Romans 8:2 – What is the Law of the Spirit of Life?
Romans 8:2 explained
Do you feel condemned even though you know that you are forgiven? Do you feel the pressure to perform even though you know about grace? Do you struggle to reconcile God’s grace with your own effort?
These challenges are faced by those who are not fully acquainted with the law of the Spirit of life
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:2)
The entire human race lives under one of two laws. In Adam, you were governed by the law of sin and death, but in Christ, you are governed by the law of the Spirit of life. A new law signifies a new king. Formerly, you were a captive of sin, but now you belong to God.
Okay, sweet. But what does that mean for your everyday life?
What is the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2)?
The law of the Spirit of life refers to the rule or influence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As new creations, we get to live in union with the Spirit of Christ, and the main way his influence is felt is through the outpouring of the Father’s love in our hearts.
The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5)
The love of God is like air for us. We need it to live and the Holy Spirit gives it to us.
God’s love inspires us to trust him, be our true selves, and tell others the good news. When the love of God captures your heart, you will no longer use words like “debt,” “duty,” and “responsibility” to describe your Christian walk. Living religiously is a drudge, but living righteously becomes easy when we are empowered by the Spirit of the Father’s grace.
When you were born again or put into Christ, you received his Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come. The Spirit of Christ poured out the Father’s love and set you free from the law of sin and of death.
What is the law of sin and of death?
The law of sin and of death refers to the rule or influence of sin and its destructive effects. In the same way a sheriff is the law of a town, the world is in thrall to the rule of sin (Rom. 6:14, 20. “Sin entered the world… sin reigned through death” (Rom. 5:12, 21).
Sin is like a force of nature pulling you down into the Adamic life of independent living. It does this by feeding our fears, tempting our flesh with counterfeit pleasures, and spreading lies about our identity and our needs. It gets us living by our knowledge of good and evil.
Sin would have you believe that there is something wrong with you or that you must fix yourself. Sin will leave you sweating on the treadmill of self-effort and wearing a mask that hides your brokenness and shame.
What does it mean to be free from the law of sin?
A believer has had a change in master and this changes everything. Formerly, when you sinned, you were condemned by the law as a sinner. Now, when you sin, you do not reap the condemnation of the law, but the righteous affirmation of the Spirit of life.
There are still consequences to sinning, but punishment and condemnation are not among them. Saint, you are one with the Lord. Nothing can separate you from God’s love.
Which is really good news!
What is your part in this? You must believe that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” If you do not believe – and sadly, many Christians don’t – it will be as though nothing has changed – even though everything has changed.
Imagine an albatross that doesn’t know how to fly. It has enormous wings, but it walks everywhere. This is not what God intended for the mighty albatross.
The non-flying albatross is a picture of the Christian who lives as though they were still under the law of sin and death. When they stumble, they condemn themselves and try to do better next time. This is not what God intended for his sons and daughters.
Many Christians live like grounded albatrosses—they’re free in Christ, yet still walking under a law that no longer rules them.
God has set you free so that you might live under the law of the Spirit of life. So renew your mind and learn to conform to the new reality of the new creation. Change the way you see yourself. Learn how to walk in the spirit. You have been set free from the power of sin, which means you can live free and fly!
In Christ, we are no longer captive to our lusts and appetites. The heavy weight of the law that crushed us has been removed. Unburdened and unbound, we have nothing to prove and everything to live for.
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Read this scripture in context on the Grace Commentary, your free verse-by-verse study guide.
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Escape to Reality 
Really good Paul. I see “the law of the Spirit of Life” all about union with Jesus and our new identity in Him where we bask in the love of the Father. The apostle Paul, as a believer in Jesus, had the knowledge of good and evil as a Jew but when he tried to serve God by that knowledge of law in his mind God showed him another law in his members, in his physical body, called the law of sin and death which is aroused or stimulated by the law. That law of sin and death took him captive every time and Paul’s knowledge of right and wrong from the law was no match for the power of sin in his physical body. To circumvent that cycle of knowledge of good and evil, failing to do good and condemnation, God placed us inside of Jesus. Now His death is our death (old man dead) and His life is our life (new creation in union with Jesus) and this “law of the Spirit of life” is activated by simple faith in Jesus as our life. As you said, the love of God is the key to this union with the life of Jesus for when we are filled with the love of the Father and know His love is toward us even as His love is toward Jesus then we are filled with all the fullness of God and find His power putting to death the deeds of the physical body in which is the power of sin. We are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit in this union with Jesus and we no longer serve God by the letter of the law but rather by the newness of the Spirit of life. Herein is the rest. In His rest, knowing there is no condemnation, we see we have been made as righteous as Jesus by an act of creation. Not just a positional righteousness but an actual righteousness by creation through the power of Jesus’ resurrection. We now have a new heart and are one with Jesus and our life is hidden with Jesus inside of God where we sit with Him in His realm. Sin is no longer imputed to us since we are not under law and so when we do stumble and fail to manifest the love and life of Jesus we simply return to our rest and remember the truth and that experience makes us even more dependent on the life and love of God within us.
James
P.S. Thank you for your autographed book. Appreciate all you do spread the good news of Jesus.
Very insightful, thanks James. Glad you got the book.
Another good article by Dr. Ellis on the power of our indwelling Holy Spirit that has indeed freed the believer from the law of sin and death. I like his example of how some believers act like a non-flying albatross. Some Christians do not realize that they are freed by the H.S. and still tend to live like chickens on the ground grubbing for worms, when they could be soaring in the air like eagles.
Where I respectfully disagree with my hyper-grace brothers and sisters, is that I use the term sanctification process as a continual daily walk and life-long experience with Jesus, to grow and mature in our righteous living through the power of the Holy Spirit. I do agree with Dr. Ellis in avoiding terms like: “debt,” “your duty,” and “your responsibility” to describe the Christian walk. They are TRYING too hard, instead of TRUSTING in Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
However, I do feel that there is a sanctification process that a “baby” Christian continues to grow and mature in righteous living. Believers are working out what God has already worked in us. (Phil 2:12-13) Our goal is to always glorify God, and to be conformed into the image of our Lord Jesus. (Rom 8:29)
How can I get a copy of the hyper Grace gospel ebook I need it so badly having read some of your teachings I know this would be awesome Jonathan Jacob
Here you go.