Victory Through the Holy Spirit

Many of us spend a lot of time struggling like Paul describes in Romans 7. The key to victory, I believe, is what he describes in Romans 8. He had described the struggle that comes by trying to apply the law to the Christian life and it doesn’t work. The way it is actually accomplished is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

There are several things I think are important to realize in applying this truth. First is the fact that for those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation. We sometimes state this so lightly and yet when we realize the depth of our sin, disobedience and rebellion, we realize what a tremendous truth this is. No Condemnation! (Romans 8:1)

The second thing to realize is that we are free from the law of sin and death. This is a vicious cycle. We sin and the law condemns us to death because of it. We often feel like there is no escape. But the great news in the gospel is that we have been released from this cycle of sin and death. There is no condemnation and therefore the law of sin and death does not apply to us. (Romans 8:2)

As we studied last time, the law is weak because of the reaction of the flesh to it. When the law comes in, sin is strengthened and produces death. But Romans 8:3 tells us that what the law could not do God did. He sent His son in the likeness of sinful flesh. He was a man like we are. He was tempted in all points like we are except that He did not sin. In living a perfect life He condemned sin in the flesh. He judged sin and overcame its power by living sinlessly. My way of thinking of it is that He proved it could be done. I don’t know how theologically correct that is, but it is what I see Paul saying here. In the very place where sin seems to exert its power using the law as its strength, Christ overruled it and defeated it.

This leads to verse 4 which tells us that all of this happened so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. The way of victory is the way of walking in Spirit. Doing so fulfills the law in us. Rather than being imposed on us from the outside, which does not work, we have the law fulfilled in us by the working of the Spirit of God which does work. After all, this was the promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:33, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts.”

The New Covenant promise in Ezekiel 36:27 says it this way, I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

The promise is that God through His Spirit gives us a new nature which has the motivation and desire to work out God’s law from within because it has been written on the heart.