Principles of the Spirit

In Christ and by the Spirit you are never condemned.

“Therefore”

Points back to all of chapter 7.

Summary: Because we have died to sin and the law by being crucified with Christ there is no condemnation for those who died with Him.

“Now”

Indicates a significant change. “Things used to be this way but now they are this way.”

What changed?

The death and resurrection of Christ.

“No Condemnation”

The penalty of sin, which we know from chapter three is death.

We know that “death” is frequently a spiritual term because it is referred to as currently present for those who are physically alive but spiritually outside of Christ.

Biblically we know that spiritual death is separation from God. This is a chapter of contrasts. Primarily the contrast is a life lived in the flesh vs a life lived according to the Spirit.

Another contrast if in Christ we have eternal life what do we have outside of Christ? - eternal death

Both the sentence and the execution of it have been withdrawn from the believer.

“in Christ”

What does it mean to be in Christ?

Galatians 3:26–27 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

It is a literal, spiritual reality. We who died with Christ have been immersed into His:

Life

Death

Resurrection

Righteousness

Holiness

This leaves us with the question of how? How did the death of Christ accomplish something in and for us? We weren’t even there. How does the death of Christ save me from condemnation?

In Christ you walk in holiness by the Spirit.

The law of the Spirit (v. 2)

His authority and power to give life to those who accept Christ.

It is a a law or principle that those who accept Christ are given life by the Spirit.

The law of the Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death.

This in part answers the question.

How doe the death of Christ save me from condemnation?

When we by faith accept Christ, God judicially accounts His death to us.

The Spirit sets us free from sin and death by imparting spiritual life to us. The Holy Spirit is a spiritual defibrillator that brings to life that which was dead.

The Law is a test not a cure. (v. 3)

We have all tested positive for sin.

A biopsy never cured anyone of anything.

The Law diagnosis our sin, but it doesn’t cure it.

God did what the Law could not through the death of Christ. A cure for sin. What does a cure accomplish? - life!

This cure takes us out from under the condemnation of sin and instead condemns the sin itself.

The righteous requirements of the Law have been fulfilled in us.

How? I didn’t do it.

It is what God accomplished through the sending of His Son.

It is what the Law of the Spirit demands.

Lets bring it back to the principle.

What is the righteous requirement of the law? - holiness, perfect holiness

In Christ we are made holy by the Spirit.

The principle of sin and death have been removed when we are immersed into the death of Christ.

Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

In Christ we are indwelt by the Spirit

Those who walk, live and set their minds on the flesh are under its control. They are indwelt by a power that is beyond them.

Those who walk, live and set their minds on the things of the Spirit are under His control. They also are indwelt by a power that is beyond them but it is of a totally different category or type.

The indwelling ministry of the Spirit:

The indwelling Spirit comes to a soul dead in sin and creates new life (Titus 3:5). This is the new birth Jesus spoke of in John 3:1–8.

The indwelling Spirit confirms to the believer that he belongs to the Lord and is an heir of God and fellow-heir with Christ (Romans 8:15–17).

The indwelling Spirit installs the new believer as a member of Christ’s universal church. This is the baptism of the Spirit, according to 1 Corinthians 12:13.

The indwelling Spirit gives spiritual gifts (God-given abilities for service) to the believer to edify the church and serve the Lord effectively for His glory (1 Corinthians 12:11).

The indwelling Spirit helps the believer understand and apply the Scripture to his daily life (1 Corinthians 2:12).

The indwelling Spirit enriches the believer’s prayer life and intercedes for him in prayer (Romans 8:26–27).

The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers the yielded believer to live for Christ to do His will (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit leads the believer in paths of righteousness (Romans 8:14)

The indwelling Spirit gives evidence of new life by producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer’s life (Galatians 5:22–23).

The indwelling Spirit is grieved when the believer sins (Ephesians 4:30), and He convicts the believer to confess his sin to the Lord so that fellowship is restored (1 John 1:9).

The indwelling Spirit seals the believer unto the day of redemption so that the believer’s arrival in the Lord’s presence is guaranteed after this life (Ephesians 1:13–14).

In Christ you have assurance of salvation by the Spirit.

Those who walk, live and set their minds on the things of the Spirit are in Christ.

By contrast

v. 8 clearly states that “Those that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

v. 9 is even clearer that “anyone who does not have ethe Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”

Though our bodies waste away we who are in Christ have been given life by the Spirit (v. 10)

His authority and ability was proven in the resurrection of Jesus.

Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

The Father, Son and Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and they will raise us also.

They will give life to our mortal bodies through the Spirit.

We will have physical bodies in Heaven, but by the Spirit they will no longer be subject to death.

Further discussion on assurance

We tend to seek assurance of salvation in the things God is doing in our lives, in our spiritual growth, in the good works and obedience to God’s Word that is evident in our Christian walk. While these things can be evidence of salvation, they are not what we should base the assurance of our salvation on. Rather, we should find the assurance of our salvation in the objective truth of God’s Word. We should have confident trust that we are saved based on the promises God has declared, not because of our subjective experiences.

How can you have assurance of salvation? Consider 1 John 5:11–13: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (emphasis added). Who is it that has the Son? It is those who have believed in Him (John 1:12 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” ). If you have Jesus, you have life. Not temporary life, but eternal. And, according to 1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” , you can know that you have this eternal life.

God wants us to have assurance of our salvation. We should not live our Christian lives wondering and worrying each day whether we are truly saved. That is why the Bible makes the plan of salvation so clear. Believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). Do you believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins and rose again from the dead (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21)? Do you trust Him alone for salvation? If your answer to these questions is “yes,” you are saved! Assurance means freedom from doubt. By taking God’s Word to heart, you can have no doubt about the reality of your eternal salvation.

Jesus Himself assures those who believe in Him: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28–29). Eternal life is just that—eternal. There is no one, not even yourself, who can take Christ’s God-given gift of salvation away from you.

Take joy in what God’s Word is saying to you: instead of doubting, we can live with confidence! We can have the assurance from Christ’s own Word that our salvation will never be in question. Our assurance of salvation is based on the perfect and complete salvation God has provided for us through Jesus Christ. Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? If the answer is “yes,” rest assured, you are saved.