Romans 8:2, Free from the Law of Sin

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Through Jesus Christ, the believer is made free from the bondage of sin and continues to be made holy by the law of the Spirit of Christ indwelling him. It is called a law because it predicts a certain outcome. God will mould His people through life to conform in His image.

The Bible character Jacob, in the Old Testament, was a deceiver. By dishonesty, he robbed his elder brother Esau of his birthright. Jacob valued wealth and position more than relationships. It was a heavy price to pay for the estranged relationship with his brother Esau. He had to run for his life. God sent a greater deceiver into his life in the person of Laban his uncle. He was deceived by Laban to marry Leah although he thought he would be marrying Rachel (Gen. 29:35). Laban also changed his wages many times. Jacob had to learn the lesson of trusting God and dealing honestly. He was cheated like the way he was a cheat. He told Laban that all the spotted, speckled and brown cattle belong to him and all the spotless and good cattle will be for Laban. He wanted to assure Laban that he is honest and he will not steal his sheep nor cheat him. There was a transformation in Jacob’s heart. God had transformed him. Instead of using his own wit and craftiness to cheat for gain, he learned to look to God because the spotted sheep is something that he cannot create. In other words, if God doesn’t bless him, he doesn’t have it. He put aside his cheating habit. He decided not to use his carnal wisdom anymore.

God is more concerned with our holiness than with our happiness, with character moulding, transforming us to the image of His Son. Jacob was someone who was not concerned about others, disregard the feeling of others. He doesn’t put relationships first, he put gain first. God is more concerned with his holiness, putting on Christ. He was transformed to put away this sin of selfishness. Jacob’s life was full of afflictions and pain but God was moulding him.

In the 20 years with Laban, he was treated badly, in the same way, he treated others previously. God allowed people of the same character around us to help us to realize our very same deficiency, as a mirror, so that we can see ourselves. God allowed Jacob to be treated the way he treated others. God will not forsake us to our sins, He helped Jacob to change. It came only when he realized that he had a God whom he can depend on. He can depend on a God that cares. That was why he asked only for the speckled sheep. If we do not depend on God, we will still depend on our own wittiness and our own wittiness is always self-centred. Do not depend on your wittiness, depend on God, therefore, we will not hurt others. Jacob learned to let go and let God work. Man’s wittiness is like a chess player calculating every move for your own gain, and it is selfish. This is something that God wants us to put aside and depend on Him. God wanted Jacob to learn how to treat others the way he wants others to treat him.

Like the Apostle Paul, Jacob understood the blessing of walking after the Spirit. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel or “prince with God” to reflect his new character and God’s blessing upon him. May Christ be formed in the lives of His people. Amen.