{"id":1065,"date":"2011-07-16T09:08:09","date_gmt":"2011-07-16T09:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=1065"},"modified":"2011-07-16T09:08:09","modified_gmt":"2011-07-16T09:08:09","slug":"%e2%80%9cfor-the-law-of-the-spirit-of-life-in-christ-jesus-has-made-me-free-from-the-law-of-sin-and-death-%e2%80%9d-romans-82","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=1065","title":{"rendered":"\u201cFor the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.\u201d Romans 8:2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cFor the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.\u201d\u00a0Romans 8:2<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The interpretation we propose for the adoption of the reader is that which regards the \u201claw of the Spirit of life,\u201d as describing the gospel of Christ, frequently denominated a \u201claw\u201d\u2014and emphatically so in this instance, because of the emancipation it confers from the Mosaic code, called the \u201claw of sin and death,\u201d as by it the knowledge of sin, and through it death is threatened as the penalty of its transgression. But in what sense is the believer free from this deadly law? As a covenant he is free from it. The believer\u2019s union to Christ frees him from the condemnatory power of this law. He looks not to it for life; he rests not in it for hope; he renounces it as a saving covenant, and under the influence of another and a higher obligation\u2014his union to Christ\u2014he brings forth fruit unto God. Was ever liberty so glorious as this\u2014a liberty associated with the most loving, cordial, and holy obedience? Not a single precept of that law, from whose covenant and curse he is released by this act of freedom, is compromised. All its precepts, embodied and reflected in the life of Christ\u2014whose life is the model of our own\u2014appear infinitely more clear and resplendent than ever they appeared before. The obedience of the Lawgiver infinitely enhanced the luster of the law, presenting the most impressive illustration of its majesty and holiness that it could possibly receive.<\/p>\n

The instrument to whose agency this exalted liberty is ascribed is the \u201claw of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.\u201d The term law is forensic; though not infrequently used in God\u2019s word to designate the gospel of Christ; indicating it in the text, as the great instrument by which this freedom is obtained. The gospel is the law which reveals the way of salvation by Christ. It is the development of God\u2019s great expedient of saving man. It speaks of pardon and adoption, of acceptance and sanctification, as all flowing to the soul through faith in His dear Son. It represents God as extending His hand of mercy to the vilest sinner; welcoming the penitent wanderer back to His home, and once more taking the contrite rebel to His heart. It is also a quickening law\u2014emphatically the \u201claw of the Spirit of life.\u201d What numbers are seeking sanctification from the \u201claw of sin,\u201d and life from the \u201claw of death\u201d! But the gospel speaks of life. Its doctrines\u2014its precepts\u2014its promises\u2014its exhortations\u2014its rebukes\u2014its hopes\u2014are all instinct with spiritual life, and come with quickening power to the soul. \u201cThe words that I speak unto you,\u201d says Jesus, \u201cthey are spirit and they are life.\u201d Oh, there is life in the gospel, because it is the \u201claw of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.\u201d It testifies of \u201cChrist who is our life.\u201d It declares that there is no spiritual life but in Him. And although \u201cthe letter kills,\u201d working alone, yet in the hands of the Spirit it gives life. Thus clothed with the energy of the Holy Spirit, the gospel proves a \u201csavor of life unto life,\u201d to all who believe in it to the saving of the soul.<\/p>\n

Believer; a holy, filial, joyful liberty is your birthright. It is the liberty of a pardoned and justified sinner; of a reconciled, adopted child; of one for whom there is \u201cnow no condemnation.\u201d Yet how few of God\u2019s people walk in the full enjoyment of this liberty! How few pray, and love, and confide, as adopted children! Oh, sons of God, rise to this your high and heavenly calling! Your freedom was purchased at a high price\u2014undervalue it not. It is most holy\u2014abuse it not. It binds you by the strongest obligations to yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead. Be these the breathings of our soul: \u201cLord! my sweetest privilege is obedience to You; my highest freedom wearing Your yoke\u2014my greatest rest bearing Your burden. Oh, how love I Your law after the inward man! I delight to do Your will, O my God!\u201d John MacDuff<\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cFor the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.\u201d\u00a0Romans 8:2 The interpretation we propose for the adoption of the reader is that which regards the \u201claw of the Spirit of life,\u201d as describing the gospel of Christ, frequently denominated a \u201claw\u201d\u2014and emphatically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,38,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-john-macduff","category-the-law","category-grace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1066,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions\/1066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}