From One Law To Another

Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit has set me free from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:2

Reading this verse plainly tells us that we went from one law to another. We left the law of sin and death to be under the Spirit’s law.
Hebrews tells us: The Holy Spirit testifies to us about this. …He says, “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. -Heb 10:15-16.
Did you see it? In this passage, the Holy Spirit is talking about putting laws on our hearts and in our minds. Hmmm… what law is that? The orthodox Jews strap little boxes to their foreheads (called Tefillin). Inside the box is some semblance of the law, though not all 613 laws are there. But those cannot be the laws the Holy Spirit promises to write on our hearts, can they? “Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.” Lev 19:19.
Paul wrote, “Jesus…condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit.” -Rom 8:3,4.
I believe that these passages all point to a law that is to be fulfilled in us, now. You were born again for a reason! You have become a new creation in Christ Jesus, so that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in you. What is this law?
The law of the Spirit is:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
When Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant Law, He established the covenant of grace. Grace is an outpouring of His love and power, first to love you into His kingdom, bringing salvation and glory to you who were once His enemy, covered in sin. This salvation of yours is, in you, the fulfillment of the first law of the Spirit. You can love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Because you are a son of God, you have access to the throne of grace all day, every day. The law of the Spirit is not a burden. Rather it is a truth. You ARE a son of God and you ALWAYS have access to God the Father, through Christ the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The perfect picture of this law being fulfilled is the Christian engaged in prayer and praise, speaking words and songs pouring forth, up from a well within His heart and soul, overtaking His body and mind with thoughts of the King and His love.
Now grace is never stagnant. Jesus said, “My Father is always at work to this very day, and I too am working.” John 5:17. The character of God in you is love for others. He mercifully overlooked your sins and sinful nature, bringing you to salvation. Now, His Spirit works to flow through you with that same mercy and forgiveness, for your neighbor. Your neighbor could be anyone. As the parable of the Good Samaritan recounts, God at work in you will likely bring you into contact with a former version of yourself. I mean, with someone who is a slave to sin, who is wounded, who needs help and unconditional love. Dare we judge them and hold unforgiveness? No! As we surrender to His love for us, the Spirit fulfills His 2nd law for others.