Romans 8.1-No Condemnation For Those In Union With Christ Jesus
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday October 12, 2008
Romans: Romans 8:1-No Condemnation For Those In Union With Christ Jesus
Lesson # 240
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This past Thursday we began a study of Romans chapter eight by presenting an overview of the chapter.
This morning we will study Romans 8:1 and in this passage, Paul assures his Christian readers in Rome that because of their union with Jesus Christ they are no longer under condemnation because of their inability to obey the Law perfectly.
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
In Romans 8:1, “therefore” is the “inferential” particle ara (a&ra) (ar-ah), which is introducing a statement that is an inference from Paul’s preceding statements in Romans 1:18-7:25 and summarizes them.
The apostle in Romans 8:1 is making simple statement that summarizes all that he has been teaching in the previous seven chapters!
Therefore, in Romans 1:18-3:20, the apostle Paul demonstrates to his readers that both Gentile and Jew have a need for the righteousness of God and stand condemned before a holy God.
Then, in Romans 3:21-5:21, Paul teaches how the sinner avoids condemnation and is declared justified, which is through exercising faith alone in Christ alone.
Romans 6:1-7:6 teaches the justified sinner regarding his new position in Christ and how to live in the righteousness of God.
Romans 7:7-25 deals with the conflict that the Christian has in relation to his sin nature and his failure to fulfill his desire to obey the Law.
So Paul’s statement in Romans 8:1 basically summarizes all that he has been saying from Romans 1:18-7:25.
It is connected to Romans 1:18-3:20 because it contrasts those who are not condemned with those who are.
Paul’s statement in Romans 8:1 is connected to Romans 3:21-5:21 because those sinners who been declared justified through faith in Christ are those who never again stand condemned before a holy God.
It is connected to Romans 6:1-7:6 because the justified sinner’s new position in Christ guarantees that they will never again stand condemned before a holy God.
Finally, it is connected to Romans 7:7-25 in that even though the justified sinner does not have the power to fulfill his desire to obey the Law and falls victim to his old Adamic sin nature, he still is never under condemnation because of his union and identification with Christ.
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
“Now” is adverb of time nun (nun) (noon), which emphasizeS the believer’s present state of no longer being under condemnation as a result of being declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
It is not only “temporal” emphasizing the present state of the Roman Christians but also it is “logical” in the sense that it is presenting the logical conclusion based upon Paul’s teaching in Romans 1:18-7:25 that there is never any condemnation for the Christian.
“No” is the adverb oudeis (ou)deiv$) (oo-dice), which is composed of the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) and the conjunction de (dev) and the numeral heis (ei($), which altogether combine to form a strong affirmation.
Paul is emphasizing with his Christian readers that there is “absolutely never any” condemnation, “none whatsoever” for those who are in union with Christ.
The emphatic negative cardinal number oudeis strongly affirms the statement that there is “absolutely never any” condemnation for those who are in union with Christ, “none whatsoever.”
Paul is stating in the strongest terms possible that the Christian is under no condemnation whatsoever because of his union with Christ.
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
“Condemnation” is the noun katakrima (katavkrima) (kat-ak-ree-mah), which means to judge someone as definitely guilty and thus subject to punishment.
It is a legal technical term for the result of judging, including both the sentence and the execution or the sentence followed by a suggested punishment (The suffix -ma makes it the result of judgment).
The noun is always an adverse verdict since it relates to the sentencing for a crime, but its primary focus is not so much on the verdict as on the penalty that the verdict demands.
In Romans 8:1, the noun katakrima on the other hand, refers to the penalty resulting from the verdict, thus, katakrima refers to the penalty of eternal condemnation, which is also called “the second death” in Revelation 20:11-15.
“Eternal condemnation,” i.e. “the second death” is the perpetuation of spiritual death into eternity or eternal separation from God and it is the final judgment of the unbelievers in the human race and fallen angels whereby they are cast in the Lake of Fire (Matt. 25:41; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:12-15).
Now, in Romans 8:1, the word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the adverb oudeis in order to emphasize with Paul’s Christian readers in Rome that there is “absolutely never any” condemnation” for those who are in union with Christ, “none whatsoever.”
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
“In Christ Jesus” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “in” and the dative masculine singular form of the proper name Christos (xristov$), “Christ,” which is followed by the dative masculine singular form of the proper name Iesous ( )Ihsou$), “Jesus.”
This is the second time in the Roman epistle that Paul uses the prepositional phrase for the justified sinner’s union and identification with Christ.
The first time that we saw this prepositional phrase it was used in relation to the Christian’s union and identification with Christ in Romans 6:11.
Romans 6:11, “In the same way, also, on the one hand, all of you without exception make it your habit to regard yourselves as dead ones with respect to the sin nature while on the other hand those who are, as an eternal spiritual truth, alive with respect to God the Father, in union with Christ, who is Jesus.”
This prepositional phrase denotes that the sinner has been entered into “union with” Jesus Christ through the baptism of the Spirit the moment he was declared justified by the Father as a result of exercising faith in His Son Jesus Christ as their Savior.
In the Greek New Testament, there are at least eight different analogies that express the justified sinner’s union with Christ: (1) The last Adam and the New Creation (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 5:17a). (2) The Head and the Body (Col. 1:18a). (3) The Great Shepherd and the Sheep (Heb. 13:20). (4) The True Vine and the Branches (John 15:5a). (5) The Chief Cornerstone and the Stones in the building (Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:5-6). (6) The Great High Priest and members of the Royal Priesthood (Heb. 4:14a; 1 Pet. 2:9a). (7) The Groom and the Bride. (Our wedding occurs at the Second Advent) (Rev. 19:7). (8) The King of Kings and the Royal Family of God (Rev. 19:14-16).
This union is indivisible and eternal in the viewpoint of God as a result of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit in identifying the justified sinner with Christ in His physical death.
The prepositional phrase en Christo Iesou, “in union with Christ who is Jesus” means that the Christian is “identified with” with Christ.
This means that at the moment of salvation, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit causes the believer to become identical and united with Christ and also ascribes to the believer the qualities and characteristics of Christ.
This prepositional phrase denotes what God has done for the church age believer and His viewpoint of the church age believer.
He views the believer as He views His Son and does “not” view the believer according to his sins and transgressions and former manner of life prior to salvation.
This is because the justified sinner is now under the headship of Christ rather than Adam’s headship.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase denotes the believer under the headship of Christ.
The prepositional phrase en Christo, “in union with Christ” is a reminder to the Christians as to what God has done for them through the baptism of the Holy Spirit and it denotes His viewpoint of the church age believer.
It summarizes the doctrine of positional truth and the justified sinner’s union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, His spiritual and physical deaths and His resurrection, which underlies Paul’s teaching in Romans 6:1-10.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase denotes the believer’s intimate, eternally secure position because of his union and identification with Christ.
