Brief Summary:
By fulfilling the righteous
demands of the Law and dying on our behalf, Christ has freed us from the
condemnation of sin.
(Romans 8:1-4)
Detailed Summary:
Other than what
appears to be a short exclamation from Pauls Christian perspective in verse 25
(i.e. Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! ) the previous
chapter (chapter seven) ended with a seemingly hopeless dilemma on the part of
the Jewish unbeliever portrayed by Paul:
Romans 7:24-25 - What a wretched man I
am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? . . . So then, I myself in my
mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of
sin.
In contrast to
the hopeless dilemma of the unbeliever in chapter 7, Paul picking up on an idea
he developed earlier (cf.
Romans 8:1 - Therefore, there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
cf. Romans 5:16b - The judgment followed
one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed
many trespasses and brought justification [i.e. the removal of
condemnation].
cf. Romans 5: 18 - Just as the result of
one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of
righteousness was justification [i.e. the removal of condemnation] that brings
life for all men.
How is it that an
unbelieving sinner, such as the one portrayed by Paul in chapter seven, can be
freed from condemnation?
It was Gods Spirit, coming to Paul with power
and authority, who liberated him from the powers of sin
and death and resulting condemnation.
Romans 8:2
-
because through Christ Jesus the law [power] of the Spirit of life set me free
from the law [power] of sin and death.
The Law is
powerless to help the unbelieving sinner, because he is under the power of sin.
On what basis was
the Holy Spirit able to free us the power of sin and resulting condemnation?
On the basis of Christs:
Perfect life
lived on our behalf
Sacrifice on the
cross on our behalf wherein He was condemned for our sins
Thus Christ satisfied the Laws righteous requirements
(on our behalf) that
The Law be kept
perfectly
That sin be
condemned by God
Romans 8:3 - For what the law was
powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by
sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so
He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the
law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature
but according to the Spirit.
Note that we are
referred to in this verse as those who are controlled by the power of the
Spirit, not the sinful nature - thus identifying us as Gods people.