The Higher Law of Life in Christ

📖 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. — Romans 8:2

There is a downward pull within every person, a gravitational force of the soul, so to speak, that constantly drags one toward sin and spiritual deadness. This is the inescapable reality of the flesh—what Paul calls the law of sin and death. It is not simply the result of bad habits or lack of discipline; it is the fundamental inclination of natural humanity. Even after being born anew in Christ, this principle remains present in the flesh, though it no longer holds dominion over the believer.

God has not left us to wrestle with this force alone. He has provided a higher, more powerful principle: the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Just as a bird overcomes gravity by the law of aerodynamics, so too does the believer overcome sin and death by the Spirit of life. The Christian life is not about struggling to resist sin through self-discipline but about yielding to the indwelling Spirit, who lifts us into the very life of Christ.

Victory does not come through striving but through abiding. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, Christ Himself expresses His life through us. His righteousness is not a standard we strain to meet but a reality that manifests as we walk according to the Spirit. Jesus alone lived in perfect obedience to the Father, and it is only as He lives through us that we experience true freedom from sin’s grasp.

Our part is simple yet essential: humility and faith. We acknowledge that in ourselves, we are powerless—there is nothing in the flesh that can overcome sin. But in Christ, we are free. By faith, we trust that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. This is not an abstract hope but a present reality for all who rest in Him.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, I rejoice in the freedom You have given me in Christ. I no longer live under the weight of sin and death, for You have set me free by the Spirit of life. I trust You to live Your life through me today, lifting me above the pull of the flesh. Thank You for making this my reality in Christ. May His life be seen in me as I walk according to Your Spirit. Amen.

📸 Photo credit: Unsplash
📝 Devotional adapted from "Day by Day by Grace" by Bob Hoekstra.