Romans 8
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Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering,
in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit.
Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.
The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.
Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.
So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh,
because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children,
and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.
For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope
that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.
Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?
Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?
Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.
Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So far, in our study of the book of Romans - we have been through a lot. We have seen the gospel described in multiple ways. We have been beat up - our toes thoroughly blued and bloodied by the stomping of chastisement of our behavior. We have looked at the implications of our faith or the lack of it.
Romans chapter 8 is our victory lap.
Romans 8 is our anthem.
Romans 8 is our battle cry.
Romans 8 is our pièce de résistance.
Over the next couple of weeks we are going to study this chapter out. Because if you can understand this - you’re going to walk differently. It is going to change some things about you.
As I have been studying this book to be able to teach - I have fallen in love with this chapter. I am in awe of the truths that it presents. It is a masterpiece of eternal proportions.
This morning we are going to look at verse one, because if we go too much further than that - we won’t be giving it the attention that it needs to have. If you have a Bible with you I invite you to turn with me there.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
Right away, we understand that we cannot proceed with out understanding the context.
The sentence works with out the therefore -
There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus - that works.
But the emphasis, the motivation, the power of this verse comes from the consideration of the verses that come before it.
For in my inner self I delight in God’s law,
but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Paul is describing a battle in ourselves. A battle that we fight.
He says I love Jesus - but my body wants different things. I struggle with this! My body Sucks! I can’t do this.
But I don’t have to.
Thank God for sending Jesus. With my mind, I serve the lord, even though my body does something else entirely.
From what I can tell in my own life, Paul is describing an authentic christian experience.
Because in my life - it goes like this:
I wake up with songs of praise in my mind. Good - Jesus loving music playing in my mind.
Then I enter into the world and wham. I am in it. It’s like stepping in a big ol fresh pile of dog poo.
All of a sudden, you are in it. You can’t just wash it off. It is stuck in the crevices of your shoe tread. No matter how you go about it - you are going to smell it all day.
And though I felt really good about where I was in my walk with Jesus when I woke up - now I am not so sure. Now I am lost in the smell of my mistakes. And I know they are mistakes because the enemy is in my ear telling me they are. Over, and over, and over.
But Jesus.
Thank you God for Jesus.
Because of Jesus we have Romans 8:1.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
This is a verse to memorize. To write out and put in your car. On your mirror, your fridge. All over.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
Word for word:
We have looked at the therefore.
There is:
Considering all things in existence. All things known and unknown. The highest mountains and the deepest depths of the oceans have been considered. All things have been looked at.
Now:
Already and not yet.
It is something we are waiting for - at the end of our days - when we get to go home - there is now (then)
and there is now, right now.
Right now. In this moment, and all moments from here into eternity.
When you remember this verse twenty years from now - the now will still be.
When you think of this verse on your death bed - its still going to be in effect.
It has no expiration or shelf life. It goes on until always.
This isn’t waiting on you to get your act together - it is now. Right now.
Now this next word is a little more difficult.
I looked it up in the greek.
I studied it out in every version of the Bible I could find.
The word is no, and what it really means is NO.
There is now NO.
There is none. Zero. It does not, can not exist. There is an absence of the things necessary to create it. It is a negative answer where a positive one was required. There is none. There is now no.
No does not mean less. But we live that way. We live as if it means less.
IF I live perfectly there would be less condemnation.
We lack understanding of what God Really did for us. We don’t get it.
Paul wrote all of this out so that we can come to right understanding.
Condemnation. katakrima.
To be condemned, means to have been judged and found guilty. To be disapproved.
This is the end all of it all.
If you are condemned - you failed.
If you are condemned - it is your fault.
It is not only the feeling and understanding of failure, but the eternal punishment that goes with it.
You landed on the go to jail space. Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect 200.00.
And this is what we feel! This is what we think.
This is the disabling fear when we mess up.
Why?
Because we have an enemy. Revelations calls him the accuser of the brethren.
And that is the purpose he has set out for. To accuse.
And we make mistakes. So He isn’t just speaking out of turn. We probably did the things that he is trying to make us feel condemned for.
We lack understanding of justification.
The bible tells us that God corrects those whom he loves, and so not only do we make mistakes, but God interacts with us in those mistakes. But it is from a point of a loving father, not of an eternal judge
As a Christian, our relationship with the law - is we are dead to it.
The Christian has nothing to do with condemnation. It doesn’t exist for you.
We can’t have that relationship with God. We can’t have that relationship with the law. We exist separately.
For here is a clarifier. To specify that it applies only to a select few. Those who are in Christ.
This doesn’t apply to everyone. In fact, the number of people this applies to is really limited.
Paul described this in great detail in Romans chapter 5. We talked about this for a couple of weeks here. Our life in Christ vs our death in Adam. What happened to Christ happened to us - we are in Christ.
For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.
So that begs the question… Are you part of the limited number who are included here? Can you claim that there is no condemnation over your life?
We can’t make that claim and live without love for the Lord.
Some are in, and some are out.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Jesus says come to him. But not everyone listens.
The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.
There are times in the bible, where we can just read something and get it. But then there are times like this. Where we should dig as deeply as we can. To allow our beliefs to be changed - so that we walk with Jesus with right understanding.
This isn’t just a read it, think about it for a moment, rejoice and move on verse. Sit here. Soak in it. Understand it. Let it change you.
So when you are attacked. Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering,
in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.