KellyJay, as you can see
Romans 7 and
Genesis 4:6, though written so long before
Romans really are revelations of the same truth. Sin is virtually the personification of Satan the Devil attached to fallen man.
This evil slave driving "person / force" has its own
"law" which no one, but NO ONE can out power. No human being who ever lived can defeat the power of this indwelling law of sin and death.
No person except the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation in the next chapter consist of this MORE POWERFUL Person than Sin with its law, coming into the forgiven man to impower him.
"There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (8:1)
For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me from the law of sin and death." (v.2)
Now many Christian assume that the
"no condemnation" here refers to the justification of redemption. Well, the context is more about the condemnation of the previous chapter
7, the self condemnation of feeling absolutely overpowered no matter what, and enslaved.
Putting these two verses together brings this relationship out more clearly.
"Wretched man that I am! WHO ...
You see? We need a
"WHO" rather than a lifeless what.
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death.
Thanks be to God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." [the Divine WHO who saves!]
... There is now then no condemnation [NO feeling of self condemnation and wretchedness] to those who are in Christ Jesus."
The STRONGER Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, Stronger than the law of sin and death, comes to indwell the believer as
"the Spirit of life" to liberate and make free (with her or his cooperation) to the law of indwelling sin, the personification of Satan.
"There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
FOR ... the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death."
Salvation then consists of man getting a MORE POWER and STRONGER law of divine life, living and working in him to SUBDUE the law of sin and death in the fallen mankind.
This is fantastic.
This is more fantastic then any SciFi I have ever seen or read.
And it is the truth. It is the revealed truth of the Bible !
We [Christians] have experienced this. We need to more experience it.
Paul pioneered in this victory.