Scripture to Read: Romans 8:2
Today and tomorrow, we’re going to examine Romans 8:2, as God led Paul to write, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. God has given us, as Christians, His Holy Spirit and as His Word says, He (the Holy Spirit) is the “Spirit of life.” God explains it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:45, So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. So, God is giving us an explanation of physical life and spiritual life by using Adam and Christ as our examples. Adam was given physical life by God and became a living soul. Adam’s soul was made in God’s image, having a mind to be able to think, a will to be able to choose, and emotions to be able to feel. Our soul is made the same way; that is why we are accountable to God for our decisions, because we are made in God’s image. The problem for all of us is that we inherited from Adam our sinful nature. So, though our soul is alive, our spirit is dead (Ephesians 2:1) because of our sinful nature. Our Lord Jesus Christ is “the last Adam,” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:45. Christ is our “life-giving spirit,” and only through a relationship with Christ is our dead spirit resurrected from the dead and given life through His Holy Spirit, who comes to live in us (Ephesians 2:4–5).
Challenge & Application
Why does God hold mankind accountable for every decision even though mankind’s spirit is dead apart from Christ?
How is mankind’s spirit given life, and how does the life we receive change us?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!