s interesting to me that the Bible calls “the spirit of life” a law. And, it’s a law that can only be enforced when a person is “in Christ Jesus.” So, how does a person get “in Christ Jesus?” What does it mean to be “in Christ Jesus?”

But before we answer these questions, let’s define the word “law.”

A law, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a binding custom or practice of a community: a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority.”

Now, let’s look at this in light of Romans 8:2 – “For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

The first part of the definition says “a binding custom or practice of a community.”

In John 3, Nicodemus asked Jesus how he could do the miracles that Jesus did. Jesus said he had to be born again to see the kingdom of heaven (John 3:2-3). In other words, he had to have the same spiritual life in him that lived in Jesus. Jesus said, “Nicodemus, you must be part of the kingdom to do these things.” This law – the law of the spirit of life – is a binding practice for those who live in the kingdom of heaven.