Because of the influence of modern scientific studies, it is not difficult for us to understand what a natural law is. For example, we may speak of the law of digestion. The food we eat is digested according to this law. What do we mean by a natural law? A natural law is an automatic, spontaneous action that is caused by a natural power or strength. After we eat a meal, there is no need for us to work consciously at digesting the food, for a particular law in our body spontaneously works to cause the food to be digested. This is the law of digestion. After the food we eat passes into our stomach, this law begins to work. Through the working of this law, our food is digested automatically. This law of digestion is an illustration of what Paul means by law in 8:2.
We may also use fruit trees to illustrate the meaning of law in 8:2. A peach tree produces peaches according to the natural law of a peach tree. Therefore, there is no reason to order a peach tree to bear peaches and not apples. No one would be so foolish as to say to a peach tree, “Peach tree, I would remind you that I want you to produce peaches and not apples. You must produce peaches for me this year.” A peach tree will automatically produce peaches according to the natural law of a peach tree.
The peach-tree law will also determine the shape of the peaches produced by a peach tree. The peaches will all be somewhat round in shape and not cubical. Have you ever seen a peach tree that bore peaches with the shape of a cube? A peach tree would never produce fruit with such a shape, because that would be contrary to the law of a peach tree. Because the peach-tree law shapes the fruit into a certain form, there is no need for us to say, “Peach tree, do not produce fruit in the form of a cube. I want all the fruit you produce to be round. To help you, I will place a model in front of you. Now I want you to shape all the peaches into a round form like this model.” How ridiculous it would be for anyone to give such instructions to a peach tree! The fruit produced by a peach tree is shaped according to the natural law of the peach tree. A peach tree automatically will produce fruit that is round and not cubical.
With every kind of living thing, whether plant or animal, there is a law. This means that wherever there is a certain life, there will be a certain law. Actually, the life is the law. For example, a dog has the natural law of the dog life, and a cat has the law of the cat life. The principle is the same with human life. Therefore, in the natural life of a human being there is the law of human life.
Praise the Lord that through regeneration we have received the highest life! This life is eternal life, the divine, uncreated life. This life is nothing less than the very life of God. Because we have been born of God, we have received the life of God. Hallelujah for the divine birth that gives us the divine life!
As those who believe in Christ, we all have had two births: the human birth and the divine birth. First, we were born of our parents. Then at the time of our conversion, we believed in the Lord Jesus and had another birth. This means that we were born of God. John 1:12 and 13 say, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” These verses tell us clearly that we have been born of God to be children of God.
In his first Epistle John also refers a number of times to the divine birth. For example, in 1 John 3:9 he says, “Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.” In 1 John 4:7 he says, “Everyone who loves has been begotten of God.” Then in chapter five of his Epistle John says, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God” (v. 1); “Everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world” (v. 4); and “Everyone who has been begotten of God does not sin, but he who is begotten of God keeps himself” (v. 18). From these verses we can see clearly that we who believe in Christ have been born of God. We have experienced the divine birth, and through this divine birth we have received the divine life, the highest life.
We know that animal life is higher than plant life and that human life is higher than animal life. Now we need to see that the divine life is higher than human life. Because the divine life is the highest life, its law is the highest and most prevailing law. Praise the Lord that the highest life with the highest law is within us!