Roman 8a Commentary
The Law so anticipates sin or transgression that you actually can make a budget out of a monetary penalty. A law can be a fundraiser for a government! The government smiles but the offender suffers. The offense could be as silly as owning a blue car without a license. The Law of Moses isn’t exactly this unreasonable, but Romans makes the point that the Law is a factory of condemnation.
There is no condemnation with the Law of the Spirit. There is more: The Spirit is your helper, your partner, your advocate… See how inferior the traffic rules are when set against this awesome value. You simply cannot compare the two!
Of course, the LORD won’t nullify His own word. The Law stands; all must obey. You obey them through your Master, the man Jesus Christ. He obeyed the law to the fullest. We simply live His life – by the Holy Spirit resident within each believer. You cannot be a believer without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of our LORD Jesus Christ.
The saint’s life is under the control of the Spirit. Paul has written a detailed description of what this means in his letter to the Galatians. There is the physical manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit – love joy, peace, self-control…
The Law of the Spirit is simple, straight, and positively all-powerful. You are empowered to love – the Spirit living in you.
The first section describes what life is like under the Law of the Spirit. There is freedom; there is power to perform God’s will; and there is life instead of death. The Spirit restores life.
Now we can put the pieces together. JESUS CHRIST, the Creator, breathed His Spirit into a mound of clay and it became a living thing. But because of sin, the Spirit left or Jesus withdrew His Spirit. Death occurred.
An individual remains dead until the Spirit comes back. The Spirit won’t come back until the individual is clean enough. Only Jesus makes the individual clean – clean on account of Jesus.
Verses 10 and 11 specifically address the issue of physical death. Mortal bodies will attain blessed immortality at the resurrection. This decision is made now by the individual who decides to follow Jesus.
Some sections of the New Testament even quote the resurrection as a past event to honor God’s faithfulness. It is like making a purchase today and waiting for the arrival of the parcel. The key word is ‘purchase’. Delivery may come later. Since God is the courier, we can be certain to receive the parcel in one piece! No delays. No distractions. No stock-outs. A purchase is as good as a delivery itself!
Yes, there are obligations, but not to the flesh, to live according to it. You are commanded to put to the sword the misdeeds of the body – by the Spirit. Where there is hatred, the Spirit produces the fruit of love; where pride reigns, the Spirit introduces humility. Taste this meal and you immediately know the meaning of freedom!
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LOVING SCRIPTURE 