Last time we went through Romans 8, we talked about how there is No Condemnation for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus. Today, we’re going to see exactly why this is as we go through Romans 8:2.
Before we jump in, I would like to note that Romans 8:2 starts with the word “for,” continuing the idea started in the preceding verse. Because of this, we’re going to include Romans 8:1 for context.
Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
English Standard Version
Like we said last time, we’re free from condemnation if we trust in Jesus. Paul says that this is because we’ve been freed by the “law of the Spirit of life.”
Wait, what? What is this “law of the Spirit of life,” and how does it set us free? Isn’t that a contradiction?
Here, Paul is referring to an idea he talked about earlier in Romans 6:17-18.
Romans 6:17-18 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
English Standard Version
We were “slaves of sin,” bound by the “law of sin and death” (the Old Testament Law). This Law was made to reveal our sin to us (see Romans 7:7-14). It clearly shows that we are unable to keep God’s right and just commands no matter how hard we try. This Law says that all who don’t keep it will be punished justly for their sin. Because of that, we are bound to sin through the law, unable to keep the law and facing punishment since we don’t.
However, we have been set free from this slavery through the “law of the Spirit of life.” Because Jesus loves us, He [Jesus] paid the price of our sin by dying on the cross, bearing the full punishment we deserve. Because of this, we are freed from fearful, legalistic obedience to the Law. Now, our salvation is not dependent on our own works that are never sufficient; instead, our salvation has already been accomplished and eternally secured by Christ Himself.
In response to Christ’s incredible, unfathomable love, we should love Him in response. Out of this love, we should follow what His Word [the Bible] says is right, obeying His will as much as we can but not beating ourselves up about our own imperfection. In other words, we shouldn’t follow His laws out of fearful obedience, always worrying that we need to measure up to His requirements to earn our salvation. Rather, out of love we should obey Him as best as we can in His strength (not our own), always remembering that He loves us independent of how sinful we are–or rather, in spite of how sinful we are.
Jesus doesn’t say, “Alright, I’ll pay for your sins this time, but you need to get your act together and be better next time.” Rather, He says, “I love you so much that I’ve already paid the price for all your sin.” We’ll never be perfect until we’re home with Him, but until then we should demonstrate our love for Him by following Him as best as we can.
Don’t miss out on No Condemnation to get the full meaning of this post.
