Romans 8:2-4

Romans 8:2-4 by:

Dan Hill, PhD
Pastor, Southwood Bible Church
7655 South Sheridan Avenue
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74113
E-Mail: hill918@aol.com

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Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Here we have two diametrically opposed laws. One that sets free and one that brings sin and death.

APPLICATION: If you were a salesperson and these were the two products you were to sell, which one could you find a buyer for.

Well Christian, that is our product. We can take to a world in bondage a message about a way to be free.

The LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE is the same higher principle of law that James refereed to:

James 1:25 "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does."

James 2:8 "However, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well."

In Hebrews it is seen as that better hope:

Hebrews 7:18-19 "For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God."

In II Corinthians 3:3 we find where this law is written: "You are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts."

SOME PRINCIPLES:

1. The law of the Spirit of life is a law found not on tablets of stone but on the heart of the believer.

2. It is a law possessed by the Holy Spirit.

3. While normally a law regulates and controls, this law sets free.

II Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

4. Since the Law of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit himself that law is not to be limited by a ridged system of law of legalism:

II Corinthians 3:6 "Who (God) also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

5. The Law of the Spirit of life for the believer works in the believer at all times.

We too often think that the Holy Spirit is totally idle when we are out of fellowship and that is not the case:

James 4:5 "Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?"

Galatians 5:17 "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."

6. We are always free, we are always indwelled by the Holy Spirit, but to enjoy the benefits of freedom and the power and ministries of the Spirit we must be in fellowship, F/HS.

7. And we are the Holy Spirit works in us continually cleansing us, conforming us, to the image and character of Christ.

As Paul comes out of the struggle of Romans 7, the great declaration of this new Law of the Spirit of life is . . . FREEDOM.

Now back in Romans 6:7 Paul stated: "For he who has died is freed from sin."

That was the positional death we have at the moment of salvation. There Paul uses the word JUSTIFIED which is a legal term for being set free from any indictment of law.

Here, in Romans 8:2 the word for freedom is not a legal word but a word that looks at the function of freedom.

The means of freedom back in Romans 6:7 was the baptism of the Holy Spirit wherein we were united with Christ in His death.

Here the means of freedom is the Holy Spirit but His continual working in the believer's life.

The verb SET FREE is a aorist tense that here looks back at what started at salvation and continues even today.

This freedom is related to the three stages of maturity we studied . . . more maturity, more freedom.

It is a freedom that allow the one who is free to be independent and in that independence submit, to act out of his or her free will to serve God.

Some Passages that Describe our Freedom:

1. Romans 8:21 "That the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God."

Nature, the environment, will one day be as free as you, the believer. I toss that in because we think of being as free as nature? Nature, to personify it, wants to be as free as we are.

2. Since the beginning of the church there are those who cannot stand the freedom the believer has:

I Corinthians 10:29 "For why is my freedom judged by another's conscience?"

Also Galatians 2:4 the Jerusalem Council: But it was because of the false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

3. We are to maintain freedom so as to not be brought back into any ridged system: Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

4. We are to use our freedom to minister to others: Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

We must not let it become a stumbling block: I Corinthians 8:9 "But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."

Peter touches on this also in I Peter 2:16 "Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God."

5. The Holy Spirit as the agent of freedom in the life of the believer uses the word of God to define this freedom: John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

6. The objective of the CCL, however, is not freedom, it is what you will do with your freedom.

Peter talked of those who promised freedom: II Peter 2:19 "Promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved."

7. The Law of the Spirit of Life sets us free from sin and from death so that we can function in that freedom, free from bondage, serving God and serving others.

Jesus Christ set the precedent for our freedom:

1. Jesus Christ set the precedent at the cross. He was free to reject the cross, but He recognized the Father's authority and became obedient even unto death,

Hebrews 5:8 "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered."

Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross".

2. The Lord Jesus Christ was totally obedient. His obedience at the cross results in our spiritual freedom.

3. The application to us is that we need to exercise our volition towards self-discipline and consistently use our freedom for the learning, thinking, and applying of Bible doctrine.

We are free in the Spirit and that means we are free to live the Christ Centered life in freedom, not bondage, serving God and others out of our freedom.

LET ME GIVE YOU A RULE: If as you as progressing in your spiritual life, you are moving to greater bondage and law, there is a problem. If however you are moving towards greater freedom and grace, you are on the right track.

One is rigid and therefore predictable and comfortable.

But the only the other can lead you to places you never imagined, never even dreamed of, could not even hope for.

This freedom from the law of the Sin Nature and its resulting spiritual death is what Paul struggled against in Romans 7. He could not free himself from it, but now the Holy Spirit has come onto the stage, taken center stage, and given that freedom.

Again, this is functional. Positional freedom was the issue in Romans 6:3-11. Now we are into the living of the spiritual life.

Romans 8:3

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.

The Old Testament Law could not save man, and it cannot sanctify the believer. Paul demonstrated this in Romans 7.

Literally: The impossible things of the Law . . .

IMPOSSIBLE is AQUNATOS

1. Found in Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, Luke 18:27 where Jesus said: With men this (salvation) is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

2. Also found in Hebrews 10:4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

3. Therefore neither man nor the rigid system of ritual sacrifices could take away sins and provide for salvation.

4. But God could do this and did this at the Cross.

5. What God accomplished in the sending of His own Son not only provided for salvation but also for sanctification.

6. So man can't, sacrifice can't, the Law can't . . . but God could and God did.

7. Our part is faith: Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarded of those who seek Him.

The law is said to have been WEAK and this word, ASTHENEO means to be feeble.

Now Paul used this back in Romans 4:19 for Abraham who was not weak in faith. Here we have the weakness of the flesh.

Faith must be strong, because the flesh is weak . . .

When the OT Law was given Israel did not add faith, they added flesh.

Exodus 24:7 "Then he (Moses) took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!"

I wonder what would have happened if the people had said, impossible! Grace would have abounded . . .

God [did] sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and [as an offering] for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh . . .

In the likeness of sinful flesh: Literal: In likness of flesh of sin. Using the preposition EN.

Very important phrase: God send His son not merely in the flesh, appearing as a man but separated from sin, nor in the flesh of sin which would have indicated that He sinned but in a likeness of that which the characteristic is sin yet he had no sin.

The dative followed by the double genitive is clumsy even in the Greek but Paul forces the point to grammatically show us that Jesus Christ, while being God, was also fully man yet without sin.

FOR SIN: Preposition PERI the preposition of substitution.

And in the flesh He condemned sin. Same word as in v 1

So then, there is no condemnation . . .

NOW WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL RESULTS OF THIS?

REMEMBER: Paul is still dealing with the idea of letting grace reign in our lives and walking in newness of life and serving in the newness of spirit.

Romans 8:4

in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Here we come to the means of fulfilling the new life, the life of service, the life of Grace.

IN ORDER THAT is INA, introducing a purpose

THE REQUIREMENT: The word is DIKAIWMA and is most often translated "ordinance".

It is singular and thus indicates the one ordinance of the OT Law. Found throughout the holiness code and specifically stated in a number of places such as:

Leviticus 20:26, "Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine."

The requirement of the Law was for the believer to be holy as God Himself is Holy. This was impossible through the Law but is now possible through the Holy Spirit.

MIGHT BE FULFILLED: aor, pass, subj of PLEIROW

Means to be filled to overflowing, and the aorist passive looks to a future reality and the passive indicates that the work is not ours to do but God's to do in us. We see it as impossible . . .

Then the condition on which this will be fulfilled.

Remember, this is possible because there is no condemnation. In that absence of condemnation we have God fulfill the requirement of the Law in us when:

Do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The believer is not given numerous ways in which he or she can order his or her life. Only two, walk according to the flesh or walk according to the Spirit.

Topic: THE CHRISTIAN WALK

The REQUIREMENT OF THE LAW is holiness, the FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW is love:

Matthew 22:37-40

"And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

Galatians 5:2-3, "Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law."

James 2:10, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Galatians 5:14, "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Romans 8:5-8, Is an explanation of what walking in the flesh or walking in the Spirit is like: