Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit. 6 The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. 7 For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. 12 Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Christians who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ have the power to live a new life in the Spirit with the hope of eternal life (Rom. 5:1-11). Those who have been freed from observing the law of sin and death cannot be condemned by it. God sent his incarnate Son born under the law (Gal. 4:4) to reconcile mankind to Himself because the law had no power to overcome the weakness of sinful flesh and free human beings from the grip of sin and death (Rom. 7:22-23). Through his Son, the righteous demands of the law could be fulfilled in all who live by the Spirit.
Those who live in a self-centered self-serving manner cannot please God and will have no part in His kingdom (Gal. 5:21). Fallen human tends towards enmity with God and cannot obey God’s law. Those who live according to the Spirit will be reconciled with God and will find peace. Baptized Christians have the indwelling Spirit of the Father which gives them spiritual strength. Without this Spirit dwelling in them, their human bodies are like corpses because of sin, but if the spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead dwells in them, then they will rise with Christ. They are indebted to Christ so they should live according to the spirit and have everlasting life.
Almighty God, you sent
your immortal son to live a mortal life among fallen humanity so that he could redeem
and restore humanity to a right relationship with you. Through his incarnation, death on the cross,
and resurrection, he fulfilled the OT prophesies and passed over from death to
life allowing us to live in the spirit and rise to new life in him. Help us to understand the debt we owe Jesus
Christ and truly appreciate the gift of life he offers us. This we pray through the same Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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