The Good News of Therefore

The Good News of Therefore

We dive in today to a great chapter of scripture. Some of the great theologians throughout history, including Augustine and Luther, viewed Romans as the single most important book a Christian should learn. In it is contained the gospel, the bad news that we need a Savior and have no recourse on our own to account for our sins other than eternal dying, and the good news that God has provided a way for those who believe.

In the last 2 weeks, we viewed the struggle Paul describes. That struggle that every Christian who truly desires to serve God and live a pure and spotless life has. The struggle that is the tension between the fact of our salvation and forgiveness of sin and eventual perfection with Christ in heaven, and yet here we must live with out body of flesh that often overrides our spiritual desires and we sin.

Paul really in chapter 7 is describing 2 people in one, and this is us as Christians: The person who lives in the spirit and the person who is still in the flesh. 2 people in one. In fact, he ends his discussion on this frustrating state we are in by saying this: “So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

So Paul has described for us his thoughts and attitude towards this seemingly contradictory state we are in. We want to do good, but often do evil instead. We agree that the evil is evil, and do it anyway. Why? Because we are attached still to this flesh, this fallen person, even though we are at the same time a new, spiritual person. And eventually we get out of this mess, that is our great hope, but in the meantime we go through the struggle.

That isn’t to say we are powerless, or we must be dejected and just give into the sin nature, or imagine that we have such liberty as to just go ahead and sin. In fact, we are not powerless. We have life in the Spirit. As we go through Romans chapter 8, and we will be in this chapter for some time, for it contains many very important truths for the Christian to know, you can think of this chapter of Romans as the chapter about the Holy Spirit. He, the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of life who sets us free.

So this morning, we are going to just be dipping our toes into the water of Romans chapter 8, and over the coming weeks we will be diving in more deeply. So let’s take a look this morning as verses 1-4, but I want to read a little further so you can see where we are headed, so I will read through 11.

Romans 8:1–11 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 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, 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. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Verse 1, there is therefore. Now, we have a little phrase we use, that makes sense, not only when reading scripture, but in reading in general, and that is when we see the word therefore, we need to see what it is therefore. The word therefore means a conclusion is being made based on information that has already been presented. But that does not necessarily mean only the preceding verse or paragraph. Imagine for a moment that this therefore only linked to the previous verse:

Romans 7:25 ESV

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

I serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin; therefore there is no condemnation. No, that doesn’t really work. Because he would then be linking the conclusion “There is therefore now no condemnation” to both serving God with the mind and serving the law of sin with the flesh. No, that can’t be it. How about the preceding paragraphs, where Paul goes through the struggle between the man of the spirit and the man of the flesh? No, I don’t think this therefore can be attached to just that either.

No, my position is that this therefore is drawing upon the entire letter to the Romans up until this point. Really, verses 1-4 are the gospel summed up. Paul has, in Romans, meticulously laid out the problems man faces, how the law could not save, how the righteous live by faith and God’s righteousness is imputed on those who believe, he proved that righteousness was by faith and not by works, how peace with God is through faith in Jesus Christ. He makes clear that death came from Adam, and all who are born sinned in Adam, and how the believer is dead to sin, but alive to God, how the believer died with Christ and now lives with him and will be resurrected like him, so that we are not to become slaves to sin but slaves to Righteousness, how then we are released form the law and its bondage. And then he does talk of that struggle, of how, since the work of salvation is effectively complete for the believer who has the promise, and yet that same believer is stuck here in the flesh, after saying all that, Paul now says,

There is therefore now no condemnation for this in Christ Jesus.

He has shown us who is condemned in Romans 1: God’s wrath against ungodliness and unrighteousness. In Chapter 2, he continues to show how everyone is sinful: Both those who sinned without the law and those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law. In Chapter 3, he says our unrighteousness actually serves to show the righteousness of God. None is righteous, no, not one. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In chapter 4, he shows how Abraham was justified; not by works, but through faith.

That the blessing is not only for those who were circumcised, because Abraham had righteousness accounted to him before he was circumcised. So it is by faith. In chapter 5, we who believe join Abraham in having peace with God through faith. That while we were weak, that is, completely unable to save ourselves or to even have any righteousness at all, while we were still weak, Christ died for ungodly. Death was our inheritance, because sin was in the world and death came through sin. Adam’s one act of ungodliness, his one trespass, led to condemnation for all men; but in the same way, one act of righteousness, the obedience of Jesus Christ to the Father in submitting himself to the Cross, leads to justification and life for all who believe. And so where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

In chapter 6, Paul readily addresses potential abuse of grace by declaring that we should not sin just so grace can abound. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. We are now slaves, even willing slaves, to righteousness. Then of course, chapter 7, we are released from the law, and yet still attached to this body of death, as Paul referred to the sin nature. And having laid out this meticulous case and evidence of God’s gracious plan of salvation, now Paul gives what could be considered a summary of everything he has said so far: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

No condemnation: What does this mean? Well, taking all of what Paul has written thus far, compared with the gospel accounts, this is the freedom cry of Christians. No condemnation. If one is truly in Christ, no condemnation.

For a moment, I want to talk about what no condemnation means, and what it doesn’t mean. To be condemned is to have a final judgment passed on one’s self. It is the final step in the law regarding a guilty person. Now, let’s think about the process of our law for a moment. The first thing that happens when someone may have broken the law is the accusation. And after an accusation, there is usually an investigation. Then, if the investigation shows cause bring charges, charges are brought. More serious charges are brought before a Grand Jury, who decide whether to send the case to court. Then the trial comes. If determined guilty, then a verdict comes, also known as being convicted. And after the conviction, the sentencing. That is the condemnation.

Paul is saying here that for those in Christ, that final condemnation will never come. We will never face the condemnation we deserve for our sins. However, Paul is not saying that none of the rest will happen. In fact, we know there will be a judgement made for every one of us. We will still be accused. The law itself accuses us. Paul even implies that our agreement with the law, that it is good, accuses us. So in a sense, we accuse ourselves. We are found guilty of sin, that is clear. But for the believer, the final disposition is not condemnation and damnation, but forgiveness and pardon. Pardons are mercy.

Our president has the power to pardon anyone convicted of a federal crime. This is considered to be part of our justice system. A president can decide to pardon someone. Sometimes Presidents have pardoned because they felt the sentence was unjust, or because the person convicted was unfairly targeted by law enforcement. Sometimes pardons are given simply for political reasons. But whatever the reason, the pardon is an act of mercy. And God, in his perfect will, has determined that some people will receive mercy for their sins and not be condemned. And He has determined that, as scripture teaches, by predestining the elect to believe.

Some will receive the just punishment for their sins, the wrath of God, and some receive mercy. Mercy is part of justice. Some get the punishment they deserve, that is justice. Some will receive mercy, that is not getting the punishment they deserve. But no one will receive injustice. Every person will be judged. All will be found guilty. Everyone will deserve the wrath of God, and many will receive the wrath of God, but some will be given mercy, that is those who have a sure and certain faith in Christ. Paul’s focus here is on the believer, and so he says, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It doesn’t mean we will never have any consequences for our sins. If you sin, you will have a consequence. Those consequences may be just part of cause and effect but all sin comes with consequences. Consequences are not condemnation. Instead, they are part of God’s loving discipline.

Hebrews 12:8–11 ESV

If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

No condemnation means no final penalty for our sin, it does not mean no consequences. He is indeed a loving father, and those he loved have sometimes suffered great consequences for their sin. Why? That is part of his discipline. He loves you enough not to let you get by scot free.

We looked at how the therefore included all of the letter to the Romans thus far, but now let’s look at some further evidence Paul gives for what he says in Romans 8:1, and that is in the following verses. I hope you will remember, I have said it often, know the context. Context is king. Never pull one line out of the Bible to suit your own desires. So here in Romans 8:1 we have a therefore that draws all the way back to the beginning of Romans, but also continues in elaborating in the following verses. Therefore, because of all I have said up until now, and because of what I am about to say, the Christian has no condemnation.

And now he elaborates:

Romans 8:1–4 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 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, 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.

The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. We know that Jesus himself gives to believers the Holy Spirit. In the gospel of John, Jesus himself tells us what to expect from His Holy Spirit, I have preached on that several times, but as a recap, in John 16, he says he will send the Helper (the Holy Spirit) And here is what He will do: Convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. He will guide you into all the truth. He will glorify Christ. He will take what is Christ’s and declare it to us. And in Acts 1 Jesus also says we will receive power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses.

So the law of the Spirit of Life has set us free from the law of sin and death by doing all of these things. Notice that what Jesus said the Spirit would do is not the same focus that many people have in the church today about the Spirit. Jesus said He, the Holy Spirit, is a truth teller, and one who would empower His people to be witnesses, and of course, we know that the Holy Spirit also enables us to live this life in the Spirit, that is, fighting the battle with sin, with the power to win. The struggle is real, but we are set free from bondage to sin and instead are slaves to righteousness because of the Holy Spirit in us.

That isn’t to say we never sin again, because we sometimes surrender ourselves to the old man willingly for a time, but for the true believer, the trajectory continues towards holiness.

So no condemnation, for the law of the Spirit of life has set you free, verse 2, and verse 3, “God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do”. Remember how Paul laid out the case, the law cannot save you, in fact, it only shows you how sinful you are. No one can keep the righteous requirements of the law. Remember, the law is not a person. It is the law. It can’t save anyone. But God has done what the law could not do, so there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

I realize I am being somewhat repetitive this morning, but let’s look one more time at that therefore. Because of all that Paul said in chapters 1-7, Paul is saying, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Why? Because the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus, and God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. How? By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh.

Here is the gospel. This may remind you a little of John 3:16. Jesus was sent, condemned in the flesh, and because he did that for us, the righteous requirement of the law can be fulfilled in us, not because we can do it, but because he already did it, and this is the good news. He did all this, and as a result, we walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

This is just an intro to Chapter 8. This is the Holy Spirit chapter of romans. We can live according to the Spirit. If we are in Christ, we have the Spirit. If you don’t have the Spirit, you don’t have Christ. But if you are in Christ, you can have the power to win the battle.

I will wrap up with this: In another place, Paul describes what life in the Spirit should be like: In his letter to the Galatians, he again contrasts the flesh and the Spirit, the desires of the flesh being against the spirit. But we can and should live according to the spirit.

Galatians 5:16–26 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

If the works of the flesh are evident, and Paul described them there, and the the fruit of the Spirit is described there, then here is something all Christians should do regularly. Ask yourself, what traits do I have, and I am in the flesh category or the Spirit category? Probably both at times, if we are honest, but do you examine yourself to see if you are in the faith?

Many times people quote the fruit of the Spirit part of this without any attention at all to the works of the flesh listed. They are both there; they provide us with a contrast. The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in the believer’s life, the works of the flesh should be put away from us. This is a reminder that we should always be using scripture to analyze ourselves:

2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

How can you examine yourself? Look to Galatians 5. I may have said this before, but it is worth saying. Context is king, right? Well, how many people know the fruit of the spirit verse, but never looked in the previous 5 verses to see what the works of the flesh are? Because scripture almost always gives us a contrast. And he lists quite a few things that are works of the flesh.

Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is….

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. And this is possible, Paul believed and preached that it was. But it is a battle, it is a struggle, but in Romans 8:1-4, we see the good news of therefore.