Romans 8:2
New International Version
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

New Living Translation
And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

English Standard Version
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Berean Standard Bible
For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.

Berean Literal Bible
For the Law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the Law of sin and death.

King James Bible
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

New King James Version
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

New American Standard Bible
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

NASB 1995
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

NASB 1977
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Legacy Standard Bible
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Amplified Bible
For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Christian Standard Bible
because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

American Standard Version
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

Contemporary English Version
The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.

English Revised Version
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death.

Good News Translation
For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death.

International Standard Version
For the Spirit's law of life in the Messiah Jesus has set me free from the Law of sin and death.

Majority Standard Bible
For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

NET Bible
For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.

New Heart English Bible
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Weymouth New Testament
for the Spirit's Law-- telling of Life in Christ Jesus--has set me free from the Law that deals only with sin and death.

World English Bible
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set me free from the law of sin and of death;

Berean Literal Bible
For the Law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the Law of sin and death.

Young's Literal Translation
for the law of the Spirit of the life in Christ Jesus did set me free from the law of the sin and of the death;

Smith's Literal Translation
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed me from the law of sin and death.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For the law of the spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath delivered me from the law of sin and of death.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and death.

New American Bible
For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death.

New Revised Standard Version
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For the law of the Spirit of life which is in Jesus Christ has made you free from the law of sin and death.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For The Law of The Spirit of Life which is in Yeshua The Messiah has freed you from the law of sin and of death.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin, and of death.

Godbey New Testament
For the law of the Spirit of life has made thee free from the law of sin and of death.

Haweis New Testament
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath liberated me from the law of sin and of death.

Mace New Testament
for the christian dispensation of a spiritual life has set me free from the legal state of sin and death.

Weymouth New Testament
for the Spirit's Law-- telling of Life in Christ Jesus--has set me free from the Law that deals only with sin and death.

Worrell New Testament
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death.

Worsley New Testament
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath set me free from the law of sin and death.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Living in the Spirit
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,…

Cross References
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.

John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Galatians 2:19-20
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. / I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

1 Corinthians 15:45
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

Ephesians 2:1-2
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, / in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

Colossians 1:13-14
He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, / in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 2:14-15
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, / and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,

Ezekiel 36:26-27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. / And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Jeremiah 31:33
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Isaiah 42:6-7
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, / to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.


Treasury of Scripture

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

For.

Romans 3:27
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

John 8:36
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Spirit.

Romans 8:10,11
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness…

John 4:10,14
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water…

John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

hath.

Romans 6:18,22
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness…

Psalm 51:12
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

John 8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

from.

Romans 5:21
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 7:21,24,25
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me…

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Christ Deals Death Free Jesus Law Sin Spirit Spirit's Telling
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Christ Deals Death Free Jesus Law Sin Spirit Spirit's Telling
Romans 8
1. Those who are in Christ are free from condemnation.
5. What harm comes of the flesh;
13. and what good of the Spirit.
19. The glorious deliverance the creation longs for,
29. was beforehand decreed from God.
38. Nothing can sever us from his love.














For in Christ Jesus
This phrase emphasizes the believer's union with Christ. The Greek preposition "en" (ἐν) signifies being in a fixed position, indicating a deep, abiding relationship. Historically, this union is central to Pauline theology, where being "in Christ" means sharing in His death, resurrection, and life. This relationship is transformative, offering believers a new identity and status before God.

the law of the Spirit of life
The "law" here, from the Greek "nomos" (νόμος), refers not to a legalistic code but to a principle or power. The "Spirit of life" contrasts with the "law of sin and death" mentioned in the previous chapter. This Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the source of life, echoing Genesis where God breathes life into Adam. Theologically, this signifies the new covenant, where the Spirit empowers believers to live righteously.

has set you free
The Greek word "eleutheroo" (ἐλευθερόω) means to liberate or release. This freedom is not just from the penalty of sin but from its power and dominion. Historically, freedom in Christ was a radical concept, especially for early Christians who lived under Roman oppression. This freedom is spiritual and eternal, transcending earthly circumstances.

from the law of sin and death
This phrase contrasts with the "law of the Spirit of life." The "law of sin and death" refers to the principle that sin leads to death, both physically and spiritually. In the context of Romans, Paul has been discussing how the Mosaic Law, while holy, reveals sin and results in death because of human inability to keep it. Theologically, this underscores the need for a Savior and the inadequacy of the law to bring about true righteousness.

(2) A statement of the great antithesis, of which the rest of the section is a development, between the law of the Spirit of life and the law of sin and of death.

The law of the Spirit of life.--A phrase defining more fully the mode in which the union with Christ becomes operative in the believer. It begins by imparting to him the Spirit of Christ; this Spirit creates within him a law; and the result of that law is life--that perfect spiritual vitality which includes within itself the pledge of immortality.

The Spirit.--That is, the Spirit of Christ, as in Romans 8:9, which is hardly as yet conceived of as a distinct personality, but representing the continued action and influence which the ascended Saviour exercises upon the believer.

In Christ Jesus.--These words are best taken with "hath made" (rather, made, when it was imparted to me) "me free." The law of the Spirit of life, in Christ (i.e., operating through my union with Christ), made me free from the law of sin and of death.

From the law of sin and death.--The direct contrast to the foregoing. Not here the law of Moses, but the power of sin, the corrupt element in our nature, acting upon the soul, and itself erecting a kind of law, saying, "Thou shalt," where the law of God says "Thou shalt not;" and "Thou shalt not," where the law of God says "Thou shalt." The effect of this reign of sin is death--spiritual death--bearing in itself the pledge of eternal death.

Verse 2. - For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free (not hath made me; the aorist refers to the time when the Christian became possessed of the Spirit of life in Christ) from the law of sin and death. Here is a distinct contrast to the state described in vers. 14, 23 of ch. 7, and a realization of what was yearned for in ver. 24, "the law of sin and of death" being evidently "the law of sin in the members" previously spoken cf. The ἐγὼ, before in captivity to this law, is now freed from it. And how? Not by its becoming a different ἐγὼ; not by a change of the constituent elements of human nature; but by the introduction of a new law - the law of the Spirit of life - which has emancipated the ἐγὼ from its old unwelcome thraldom. In virtue of this new law, introduced into my being, I am now free to give my entire allegiance to the law of God. Νόμος, be it observed, is here again used in a sense different from its usual one, and we thus have a still further νόμος, in addition to those defined in the note after Romans 7:25. The designation of this new law is in marked opposition to that in which the ἐγὼ was before said to be held; we have life in opposition to death, and the Spirit in opposition to the flesh, as well as freedom in opposition to captivity. The Spirit is, in fact, the Divine Spirit, taking possession of what is spiritual (now at length brought into view) in the inward man, making him partaker in the Divine life, and able to serve God freely. The expressions used bring out strikingly one essential distinction between Law and Gospel, viz. that the principle of the former is to control and discipline conduct by requirements and threats; but of the latter to introduce into man's inner being a new principle of life, whence right conduct may spontaneously flow. Coercion is the principle of the one; inspiration of the other. An illustration may be found in the treatment of disease - on the one hand by attempted repression of specific ailments, and on the other by imparting a new vitality to the system, which may of itself dispel disease. It is shown next how this new state of freedom has been brought about. First, by what God in Christ has done for us apart from ourselves; the subjective condition in ourselves being introduced at the end of ver. 4, τοῖς μὴ, etc.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

Christ
Χριστῷ (Christō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦ (Iēsou)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

the
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

law
νόμος (nomos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3551: From a primary nemo; law, genitive case, specially, (including the volume); also of the Gospel), or figuratively.

of the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Spirit
Πνεύματος (Pneumatos)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

of
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

life
ζωῆς (zōēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2222: Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. From zao; life.

has set you
ἠλευθέρωσέν (ēleutherōsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1659: To free, set free, liberate. From eleutheros; to liberate, i.e. to exempt.

[free]
σε (se)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

from
ἀπὸ (apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

law
νόμου (nomou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3551: From a primary nemo; law, genitive case, specially, (including the volume); also of the Gospel), or figuratively.

of sin
ἁμαρτίας (hamartias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 266: From hamartano; a sin.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

death.
θανάτου (thanatou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2288: Death, physical or spiritual. From thnesko; death.


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NT Letters: Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit (Rom. Ro)
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