To keep our modern society running smoothly, there are laws we must all obey. We can only drive at posted speeds. We cannot trespass on others’ property. We must pay our taxes when due.
There were laws in Moses’ day, too, ones given by God. How does Old Testament law apply to us today? Should Old Testament law be important to modern day Christians? Is the law still important to God, or was it superseded by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?
In Romans 8:1 we read, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus...for we live according to the Spirit.”
We must find our life in The Lord and put death behind us. The flesh is death. To find life, we must look to the Spirit.
In the first four verses of Romans 8, Paul shows the enthusiasm of the redeemed. Reread that first verse: “There is now no condemnation...” How exciting!
However, no longer being under condemnation does not mean we are given carte blanche to sin. Rather, it is the opposite. In this passage, Paul tells us he is no longer compelled to follow the sinful man.
That is something we can never forget.
To truly understand Romans 8, let’s look at the first four verses individually:
Verse 1: Condemnation
Think of condemnation as a penal code, or perhaps as being imprisoned. Without condemnation hanging over our heads, the threat of our prison sentence is gone. We no longer have to worry about the punishment we deserve, for our sins have been forgiven by God.
Verse 2: Compulsion
Throw a ball bearing up into the air, and it will fall back to the ground. Why? Gravity. Can we overcome gravity?
The Spirit given to us in the New Testament supersedes the law of the Old, pulling us upward instead of downward. It behaves like magnetism, lifting us toward God.
Verse 3: Cooperation
The Law was powerless. Jesus stepped in to fight our battles for us. We no longer fight alone.
We now have a champion the great leaders of the Old Testament did not know. We have been given the opportunity to become the great leaders of today.
Verse 4: Complete Invincibility
Sin made the Law powerless. Jesus came to defeat sin. The Spirit came to give us power equal to our needs through Christ Jesus.
Verse 4 tells us we live according to the Spirit, not according to our sinful nature.
The Spirit of God is commensurate to the temptations we face, and with Jesus at our side, we will never know defeat.
The Law is important to God, but sin made it powerless. God sent Jesus to defeat sin. Now we live above sin and without condemnation.
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