Romans 8:1-4
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone. –Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me. Text by Augustus M. Toplady, 1740-1778.
Demands. I’m guessing you’re acquainted with those.
The hymn writer refers to the demands of God’s law. And yes, loving God and loving my neighbor demands a lot of us if we actually take that responsibility seriously. But somehow I don’t fret so much about fulfilling God’s law. I know I can’t do it by my own power. I trust Jesus has fulfilled the law for me. I believe, in the words of Paul’s letter to the Romans, that I am free.
It’s a different story altogether when I confront the demands of my law–the unrealistic expectations I demand of myself and the perceived expectations of others (which I’m likely imagining or at the very least exaggerating). I feel acutely the demands of my law to achieve, produce, and excel; to balance home life and work life; to be all things to all people; to deny parts of who I am in order to be who others need me to be. My law demands that I be perfect.
God doesn’t demand this of me. I demand this of me.
How I long for freedom from these relentless demands. Can I trust that God has freed me even from my law?
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
No demands–internal or external–can condemn us any longer. Christ has set us free–not to be perfect, but to be people of God. We are freed to be all of who we are, trusting that our whole selves are loved unconditionally. We are freed to love freely, God’s love for us spilling over into true love for others. We are freed to rely not on our own strength or attention or enthusiasm, but on God’s grace given to us in Jesus.
The picture I chose for this day is from two years ago, when Keaton (age 9 at the time) delighted in making this homemade wrapping paper complete with pinwheels. It expresses to me the joy of using one’s gifts, not in response to a real or perceived demand, but out of freedom to express our love for others even as we are carried and lifted by God’s love.
Come, Lord Jesus, come. Free us from the demands that weigh on our hearts and minds. Assure us that you, and you alone, fulfill the law’s demands. You, and you alone, save us and all our weary world. Amen.