In this message we are once again on Romans 8. After being on this chapter for so many weeks, I would ask a few questions. First, what is the actual, main topic that this chapter talks about? Most Christian teachers say that this chapter is on the Spirit. Yes, it is somewhat on the Spirit, but I don’t believe that the main topic of this chapter is the Spirit. We have mentioned quite a number of times that this chapter also talks about sonship. Yes, it talks about sonship, but I still could not believe sonship is the main subject of this chapter.
In verse 2 is the phrase, “the law of the Spirit of life.” Three things are used to compose this phrase: law and Spirit and life. Which of the three is most important?
If you answer that life is the most important one, why didn’t Paul say the life of the Spirit of the law? For example if I use a phrase, “the gold of the mountains of California,” am I talking about California or the mountains or the gold? Surely I am talking about the gold. If I am talking about California, I should say California of the mountains of gold. Because the phrase uses the word gold first, it indicates strongly that I’m talking about gold. In like manner, for Romans 8 to speak of the law of the Spirit of life indicates that this chapter is on the law. This chapter speaks about the law. You may not see this because you are distracted by other things. You have some concept concerning life, and you also have some idea concerning the Spirit, so it is easy for you to pick up these matters. But you don’t have any concept, any idea, concerning the law. Not many Christian readers of Romans 8 would pick up the word law. Most of them have already picked up the Spirit. Fewer have picked up life.
In the past we picked up the word life, but we didn’t spend too much time to emphasize the word law. This chapter actually talks about the law. Don’t forget that Romans 8 is a continuation of Romans 7. Romans 7 talks about the law. Actually, it talks about at least three laws: first, there is God’s law given through Moses. Second, there is a kind of law trying to do good in our mind. Then there is another law, an evil, bad law in our members. So Romans 7 shows our problem. We have the law of God given outwardly, and surely as a human being created by God, we would like to keep the law of God. We have such a law in our created nature of trying, even endeavoring, to keep the law of God. But, between these two laws—the law given by God and the law created in us in our natural life—there is another evil law which is also called evil (Rom. 7:21). When we try to do good, to keep the law of God, we find that evil is present. This causes the trouble. There is no way for a fallen person with such an evil law inside him to keep the law of God. This is clearly described in Romans 7.
Then Romans 8 says that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus because there is another law, the law of the Spirit of life. It is not the law of good nor the law of evil. It is not even the law of God. It is another law. The law of the Spirit of life has freed me from that evil law of sin and of death. By this, you can see that the topic of chapter eight is the law of the Spirit of life. Although it has more than thirty verses, you have to realize all the verses in chapter eight are just a full definition of this fourth law, the law of the Spirit of life. This fourth law is absolutely different from the other three laws—from God’s law, from the law of good, and from the law of sin. In the book. The Knowledge of Life, there is a chapter on three lives and four laws. That chapter defines clearly these four laws, but it doesn’t stress what is the subject of Romans 8. In this message I must stress this one thing, that is, Romans 8 talks about a law. It is not the law of God, nor the law of good, nor the law of evil, but the law of the Spirit of life.
Now we need to ask some further and harder questions. First, what is this law? Second, how does this law work? Third, what is the issue of this law? These three questions are not so easy for anyone to answer. You must not take these three questions in such an easy or a light way.