Life!

Scripture

(Romans 8:1,2) For there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.

Observation

"Law" generally has two meanings: the expressed will of a ruler to organize obedience (e.g., curfews) or the discovered patterns of similar, repetitious facts (e.g., gravity). Regarding sin, both definitions apply. Paul personified sin and death as tyrants whose patterned processes consistently lead to death. Alexander Maclaren wrote: "Paul had found that, by an inexorable iron sequence, sin worked in himself the true death of the soul, in separation from God, in the extinction of good and noble capacities, in the atrophying of all that was best in himself, in the death of joy and peace." He, with an eloquent paradox, called it a law, though its characteristic is lawless transgression of the true law of humanity. Humans were created to experience a different life, and we crave something better. Maclaren, describing our mad obedience to sin's iron sway, noted its similarity to a fatal dance: Sin invites us with dazzling promises, then Death, at the other end of the dance, throws off its mask and slays (Proverbs 9:13-18).

In contrast, only the law of a life that abides in and is continually influenced by life with Christ Jesus has the capacity to overcome the evil attractions of a sinful soul. Nothing short of God's Spirit--the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11)--can emancipate us from the passions and desires that traps us under sin and brings death to our souls. But life in Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit's own definition and claim, is mightier and is attractive enough to neutralise and even deaden our existing, sinful passions.

Application (Personal)

I yield myself to Christ Jesus with the intent of abiding constantly with Him. I respect who He is, which means including Him prayerfully in my thoughts and decisions, arranging my plans to correspond with what I understand to be pleasing to Him. It means deliberately delighting in the safety and comfort of His loving presence. In other words, I live life to the fullest, most noble, and joyful extent possible. How then, could anything less tempt me when my focus is on Christ?

Application (Psychological)

Life in Christ provides freedom to discern and then choose health instead of remaining enslaved to our natural and destructive behaviors and thought processes (despite our intentions often being good). Here, Paul (by the Holy Spirit) warns us of condemnation, but is he referring to eternal damnation or merely the consequences of remaining stuck under the iron rule of sin and death ... or both? Whether it's denial or delusion, we've long understood that we tend to be blind to our own self-destructive patterns, and probably our response to this warning is a good example of this. What is my gut reaction to it? Even though the possibility spiritual condemnation is entirely outside of mere psychology's capacity to empirically determine, we would be wise to not err by reframing the evidence so we can more happily dismiss Christ.

My experience and my observations have given me sufficient evidence to make some conclusions (or at least some working hypotheses) about this. The act of honestly acknowledging Christ through a direct spiritual exchange with Him starts the powerful chain reaction that Paul described as Life in Christ. An example of such an exchange would be telling Jesus: "I am going to believe You that You exist and that You reward those who diligently seek You." That act marks a beginning, a turning point, a bona fide transference of identity that is gradually more clearly discovered as one continues this sharing of life with Christ. Most significant, psychologically, I think, is a foundational shift of one's will. Instead of being off-centered and constantly struggling to become stable, the "pattern" of life in Christ establishes within us a restful, therefore, energizing true center for our souls. Today's psychological fascination--mindfulness--offers concepts that sometimes mimic this psychological stability.

Prayer

Lord, I've experienced condemnation, feeling outside and unworthy. Thank You for revealing that Heaven's gate remains eternally open (even though some people choose to remain eternally outside). Thank You for giving me the experience of life in You. There is no comparison. You have become my stability, my rest, my energy, my strength, my hope... and just as You said, in that freedom is life, and life abundant. Thank You!