The law of God is written on the tablets of stone; hence, it is outside of us. The law of good is in our mind, that is, in our soul. The law of sin is in our members, that is, in our body. The law of the Spirit of life is in our spirit.
Human beings have three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Each part is related to a particular life. The created life of man is in the soul, the fallen life of Satan is in the body, and the life of God is in the spirit of every believer. Since the three parts—spirit, soul, and body—each have their own life, they also have their own law. In our spirit we have the law of the Spirit of life from God, in our mind we have the law of good given through God’s creation, and in our body we have the law of sin from Satan. Our being is not simple. We have three persons—God, man, and Satan—with three lives—the life of God, the life of man, and the life of Satan—in our three parts—spirit, soul, and body—with three natures—life, good, and evil.
Today God, man, and Satan with their three lives dwell in our spirit, soul, and body respectively. Hence, we have the life of God, the life of man, and the life of Satan in us. Each of these lives has its own law: the law of God’s life, the law of man’s life, and the law of Satan’s life. The law of God’s life enables man to live out the divine life, the law of man’s life prompts man to do good, and the law of Satan’s life causes man to sin. The natures of the three laws reflect the natures of the three lives. The nature of God’s life is life, the nature of man’s life is good, and the nature of Satan’s life is evil. These four groups of three—three parts of man, three persons, three lives, and three laws—require our proper understanding.
The first law is the law of God; its nature is holy, righteous, and good (7:12). The second law is the law of good; its nature is good, and it matches the nature of the law of God outside of us. The third law is the law of sin in the members; its nature is evil, and it is in opposition to the law of God and incompatible with the law of good in our mind (v. 23). The fourth law is the law of the Spirit of life; its nature is life (8:2).
Within fallen human beings there are two contradictory laws. One is derived from the created life of good; this is the law of good in our mind. The other is derived from the fallen, evil life of Satan; this is the law of sin that operates in the members of our body, causing us to commit sins. These two laws war against each other. This is what the Chinese call “the war between reason and lust.” Reason is the law of good in the mind, and lust is the law of sin in the members. In an unbeliever there is a war between reason and lust. Reason is related to the intellect, the mind, and lust is related to the flesh. In other words, there is a war between our soul and our flesh.
After smoking opium, every addict always regrets his actions. He will often say to himself, “I am truly a wretched man! Smoking opium ruins my body, my family, and my future. Why am I like this?” With his intellect thus awakened, he will determine in his mind to quit smoking opium. This is the law of good operating in his mind. However, after a period of time, the craving for opium will stir up his body. Since he cannot suppress it, a war breaks out, and he will be taken captive and smoke opium again. The same pattern can be seen in the matter of losing one’s temper. After a person loses his temper, he will have regrets and make up his mind not to lose his temper again. This is the operation of the law of good in his mind. However, when he is offended at a later time because of a certain matter, his flesh will be stirred up, especially if others are speaking negatively of him. Eventually, his temper will explode. This shows that there is a constant warring between the law of good in our mind and the law of sin in our members.
These two laws in us are constantly warring against each other, but the law of sin always overcomes the law of good, causing us not to do the good that we desire but rather to do the evil that we hate (7:18-23). But thank the Lord that there is still another law, which is the law of the Spirit of life in us (8:2). This law is derived from the life of God, that is, from the uncreated, divine life of God. Because this life is the strongest life, the power of this law is also the strongest. This law not only keeps us from obeying the law of sin, but it also enables us to obey its law and live out God.
The strength of a law is according to the strength of its life. A strong life has a strong law; a weak life has a weak law. Thus, the three different laws in us are different in strength. The life of man is the weakest, the life of Satan is stronger, and the life of God is the strongest. The law of good derived from the life of man is the weakest, the law of sin derived from the life of Satan is stronger, and the law of the Spirit of life derived from the life of God is the strongest. Hence, every time the law of good wars against the law of sin, the law of good is always defeated. However, when the life of God comes in, the law of the Spirit of life is able to overcome the law of sin and of death.
Romans 8:2 says that if we live by the law of the Spirit of life, we can be freed from the law of sin and of death; that is, we can overcome the law of sin and of death. In the garden of Eden, Adam had only the life of man but not the life of Satan or the life of God. One day, however, Adam took the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and fell. In the fall, Adam did not simply make a mistake; rather, he allowed the life of Satan to come into him. Thus, today we not only have the law of good that comes from the life of man but also the law of sin that comes from the life of Satan. Outside of us the written law of God demands that we honor our parents and love others as our self, and the law of good echoes an Amen within us. However, the law of sin in our members rises up to oppose the law of good in our mind and causes us to fail continually. Eventually, with a sense of condemnation, we cry out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (7:24).
This is the story in Romans 7 and 8. Whenever the law of God demands, the law of good in us echoes its approval, but at the same time, the law of sin interferes. Those who are not saved can never keep or fulfill the law of God because they do not have the law of the Spirit of life. But Paul could say, “Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25).
When the life of God comes in, it comes with a higher and stronger law, that is, the law of the Spirit of life. This law is stronger than the law of good in man and also the law of sin in Satan. This law enables us to transcend and break through the law of sin, and it sets us free and delivers us from the law of sin and of death. The Spirit of God with the life of God is a powerful life in man, enabling man to do good. It not only fulfills the outward requirement of the law but even transcends the requirement of the law.
When we see this, our whole being will be subdued, and we will never again rely on the law of good. When we walk according to the Spirit, the Spirit will set us free and save us. We do not need to will to do good (v. 18). As long as we walk according to the Spirit, we will be freed from the law of sin and of death (8:2). We do not need to expend any energy in this regard; rather, the life of God spontaneously will enable us to soar, to transcend, to overcome, and to break through the bondage of the law of sin and of death. This indeed is a salvation that is living, powerful, and of life; it is a salvation that we can experience subjectively. But regrettably, many children of God do not know this law. They still endeavor to do good and improve themselves; they think that through more prayer they can become stronger so that they can do good. May the Lord have mercy on us to show us the wonderful way of deliverance that He has given to us.