I have had many talks with believers over the years, many of whom are at different places in their relationship with Christ. Even so, there is one issue that seems to be brought up again and again… and that is this inner-desire or perceived need to fulfill the Law. These people feel as though the Law somehow remains unmet or unsatisfied and that they are left to fulfill it themselves, and that to not do so, disappoints God or shows Him disrespect.
Another commonly held belief is that by attempting to keep or fulfill the Law, we are showing gratitude toward God for what He has done. However both of these ideas are simply avenues by which the Old Covenant is being reintroduced – placing new wine back into an old wineskin, which Jesus said cannot be done in Mark 2:22. This desire to fulfill the Law ourselves, is erroneous because it fails to recognize the finished work of Jesus Christ for you and in you. This is what we will be studying today.
Our first scripture text today is going to be Romans 8:1-4:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
I want you to stop for a moment first and just meditate on verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Take a deep breath – in slowly – out slowly, no condemnation. Got it? Okay.
Now we have already studied previously, how this “walking” mentioned in verse 1 is not referring to your works or deeds or actions. It is not connected with anything that you do, but it is instead referring to how and what you believe (See Jesus and Never Walk in Darkness). However this is the kind of message that we need to keep hearing, because our natural human tendency is to fall back into our own works. And as we continue on in our scripture today in this study and read this all in context, we will see how this walking is absolutely not talking about what we do but where we are in Christ Jesus.
Notice also in verse 1 here that there is a “therefore” – and the rule about that is whenever you see a therefore, find out what it’s there for! So go back to the end of Romans chapter 7, and take a look at verses 24 and 25:
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
As most of us probably are aware, Romans 7 is where Paul gives his famous “the things I want to do, I don’t do; and the things I don’t want to do, those I do” speech. Paul is having a real war with his behaviors. And the struggle reaches its boiling point in verse 24 when Paul cries out O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And I love that Paul says Who shall deliver me, and not what shall deliver me. The world is filled with things that are promised to deliver, new methods, new things to do, new man-made philosophies, all manner of “what’s”, but there is only one “who” that can deliver. And Paul continues in verse 25 to tell us who this One deliverer is:
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
But wait… what exactly is it that Paul has to be thankful for here? He is struggling, with great anguish that made him cry out in desperation. How can he be thankful, and what reason to be thankful does he have?
So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
It is vital here that we understand that with his mind he serves the law of God. How does he serve the law of God with his mind? Through Jesus Christ. This then continues on into Romans 8, that there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Are you starting to see how it connects, and how it is referring to belief?
Next in our text is verse 2 of Romans 8:
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Some people start getting confused here about what this law of the Spirit of life actually is. However it really is not complicated; it is exactly what we have just read: that there is no condemnation in Christ. This reality is that in Christ Jesus, you are now sealed with the Holy Spirit of God, and you cannot be condemned because you are in Christ. This is how you are set free from the law of sin and death, where before under the Old Covenant, you would try to keep the Law and “live right” but the fleshly carnal sin-nature would cause you to continually fail and result in death.
Look now at verse 3 as Paul explains this further:
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”
The Law of Moses, the Mosaic Law, could not accomplish this freedom. The Laws that God commanded Moses to give the people who were boasting pridefully in themselves, demand perfect obedience, which we cannot accomplish – so the Law must condemn all of us. However God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
This is huge. The Mosaic Law could not redeem us, because of the sin nature inside of us. And it was our own prideful boasting that caused that mess in the first place (Exodus 19:8). But then here comes Jesus. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, which means that He was actually thrice holy, without sin (2nd Corinthians 5:21, 1st Peter 2:22, 1st John 3:5). Even so, He took upon Himself your sins and mine, and was cursed in our place (Galatians 3:13) suffering the full punishment for our sins (Isaiah 53:6). So sin has been condemned in the flesh, and it was done righteously and justly – your sins have not just been swept under the carpet surreptitiously. They were laid upon Jesus, imputed to Him, and punished in His body; the price was paid in full. And what then is the result? Continue on to verse 4:
“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. You see, Jesus’ act of condemning sin in the flesh, fulfills the righteousness of the Law in you! Because your sins have been judged and condemned in Him!
Now again we have this statement, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. The important thing to remember about this, is that it is not a conditional statement, but a factual statement. Many people read this as if it were conditional… if I walk (which we erroneously think means to behave) according the Spirit, then I will be righteous, and if I behave according to the flesh then I will be unrighteous; and that is the way we typically read this verse.
However Paul is not telling us what we need to do to be righteous here; he is telling us the position we are in as believers on Christ Jesus. Look now at the next two verses 5 and 6:
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Not only is the entire context here about belief and not our works, but please also notice the distinction here being made between us and them. We are the ones who are in Christ, we are the ones who believe on Him and therefore are in the place of righteousness walking after the Spirit. They are the ones who are carnally minded, believing in their own works, their own deeds for their righteousness, walking after the flesh. Believing in Christ (spiritually minded) leads to life; while believing in your own efforts (carnally minded) leads to death. It really is that simple!
Anyone who twists these wonderful words of the Gospel to be about striving for righteousness through works or performance is abusing the Gospel of Christ and bringing people back into bondage. Look at verses 8 and 9 – see it more clearly:
“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
Again see the distinction: they that are in the flesh. Believing in themselves, trusting their own works and efforts, they cannot please God. Why can’t they please God? I’m sure they are trying their best, working really hard, I’m sure that He would look on them with pity and be just a little bit pleased, right? Nope. In Philippians 3, Paul writes an entire discourse about how we are to put no confidence in our flesh. Our own efforts count for nothing positive. In-fact they are counted as further debt! In Jeremiah 17:5 God says that the man who trusts in man and makes his own flesh his strength is cursed! Not blessed, cursed! And in Romans 14:23, it is said that whatever is not of faith is sin. Whatever is not of the Spirit of faith in Jesus Christ is sin.
And in closing I remind you again of the words of Jesus in Mark 2:22, You cannot put new wine into old wineskins. You cannot take the new wine of Christ and place it into the Old Covenant and try to keep both. You either have faith in Jesus and what He has done, or you are trying to do it yourself.
I encourage you today from the Word of God, Christ has fulfilled all righteousness for you, and if you truly want to please Him, rest in what He has done. As it says in verse 9 You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. That is not a conditional statement based on your works or efforts at all! That is a statement of fact for all that are in Christ Jesus. Because Ephesians 1:13 explicitly states that all who trust in Christ receive the Spirit.
You are not living a teeter-totter life where you are in the Spirit one moment and in the flesh the next moment. No, when you truly trust in Christ, He seals you in the Spirit and you are safely there. Now rest in that and stop trying to improve upon your position by your works, or trying to keep the Old Covenant which is not even the covenant you are under today!
Rest in Christ. He has fulfilled all righteousness for you.