Read: Romans 8:1-4
The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus. (v. 2)
When I was young, my family and I once visited the lavish lakefront home of a casual acquaintance. It was the height of summer, and I had spent weeks barefoot. I was unaware of my dirty feet until I removed my shoes to enter our host’s white-carpeted living room. For the first time in my life, I felt ashamed of my hygiene.
Following the original sin, the human race felt shame for the first time. After breaking God’s covenant, Adam and Eve realized they were unworthy of God’s company. Ever since, we have feared the revealing light of God’s holiness. In our hearts we know that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Our spirits condemn us.
God’s Spirit does not. Romans 8 presents the apostle Paul’s exhaustive teaching on the Holy Spirit. Paul calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of life” (v. 2). God could have left us dead in our sin, but instead he offered us life. The Holy Spirit is the very love and life of God, come to us in person.
The Spirit’s work starts and ends with this simple message: “There is . . . now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). We cannot work to make ourselves worthy of God. But the Holy Spirit testifies that the work has already been done. Jesus took all our condemnation at the cross. What remains is God’s love, delivered by the Spirit of life. —Ben Van Arragon
As you pray, approach God free of all condemnation.
About the Author
Ben Van Arragon is the Minister of Worship and Leadership at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He preaches and teaches the Bible in church, online, and anywhere else he has the opportunity.
