…in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
God did not send His Son merely to cancel condemnation; He sent Him so that the law’s righteous requirement might be fulfilled in us. The cross deals with our past guilt, but the Spirit enables us to live in a new way, marked by holiness.
This is astonishing. The law demanded righteousness, but in our flesh we could never achieve it. Christ comes, takes our condemnation, and then by His Spirit actually enables us to live differently. We are not just forgiven, we are transformed.
Notice Paul’s wording: the requirement is “fully met.” That means there is nothing lacking, nothing unfinished. In Christ, we stand justified. And in the Spirit, we walk sanctified. Our lives now bear the evidence of God’s righteousness, not by our strength but by His Spirit working within us.
This should both humble and embolden us. Humble, because it is all grace. Embolden, because we are no longer stuck in old patterns. God’s Spirit empowers us to walk in a way that pleases Him. The very thing the law pointed to; holiness, is now possible because the Spirit of Christ dwells in us.
Where do you most need to remember that God not only forgives but also empowers you to live differently?
Righteous God, thank you that your Spirit fulfils in me what I could never do in my own strength. Teach me to walk according to the Spirit, that my life may reflect your holiness.
