Spirit of Freedom

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” - Romans 8:1-2

Some scholars have called Romans chapter 8 the “Mount Everest” of the Bible. Others have said it’s the greatest chapter in the greatest book of the Bible. I believe these descriptions come because Romans 8 clearly describes what it means to be a true Christian, and how to truly live the Christian life. This chapter is a glorious, climatic ending to the Apostle Paul’s epic tale of grace.

Up to this point, Paul has taught us that we cannot be right with God apart from the grace of God. Obeying God’s commandments or striving to keep His law will never make a person holy because it is impossible to keep them perfectly. In fact, the law does not motivate us to obey, but rather to disobey.

He has taught us that we cannot get to God except through the Son of God. There is an unbreakable barrier between God and unsaved sinners – sin. Christ’s death and resurrection broke through that barrier for us. Jesus did not die to give us heaven; He died to give us God. We will go to heaven when we die because that is where God is. Heaven is not the prize – fellowship with Almighty God is the prize.

And now Romans 8 is going to reveal that we cannot live for God without the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is mentioned 19 times in this chapter. That is more than any other chapter in the Bible. This is not a coincidence. The Holy Spirit is a believer’s secret weapon against sin. He – the Holy Spirit – is a family privilege. Only those in the family of God have the Spirit of God, and only those who have the Spirit of God can win against sin.

Are you depending on the Holy Spirit’s power or your own willpower to overcome sin in your life? There is only one way to live as more than a conqueror each day – and that is through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Father, thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit so that I can overcome sin each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.