We are saved in the divine life of Christ by the release of the law of the consummated Spirit from the bondage, the slavery, of sin, the law of sin (Rom. 8:2). Release means liberation or being set free. We are to be liberated, released, from the bondage of sin by the law of the consummated Spirit. This consummated Spirit is the processed Triune God. Bondage, slavery, sin, and the law of sin are actually one thing.
The consummated Spirit as the processed Triune God has a law, and this law saves us. The word law can be understood in at least two different ways. First, a country has laws in order to regulate its citizens. The Ten Commandments in the Old Testament are examples of such laws. Second, a law can mean the principles which govern things in the universe. The science of physics is the science of matter and energy and how these two things interact. The purpose of the study of physics is to search out and discover the principles of how certain things, such as the sun and moon, exist in the universe. Different sciences discover the principles which govern the existence and activities of different things in the universe. The laws of gravity and aerodynamics are examples of laws or principles which operate in the universe.
In Romans 7, there are three laws. The first kind of law is the law of God, the Mosaic law, the law in letters (vv. 22, 6). Then there are the law of sin in the members of our body and the law of good in the mind (v. 23). In Romans 8 the law of the Spirit of life (v. 2) is mentioned. The law of God is outside of us, the law of sin is in the members of our body, the law of good is in our mind, our soul, and the law of the Spirit of life is in our spirit. The law of the Spirit of life is the innate, automatic function of the life of God. This function and working are innate, spontaneous, natural, and automatic.
The law of the Spirit of life releases, frees, and liberates us, but it needs our cooperation. The cooperation we render to this law is of two steps. First, we must set our mind on the mingled spirit (Rom. 8:6b). To set our mind on a thing is to consider that thing. You may be in a meeting and while you are sitting in the meeting, you may be thinking about other things. Actually, this is to set your mind on the flesh. As you are thinking and considering other things, you should be reminded to turn your mind to the spirit. Think about Christ. Turn your thinking from other things to Christ. This is to set your mind on the spirit and to turn your mind from the flesh to the spirit. Romans 8:6a says, "For the mind set on the flesh is death." The more you think about things other than Christ, the more you will be deadened. But the more you think about Christ, the more you will say, "Hallelujah! Amen! Praise the Lord!" The mind set on the spirit is life and peace. When you set your mind on the spirit, life gets into your mind. As a result, your mind is renewed (Eph. 4:23).
To set our mind on our spirit is the first step of our cooperation with the law of the consummated Spirit, which is in us to save us. The second step is to walk according to spirit (Rom. 8:4). First, we must set our mind on the spirit. Then we must walk according to spirit. The result is that we enjoy the saving law of the consummated Spirit. The law of aerodynamics governs the flight of an airplane. If the pilot cooperates with this law, the law functions and the plane flies. Today, we must cooperate with the law of the consummated Spirit which has been installed within us. We need to cooperate by turning on the "switch." If we turn on the switch by setting our mind on the spirit and by walking according to the mingled spirit, the saving law will operate to set us free from the bondage of sin. If we do not turn on the switch, the law of the Spirit of life will not work.
The law of the Spirit of life is just the Triune God Himself. The Triune God Himself has become a law. According to Romans 8, it is not a person but a law which saves us (v. 2). Yet this law is a person, and this person is the Triune God. The Triune God as a living law frees us and saves us. The more you read Romans 8, the more you can realize that the law of the Spirit of life is the Triune God Himself. The Father (vv. 11, 15), the Son (vv. 3, 29, 32), and the Spirit (vv. 2, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 23, 26, 27) are all specifically mentioned in this chapter. Eventually, the Triune God is revealed as the law of life. It is this law that sets us free from the bondage, the slavery, of the indwelling sin and from the law of sin.