There is no condemnation
There is no condemnation
There is no condemnation
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For 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 for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
What is so incredible about these words is how closely they come to the words of Romans 7, which ends with “So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” This is followed immediately by the words “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
How can Paul write about his battle with sin and immediately follow it with assurance of “no condemnation”? The reason is given in what follows. In Vs 3, Paul gives the ground for this assurance. God has already condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus Christ and therefore there cannot be any condemnation for the Christian, even while he or she continues to battle with the flesh that still seeks to serve the law of sin.
In Vs 2, Paul also mentions a key evidence that he is no longer under condemnation. He has been set free from the “law of sin and death” by “the Spirit of life”. What does this mean?
I believe Paul is here articulating in his own words what Ezekiel told us about in Ezekiel 36:27 “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Have you had God’s Spirit set you free from the law of sin and death? Are you seeking to serve God, and God’s law? Or are you creating your own law in rebellion against God? The promise of “no condemnation” is for those who truly are in Christ and who evidence this by pursuing the law of God.
Bible Text: Romans 8:1-4 | Preacher: Ian Goodman | Series: Romans—The Greatest Letter Ever Written | There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For 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 for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
What is so incredible about these words is how closely they come to the words of Romans 7, which ends with “So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” This is followed immediately by the words “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
How can Paul write about his battle with sin and immediately follow it with assurance of “no condemnation”? The reason is given in what follows. In Vs 3, Paul gives the ground for this assurance. God has already condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus Christ and therefore there cannot be any condemnation for the Christian, even while he or she continues to battle with the flesh that still seeks to serve the law of sin.
In Vs 2, Paul also mentions a key evidence that he is no longer under condemnation. He has been set free from the “law of sin and death” by “the Spirit of life”. What does this mean?
I believe Paul is here articulating in his own words what Ezekiel told us about in Ezekiel 36:27 “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Have you had God’s Spirit set you free from the law of sin and death? Are you seeking to serve God, and God’s law? Or are you creating your own law in rebellion against God? The promise of “no condemnation” is for those who truly are in Christ and who evidence this by pursuing the law of God.