GAT (W. 5) - Romans 8:1-4

Go And Tell (Week 5) - Romans 8:1-4

Good morning Simpsonville!

Take your copy of God’s Word and join me in Romans 8.

Opening illustration.

Suppose that you are on trial in a courtroom for a capital offense. Your life hangs in the balance. A guilty verdict will mean death, and a not-guilty verdict will mean freedom and life. And suppose the judge says to you: "There are two ways we can deal with this. I can acquit you right now, decisively and irrevocably, and release you so that you can go and live a free and joyful and loving life that shows you really are not a rebellious, crime-loving law breaker, though you have been. Or I can postpone the trial and the verdict for several years and assign you a parole officer to watch you all that time, and let you go out and prove yourself to the court by your life, and then have the trial after that, and base the verdict on whether your behavior was satisfactory or not.

Now does the difference between these two options sound like nitpicking? In one case you are free from condemnation and with gladness live a life that shows the wisdom and mercy of your Judge. In the other case you have the trial always hanging over your head, and the basis of that future verdict will be your own behavior and whether you have measured up. Brothers and sisters, this is not nitpicking. And understanding the difference – call it theology or call it zucchini or call it Biblical truth – is massively important for your life.”

- John Piper

God declares, ‘no condemnation’ and demonstrates He did all the work to make it true.

Bottomline: Because of Jesus, sin can no longer condemn us or control us.

Romans A. The New Way: Freedom from Condemnation (8:1–4)

the new way of life in the Spirit: freedom from condemnation, from control by the sinful disposition, and from fear of separation from God.

Verses 18-39 then describe three bases of the new life in the Spirit:

The promises of God, the purposes of God, the protection of God.

HNTC Romans suggests that the “therefore” is there for from Romans 7:1-6. The illustration of vows ending when the spouse breathes his or her last is the jumping point.

God declares, “NO CONDEMNATION” and then explains He did all the work to make it true.

There is a difference between no condemnation and no accusation.

You can sin your way out of a lot of things (marriage, a job, a relationship), but Christ Jesus is not one of those things.

How are we free in Christ? How is there no condemnation in Christ?

1. Payment (V. 1-2)

There are ways to get your debts paid in this life.

There is loan forgiveness.

You work so long and then eventually the remaining debt is paid.

There is income based plans that make it more affordable.

There is also the run of the mill option of faking your own death. Wouldn’t suggest that.

In all of these options, it costs you something.

However, in Christianity, there is an option that doesn’t involve your effort, payment plan, participation, or even fraud… (again, I don’t recommend that). The only option for your freedom in the Christian sense is Christ paying your full debt.

Amen, hallelujah!

Here’s what this means Biblically speaking:

——

The wages of sin is death. Well, why am I not dead yet?

Because of God’s mercy He delayed the payment.

Because of God’s justice, sin must be paid for.

Because of God’s grace, He pays the debt.

Because of the payment of Jesus Christ on the cross, there is:

HOW MUCH? - NO

OF WHAT? - CONDEMNTATION meaning a legal decision of ‘guilty’ in a criminal case.

FOR WHO? - Those in Christ.

Let’s break this truth down:

How much? No condemnation.

This could also read, There is justification for those who are in Christ.

I think the Holy Spirit inspired it this way in order to speak truth to our feelings.

Listen, we need to understand time and place, right? Speaking feelings when feelings are needed, and facts when facts are needed.

Men, we really need help with this. We have a tendency to just try to fix things, right? When our brides speak to us based on their feelings, we need to respond to them with feelings, not facts.

For example, “does this make me look fat?” should not be replied to with, “try eating less sugar.” That might be facts, but what they need in that moment is to respond with feelings. “Honey, I think you’re so beautiful, and you are fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Think about how Paul is feeling in this moment? He just said in Romans 7:24, “Oh wretched man that I am, who can deliver me from this body of death?”

In other words, I KNOW WHO I AM. I KNOW HOW MUCH I’VE SINNED. I KNOW MY BROKENNESS! I KNOW MY SINFULNESS! I KNOW MY NEEDS!

Paul felt the condemnation.

You know who speaks condemnation fluently? Satan.

He has a way of calling you all the names of your past sins. He has a way of speaking the language of who you once were.

He has a way of making you feel… feel condemned.

Yet, God meets us with what we need… a truthful remark spoken in the right moment…

For therefore there is NO CONDEMNATION for those in Christ.

I don’t care how you feel.

condemnation (katakrima - a legal decision of guilty in a criminal case, with a punishment ensuing.)

Condemnation shows up in Romans 5:16 “16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.” and Romans 5:18 “18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”

1 Sin led to the condemnation to all people. 1 sacrifice led to the cleansing to anyone who believes.

Since God the Father does not condemn Jesus, neither can the Father condemn those who are in Jesus. They are not condemned, they will not be condemned, and they cannot be condemned

You can’t acquit the head and condemn the hand. You can’t drown the foot as long as the head is out of water. - Guzik.

No condemnation: This place of confidence and peace comes after the confusion and conflict that marked Romans 7. Now Paul looks to Jesus and he finds his standing in Him. But this chapter is more than just the answer to Romans 7; it ties together thoughts from the very beginning of the letter.

i. Romans 8 begins with no condemnation; it ends with no separation, and in between there is no defeat.

We receive this glorious declaration from God’s court. We receive it though we certainly deserve condemnation. We receive this standing because Jesus bore the condemnation we deserved and our identity is now in Him. As He is condemned no more, neither are we.

Romans 8:33–35 ESV

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

WHO SHALL CONDEMN? WHO CAN BRING A CHARGE?

Nobody!

This payment of Jesus:

Places you in Christ.

Produces no Condemnation.

Sets you free!

John 8:32, 36

Romans 6:18, 22,

Romans 8:2, 21

Galatians 5:1

2. Power (V. 3)

The moment a prisoner is freed from condemnation and a penalty, he or she is freed to something else. Regardless of where the prisoner ends up, at the moment of release he or she has been free to life.

If verses 1-2 are about position, then verses 3-4 leads into the practice of freedom.

God did what the Law couldn’t do!

could not do in verse 3 is “adynatos” which means impossible, or lacking the power to perform.

All of that above can not be performed by the law.

Why? It’s not capable in and of itself, and the flesh weakens it further. It makes it deficient in a skill of capacity.

He condemned sin in the flesh!

The law could not defeat sin; it could only detect sin. Only Jesus can defeat sin, and He did just that through His work on the cross.

Important note: Romans 8:3 is specific - Jesus came in the LIKENESS of sinful flesh. It did not say that He came in sinful flesh. because he was sinless. It also didn’t say in the likeness of flesh, because He was 100% man and 100% God.

Philippians 2:7 “7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

The law had two purposes - to provide life and to reveal the death in man (sin).

Romans 7:24 ESV

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Power to do what? Set us free:

Isaiah 61:1 “1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Colossians 1:13–14 “13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Luke 4:17–19 “17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.””

John 8:32–36 “32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

He sets us free from:

THE PENALTY OF SIN: 1 Thessalonians 1:10 “10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

Romans

THE FEAR OF DEATH: Hebrews 2:14–15 “14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

THE POWER OF SIN

Romans 6:11–14 “11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

THE POLLUTION OF SIN

2 Peter 1:2–4 “2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

Galatians 1:3–4 “3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

THE POWER OF SATAN

1 John 3:8 “8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

THE PRESENCE OF SIN

Colossians 1:22 “22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”

1 Thessalonians 3:13 “13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

In Christ, sin can’t rule you, can’t stain you, and one day won’t even be near you.

The Power of the Indwelling Spirit.

The power of the indwelling Spirit is more powerful than the power of indwelling sin.

3. Purpose (V. 4)

This is the practice part. How do we practice the freedom of Christ?

Walking in the Spirit.

God wants the Spirit to rule over our flesh. When we allow the flesh to reign over the Spirit, we find ourselves bound by the sinful patterns and desperation that marked Paul’s life in his “Romans 7” struggle. Our walk — the pattern of our life — must be according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh.

ii. Walking in the Spirit means that the course, the direction, the progress of one’s life is directed by the Holy Spirit. It is continued and progressive motion.

No condemnation leads to Lordship. … The clearest proof someone believes there is “no condemnation” in Christ is surrender.

Why did God send His Son and condemn sin in the flesh? IN ORDER THAT THE RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENT MIGHT BE FULFILLED IN US!!

Verse 5-11 - What do you set your mind on?

On the flesh: is death, hostile to God, doesn’t submit to God, and it cannot. Cannot please God (V. 8),

On the Spirit: is life and peace, if Christ is in you, the Spirit who raised Him from the dead is alive in you.

We are debtors.

What else does the Spirit do?

If I live according to the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body.

The Spirit is adoption as sons, now I cry out, “Abba, Father.”

He bears witness that we are children of God, not condemned. Heirs

Verse 26 - He prays for us when we don’t know what to pray.

Verse 27 - He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We all groan eagerly awaiting adoption as sons, redemption for our bodies.