Peace in Men

Romans 8: 1-11

1Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

3For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

4so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

10If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

11But 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.

It’s getting thick! Tell ya what, I feel like I just dove into the meat and potatoes of Paul’s message. Mmmmm, meat and potatoes… (I digress and drool).

All kidding aside, this is extremely important. I feel like this part is telling us what we really need to know. Don’t get me wrong, the previous 7 chapters were quite instrumental in helping us understand things, but here Paul is drawing a line.

This is where we see the difference between believers and nonbelievers. By believing in Christ, we are no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit. We are no longer expected to uphold the Law, nor are we burdened by the failure to uphold the Law. Christ’s free gift (His perfect sacrifice) has fulfilled that obligation to us for perfection.

I’m currently reading through the old testament as well. I’m at the part right now when God is giving instruction to the Levites on how to properly sacrifice animals to cover their sins. I’m noticing that every animal that is sacrificed is to be “without blemish”. Pure. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Christ, our once and for all sacrifice without blemish. Amen.

The other important message in this passage is the introduction of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. You mean one law replaced another? Yeah. I believe it is also referenced as the New Covenant throughout the bible as well. Again, God’s Grace abounds. This New Law is much different. Instead of worrying about following the letter of the Law, we can now focus on following the call of The Spirit. The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

Are you at peace today?

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