There is no Condemnation in Christ

I am not a mom, but I have a mom and I am married to a mom. The relationship between a mother and her children is a complicated one. For each one here, we each have had different experiences either with our mom or as a mom. In many cases a mom might have completely different experiences with each of her children - with one being close and another not. Relationships are complicated and the relationship between a mother and her children is no exception.

I know my mother loved me and still loves me. I know she sacrificed for me and my siblings. She was very hard on me a times, but it’s because she wanted the best for me. I know she isn’t perfect, but she’s my mom and she needs grace from me, just as much as I needed grace growing up…and I still do now.

Turn with me to Romans 7 starting in verse 15. Paul is writing about his experience as a follower of Christ. I think we can all relate to what he writes:

Romans 7:15–17 NIV

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

These words spoken by Paul could be spoken by a child who has been reprimanded. They could be spoken as a mother or father. They could be spoken as a husband or a wife. Bottom line, we are still in our fleshly bodies struggling daily with temptation and sin. Paul goes on to say this:

Romans 7:21–25 NIV

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Let’s read that again. This is so good...

Romans 7:21–25 NIV

vs 21 We want to do good, yet we find ourselves sinning.

vs 22-23 We delight in God’s law, word, promises, yet we battle against the sin nature in us that is contrary to God’s law.

Do you relate to this?

Depending on your upbringing, this battle, this war can cause all kinds of terrible thought processes. It’s one that I fight. I would venture a guess that it is one that many believers fight:

If I can’t make good choices all the time, I must not be good enough. Paul says it like this in verse 24:

Romans 7:24 NIV

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

If we stop there, we miss the goodness of the Gospel. Don’t get me wrong, we must get here. We must realize how wretched we are in order to come to Jesus. Paul doesn’t stay there...

Romans 7:24–25 NIV

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Jesus can deliver us from this condition of wretchedness. There is hope for us. We need not stay in verse 24. There is good news for us in what Jesus did on the cross for us. Jesus alone, our Lord and Savior can deliver us from that place.

We are going to read in chapter 8 in just a moment, but I want to pause here for a minute and challenge us...

Do you spend too much time in verse 24? Do you dwell on the mistakes and how you don’t measure up? I know I can play those messages in my head from time to time. I get stuck in this loop of beating myself up and play out all the would-a, could-a, should-a’s.

Let me encourage you this morning to ask the Lord for forgiveness, ask forgiveness of the person where appropriate and possible, repent and go to Jesus with it. He can and will deliver you.

Let’s keep reading

Romans 8:1 NIV

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

I think someone need to hear this today. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus.

None.

Why then do we live our lives as if there is condemnation? Why do we condemn ourselves? That is probably the cruelest of all. Why can’t we forgive ourselves. I still find myself beating myself up over things that have been long forgiven. I play back in my mind how I’ve messed up and then start to beat myself up. Why can’t we forgive ourselves? Why do we condemn ourselves?

If there is no condemnation, why then do we condemn each other? I want to be clear on this point. We most certainly should hold each other accountable. We should challenge each other when we see our brother or sister heading the wrong way, but if they’ve repented and asked for forgiveness, why then do we still condemn each other? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Let me read a story of how Jesus responded when a woman was accused and condemned by the teachers of the Law:

John 8:3–11 NIV

3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus tells this woman: “Then neither do I condemn you.” There is no condemnation for this woman. She did not get what she deserved according to the law. I looked in this passage for all of the things she did to earn this forgiveness…I couldn’t find anything. She didn’t say anything special, she didn’t go through a 10 step program, pay restitution…she did nothing to earn it.

Jesus did know the condition of her heart and instructs her to leave her life of sin, but no one condemned her even though she did nothing to earn it.