Romans 8.2-The Law Of The Spirit Of Life In Christ Jesus Has Set The Christian Free From The Law Of Sin And Of Death
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday October 14, 2008
Romans: Romans 8:2-The Law Of The Spirit Of Life In Christ Jesus Has Set The Christian Free From The Law Of Sin And Of Death
Lesson # 241
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This past Thursday we began a study of Romans chapter eight by presenting an overview of the chapter.
Sunday morning we studied Romans 8:1 and in this passage, Paul assures his Christian readers in Rome that because of their union with Jesus Christ they are no longer under condemnation because of their inability to obey the Law perfectly.
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
This evening we will note Roman 8:2 in which Paul teaches the Christians in Rome that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set them free from the law of sin and of death.
Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Corrected translation of Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now, as an eternal spiritual truth, never any condemnation, none whatsoever for the benefit of those in union with Christ who is Jesus. Because, the life-giving Spirit’s authoritative power, by means of (the death and resurrection of) Christ, who is Jesus, has set you free from the sin nature’s authoritative power and in addition spiritual death’s.”
Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
“For” is the “causal” use of the post-positive conjunction gar (gavr), which introduces the “reason” or the “basis” for Paul’s statement in Romans 8:1 that there is never any condemnation, none whatsoever for those who are in union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in Romans 8:2 Paul states that the “reason why” there is never any condemnation, none whatsoever for those who are in union with Jesus Christ is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set the justified sinner free from the law of sin and of death.
“The law” is the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), which does not refer to the Mosaic Law but rather it refers to the “authoritative power” of the Holy Spirit in the sense of His “authority,” which He exercises through His omnipotence.
In context, Paul is saying that this nomos set the Christian free from the nomos of the sin nature and spiritual death.
Therefore, nomos is not referring to the Mosaic Law since the Mosaic Law did not set the Christian free from the nomos of the sin nature and spiritual death.
Neither, does nomos refer to a “principle” since a “principle” never sets any one free from anything.
Rather, nomos is referring to the “authority” of the Spirit, which He exercises through the function of His “omnipotence.”
This “authoritative power” of the Spirit set the Christian free from the nomos, “authoritative power” of the sin nature and spiritual death, which was exercised over the Christian before he was declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in Romans 8:2 the noun nomos means, “authoritative power” since it is speaking of the function of the Spirit’s omnipotence, which is an exercise of His authority over the justified sinner, i.e. the Christian.
The term “authoritative” speaks of “that which proceeds from one having authority.”
Therefore, the Spirit’s power that set the Christian free from the sin nature and spiritual death “proceeds from” His “authority.”
This deliverance from the authoritative power of the sin nature and spiritual death took place when the Christian was placed in union with Christ.
At that time, the baptism of the Spirit identified the justified sinner with Christ in His death and resurrection.
The “baptism of the Spirit” takes place exclusively during the dispensation of the church age and is accomplished at the moment of salvation when the omnipotence of the Spirit places the believer in a eternal union with Christ, thus identifying the believer positionally with Christ in His death, resurrection and session.
1 Corinthians 12:13, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”
The “authoritative power” is analogous to the “law of aerodynamics” in that its effect on lifting a plane off the ground thus “counters” the effects of the “law of gravity.”
In the same way, the Spirit lifts the Christian to a new plane in order to fly at a new altitude that before was never possible under the “law of sin and of death” when they tried to attain righteousness in their own power by obedience to the Law or religious rules.
Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
“Of the Spirit” is the noun pneuma (pneuma), which refers to the Holy Spirit.
“Of life” is the noun zoe (zwhv) (dzo-ay), which refers to the eternal life the believer received the moment he exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and was regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
The noun zoe, “life” functions as a “attributive genitive” meaning that it specifies an attribute or an innate quality of the head noun, which is pneuma, “the Spirit.”
In our passage, zoe can be converted into a passive force meaning “living,” thus making the expression tou pneumatos tes zoes, “the living Spirit” or it can be converted into an active force meaning “life-giving” thus rendering the expression tou pneumatos tes zoes, “the life-giving Spirit.”
The active voice is the sense that Paul is using here in Romans 8:2 since he is writing what the authoritative power of the Spirit has done for the Christians in setting them free from the authoritative power of the sin nature and spiritual death.
Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
“In Christ Jesus” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “in” and the proper name Christos (xristov$), “Christ,” which is followed by the proper name Iesous ( )Ihsou$), “Jesus.”
The preposition en is a marker of means indicating that the authoritative power of the Spirit has “by means of” Jesus Christ set the Christian free from the authoritative power of the sin nature and real spiritual death.
Therefore, Christos functions as a “dative instrumental of means” indicating that the authoritative power of the Spirit has “by means of” Jesus Christ set the Christian free from the authoritative power of the sin nature and spiritual death.
Although, an instrumental of means is not conceived as personal but “impersonal” the Person of Jesus Christ is not being emphasized here but rather our Lord is presented as the instrument used by God to set the Christian free from the sin nature and spiritual death.
This means that it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that the Christian is set free from the sin nature and real spiritual death.
Therefore, we can see that the figure of “metonymy” is being used here by Paul meaning that the Person of Jesus Christ is put for His death and resurrection.
That the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ freed the Christian from the sin nature and spiritual death is clearly delineated by Paul in Romans chapter six as we have noted many times.
So Paul is saying in Romans 8:2 that the life-giving Spirit’s authoritative power was exercised by means of identifying the Christian with Christ in His death and resurrection, which set them free from the sin nature and real spiritual death.
Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
“Has set free” is the verb eleutheroo (e)leuqerovw) (el-yoo-ther-o-o), which means, “to be set free” from the dominion of the sin nature.
In Romans 8:2, the verb eleutheroo is used in relation to the Christian’s justification since in Romans 8:1 Paul says in emphatic terms that the Christian is delivered from eternal condemnation and the conjunction gar that introduces Paul’s statement here in Romans 8:2 is giving the reason for this.
“From the law of sin” is composed of the preposition apo (a)pov), “from” and the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), “the law” and the noun hamartia (a(martiva) (ham-ar-tee-ah), “sin.”
The noun nomos is used in relation to the sin nature and spiritual death in a figurative sense for “the authoritative power” of the sin nature and spiritual death, which was exercised over the life of Paul when he was unsaved.
This prepositional phrase indicates that the authoritative power of the Holy Spirit freed the Christian in the sense of totally and completely separating him from the authoritative power of the sin nature.
“Of death” is the noun thanatos (qavnato$) (than-at-os), which refers to “real spiritual death” since Paul is speaking in the context of the Christian’s justification.
Therefore, Romans 8:2 teaches that the life-giving Spirit’s authoritative power by means of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus has set the Christian free from the sin nature and spiritual death’s authoritative power.