Free From The Law - ROMANS 8:1-17
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10 Years before Friendship Baptist Church was established, a Mr. Bliss wrote this hymn in 1871, inspired by his Scripture readings highlighting the contrast between law and grace. His work aimed to communicate profound theological truths simply and memorably, making it accessible to congregations.
Freedom from the Law: The hymn opens with the proclamation of being "free from the law," which reflects a central tenet of Christian doctrine that the Old Testament law no longer binds believers due to Christ's atoning sacrifice. This theme resonates with passages like Galatians 3:13, emphasizing redemption from the law’s curse through Jesus. Grace and Redemption: The repeated phrase "Christ hath redeemed us once for all" underscores the completeness and finality of Christ's work on the cross. It assures believers that their sins are forgiven and they are granted eternal life, a concept rooted in Hebrews 10:10, which discusses Christ's single offering for sanctification.
• Invitation to Faith: The refrain encourages listeners to "receive" and "believe" in this salvation, making it not just a declaration of faith but also an invitation to personal acceptance of Christ's grace
1. FREE FROM CONDEMNATION (8:1-4)
Romans 3:20 shows the "therefore" of condemnation, but Romans 8:1 gives the "therefore" of no condemnation —a tremendous truth and the conclusion of a marvelous argument. (The words "who walk not ... etc." do not belong here according to the best manuscripts. There are no conditions for us to meet.) The basis for this beautiful assurance is the phrase "in Christ Jesus." In Adam, we were condemned. In Christ, there is no condemnation!
The verse does not say "no mistakes,” "no failures," or even "no sins." Christians do fail and make mistakes, and they do sin. Abraham lied about his wife, David committed adultery, and Peter tried to kill a man with his sword. To be sure, they suffered consequences for their sins, but they did not suffer condemnation.
The law condemns, but the believer has a new relationship with it, so he cannot be condemned. Paul made three statements about the believer and the law, which add up to no condemnation.
(1) The law cannot claim you (v. 2).
You have been made free from the law of sin and death. You now have life in the Spirit. You have moved into a whole new sphere of life in Christ. "The law of sin and death" is what Paul described in Romans 7:7-25. "The law of the Spirit of life" is described in Romans 8. The law no longer has any jurisdiction over you:
You are dead to the law (Rom. 7:4) and free from the law (Rom. 8:2).
(2) The law cannot condemn you (v. 3).
Why? because Christ has already suffered that condemnation for you on the cross. The law could not save; it could only condemn. God sent His Son to save us and do what the law could not. Jesus did not come as an angel; He went as a man. He did not come "in sinful flesh," for that would have made Him a sinner. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh as a man. He bore our sins in His body on the cross.
The "law of double jeopardy" states that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime. Since Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins, and since you are "in Christ," God will not condemn you.
(3) The law cannot control you (v. 4). The believer lives a righteous life, not in the power of the law, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. The law does not have the power to produce holiness; it can only reveal and condemn sin. But the indwelling Holy Spirit enables you to walk according to God's will. The righteousness that God demands in His law is fulfilled in you through the Spirit's power. In the Holy Spirit, you have life and liberty (Rom. 8:2) and the pursuit of happiness (Rom. 8:4).
The legalist tries to obey God in his strength and fails to measure up to the righteousness that God demands. As he yields to the Lord, the Spirit-led Christian experiences the sanctifying work of the Spirit in his life.
"For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). This fact leads to the second freedom we enjoy as Christians.
2. FREE FROM OBLIGATION (8:5-17)
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh" (Rom. 8:12). There is no obligation to the old nature. The believer can live in victory. In this section, Paul described life on three different levels and encouraged his readers to live on the highest level.
(1) "You have not the Spirit" (v. 5-8).
Paul does not describe two kinds of Christians: carnal and spiritual. He is contrasting the saved and the unsaved. There are four contrasts.
In the flesh- IN THE Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
His mind is centered on the things that satisfy the flesh. But the Christian has the Spirit of God within and lives in an entirely new and different sphere. His mind is fixed on the things of the Spirit. This does not mean the unsaved person never does anything good or the believer does anything wrong. It means that the bent of their lives is different—one lives for the flesh, and the other lives for the Spirit.
Death life (v. 6).
The unsaved person is alive physically but dead spiritually. The inner man is dead toward God and does not respond to the things of the Spirit. He may be moral and even religious, but he lacks spiritual life. He needs "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:2).
War with God VS Peace With God (em. 6-7).
In our study of Romans 7. we have seen that the old nature rebels against God and will not submit to God's law. Those who have trusted Christ enjoy "peace with God" (Rom 5:1), while the unsaved are at war with God. "There is no peace," saith the Lord, 'unto the wicked" (Isa. 48:22).
Pleasing self VS pleasing God (v. 8).
To be "in the flesh" means to be lost, outside Christ. The unsaved person lives to please himself and rarely, if ever, thinks about pleasing God. The root of sin is selfishness—"I will” rather than "Thy will."
The lowest level of life is to be unsaved and without the Spirit. However, a person does not need to stay on that level. By faith in Christ, he can move to the second level.
(2) "You have the Spirit" (ROM 8:9-11
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
The evidence of conversion is the presence of the Holy Spirit within, witnessing you are a child of God (Rom. 8:16
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Your body becomes the very temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Even though the body is destined to die because of sin (unless, of course, the Lord returns), the Spirit gives life to that body today so that we may serve God.
If we should die, the body will one day be raised from the dead because the Holy Spirit has sealed each believer (Eph. 1:13-14).
What a difference it makes in your body when the Holy Spirit lives within. You experience new life, and even your physical faculties take on a new dimension of experience.
Describe your conversion experience: "I was in a new world.
Life in Chris is abundant life.
But there is a third level of experience for which the other two are preparation.
(3) "The Spirit has you!" (ROM8:12-17
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
It is not enough for us to have the Spirit: the Spirit must have und Only then can He share with us the abundant, victorious life that can be ours in Christ. We have no obligation to the FLESH because the FLESH has only brought trouble into our lives. We do have a responsibility to the Holy Spirit, for it is the Spirit who convicted us, revealed Christ to us, and imparted eternal life when we trusted CHRIST. Because He is "the Spirit of Life," He can empower us to obey Christ and enable us to be more like Christ.
But He is also the Spirit of death. He can enable us to "put to death" the sinful deeds of the body. As we yield the members of our body to the Spirit (Rom. 6:12-17), He applies to us and in us the death and resurrection of Christ. He puts to death the things of the flesh and reproduces the things of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is also "the Spirit of adoption" (Rom. 8:14-17). The word adoption in the New Testament means "being placed as an adult son." He comes into God's family by Birth. But the instant we are born into the family, God adopts us and gives us the position of an adult son. A baby also walks, speaks, makes decisions, or draws on the family wealth. But the BELIEVER can do all these the instant he is born again.
He can walk and be "Ied by the Spirit" (Rom 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The verb here says "willingly led." We yield to the Spirit, and He guides us by His Word daily. We are not burdened by law and living in fear to act. We have the liberty of the Spirit and are free to follow Christ. The believer can say: "We cry, Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). Would it not be amazing if a newborn baby looked up and greeted his father? First, the spirit says, “ABBA, father” to us, Galatians 4:6, and then we say it to God.
A baby cannot sign checks, but the child of God by faith can draw on his spiritual wealth because he is an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:17). The Spirit teaches us from the Word, and then we receive God's wealth by faith. What a thrilling thing it is to have "the Spirit of adoption" at work in our lives!
The believer does not need to be defeated. He can yield his body to the Spirit and, by faith, overcome the old nature.
The Spirit of life will empower him.
The Spirit of death will enable him to overcome the flesh.
And the Spirit of adoption will enrich him and lead him into the will of God.
