Romans 8:2 speaks of the law of the Spirit of life. God is not only the Spirit, but life also. The very God who is the Spirit is life in us. Because this life is the Spirit, the Spirit is called the Spirit of life. Every life has a law, and the Spirit of life also has its law. The law of the bird life is to fly, the law of the dog life is to bark, the law of the cat life is to catch mice, the law of the chicken life is to lay eggs, and the law of the apple tree life is to produce apples. There is no need to teach an apple tree to produce apples, for in the life of an apple tree is a law that “laws” it to produce fruit of its own kind. Our fallen life also has a law, the law of sin and death. As believers in Christ, we have the eternal life, the divine life, the life which is actually God Himself. Because this life is the highest life, its law is the highest law. The law of the Spirit of life is the spontaneous function of the divine life. Therefore, we have the highest life with the highest law and the highest function.
The Gospel of John speaks of the Spirit and also of life, but it says nothing of the law of the Spirit of life. In this matter Romans 8 is a progression from the Gospel of John. In Romans 8 the concept of law, the spontaneous function of life, is added to the Spirit and life. Because the Gospel of John does not speak of the function of life, this book does not give us the way to apply life. But with the law of the Spirit of life spoken of in Romans 8:2, we have the way to apply the divine life.
The law of the Spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and of death. The way to cooperate with this divine law is to set our mind on the spirit. When your temper or any other negative thing rises up in you, do not attempt to suppress it. Instead, turn your mind, your being, to the mingled spirit and call on the name of the Lord Jesus. The mind set on the spirit is life. This life has a law, a spontaneous function, that sets us free from the law of sin and of death. By setting our being on the spirit, we spontaneously apply the divine life within us to our situation, and we are set free. When we are freed from the law of sin in this way, we have the sense that we are in the heavens and that sin is under our feet.
However, we are naturally inclined to try to deal with the negative elements ourselves. Sometimes even little children are so stubborn that they refuse the help of the mother and try to solve their problems alone. It is much better for a child to simply enjoy what his mother can do for him. Likewise, the way to be saved from the law of sin is to set our being on the spirit and to enjoy the spontaneous working of the divine life.
Philosophers have exhausted themselves in their efforts to deal with sin, but they have not been able to find the way. As we have seen, the way is found in Romans 8. Praise the Lord for the divine life in our spirit! Our spirit today is mingled with and indwelt by the divine Spirit, and we can set our mind upon this mingled spirit. By doing this we have the way to be set free from the law of sin and of death. Our responsibility is simply to cooperate by setting our mind on the spirit. Whenever we set our mind on the spirit, the law of sin and of death is overruled.
In the life of Christ we are saved not only from sin but also from worldliness. Romans 6:22 says, “But now, having been freed from sin and having been enslaved to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.” In this verse we have the matter of sanctification. None of the books I have read on sanctification relates sanctification to life. On the contrary, most of them merely say that sanctification is a change of position through the blood of Christ. However, 6:22 shows that sanctification is related to life and that it is a matter of life.
The sanctification revealed in these chapters of Romans is not outward positional sanctification but inward dispositional sanctification. To be sanctified is to be saved from being common or worldly. By nature we all are common and worldly. Not only our outward conduct and behavior must be separated from the world, but even our disposition, our very being, must be separated also. In buying a pair of shoes, you may be careful not to purchase a worldly style. However, if you consider only the style, you may be sanctified in buying shoes, but this is not the inward sanctification by life. In order to be sanctified inwardly by life in buying shoes, you should set your mind on the spirit, pray to the Lord, and ask Him what kind of shoes He would like to wear. If you contact the Lord in this way, the inward anointing will teach you what shoes to buy. Then you will buy shoes not according to religious instructions or concepts, but according to the inner life. If your daily life is according to the inner life, not according to teachings and regulations, you will not be common or worldly in buying a pair of shoes. But the main point is not buying the proper shoes; it is that even in the process of buying a pair of shoes you are sanctified inwardly by life. Neither your shoes nor your being will be common. Sanctification is not merely outward behavior; it is altogether a matter of our inward being, which is governed by the law of the Spirit of life.
The inward anointing will also affect the way we style our hair. Concerning the length or style of our hair, we should pray, “Lord Jesus, what about my hair? Lord, I care for You and for the law of the Spirit of Your life. Lord, You are living within me. In the matter of my hair, I want to cooperate with the law of the Spirit of life.” If you pray in this way, you will be dispositionally sanctified and you will know how your hair should be cut. Do not be concerned about either the praise of others or their criticism. Instead, simply care for the law of the Spirit of life within you.
Dispositional sanctification is not only a matter of life; it also brings more life to us. The best way to grow in life is to be dispositionally sanctified by life. The more we are sanctified within by life, the more life will be imparted to us. The more you cooperate with the process of inward sanctification, the more life you will enjoy. For this reason 6:22 speaks of “fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.” Sanctification is brought about by life and it also brings in life. It is wholly a matter by life and for life. The more we set our being upon the spirit, the more we are separated from the world and all that is common. Such a sanctification issues in more life for our growth in life.