The Word: Romans 8:1

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”(Romans 8:1)

These words should cause a resounding “YES!!!” as a shout of joy to rise up in our hearts as we read them. The reason for this shout of joy is because of Paul’s conclusion that was finally made after a drawn-out discussion of the struggle with sin in Romans 7:14-25: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (24-25a) Paul says that the desired freedom from sin and its power that still remains in our bodies can be graciously found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Following this discussion, Romans 8 then tells us precisely how Christ disarms the power of sin in the believer, with verse one being the cornerstone of the whole discussion: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Paul is saying that sin’s power has been destroyed because Jesus’ death on the cross has made peace, reconciliation, and justification with God a reality for all who believe in Him (see Romans 3:21-26, 5:1-11). In other words, now that we have the forgiveness that is found only in Christ, our sin may cause all sorts of destructive realities to occur in our lives, but one reality that it can never bring to pass is condemnation before God.

The importance of that final phrase cannot be overstated, but it can be misunderstood. The error that some people may make in hearing that glorious truth is thinking that we are free to sin because we will never be condemned, but that conclusion would fail to understand Paul’s whole argument (see Romans 6:1ff). Paul is seeking to provide comfort to Christians who are waging war against the sin within them, and he does so by helping them understand the source of sin’s power. 1 Corinthians 15:56 reveals: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”

The law, specifically the Law of Moses, is not sinful; it is a reflection of God’s own glory and goodness. Yet, how come it is also the source of sin’s power? The answer to that question is found in the truth of Romans 3:19-20: “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may be accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” The reason sin receives power from the Law, despite how holy and good it is in itself, is because under the Law humanity can only be condemned. Since all have fallen short (Romans 3:23), no one can stand before God on their own merits without condemnation.

This condemnation is precisely what our sin thrives on, because it keeps us alienated and separated from God and under its control. This is why the Gospel is such good news: Jesus has provided justification through His death and resurrection to all who believe in Him! With this justification, condemnation is no longer a possibility for the believer, which also means that their sin has lost its primary source of power in their lives! The glorious declaration of “No Condemnation!” does not give us the courage to continue living in sin. It does the very opposite…it tells us precisely what we need to hear to defeat the sin in our lives!

The Confrontation

I want to focus on a couple points of application from Romans 8:1. First, the truth that we are no longer condemned before God for our sin is a truth of great significance for Christian living. If you are seriously engaged in the war against sin and Satan (Ephesians 6:10-20), then you know that the one thing that would be most discouraging for the fight would be to be convinced that it is actually a hopeless battle. How defeated would we be in our war against sin if we were told that God was going to condemn us anyways? If that were the reality, then it’d be much easier to just enjoy our sin. But the gospel is a reminder to you and to me that God is not going to condemn us in Christ, and the fact that the enemy has already been stripped of its weapons gives us every reason to fight and expect a victory!

The next point of application has to do with confronting sinful pride that often masquerades itself in a form of self-loathing characterized by guilt and shame. Of course, all sin produces a sense of guilt and shame by its very nature. However, the guilt and shame that results from sin can be handled in a godly manner, and an ungodly manner. The godly manner quickly recognizes the sin, confesses it, turns from it, and trusts in the faithfulness and righteousness of God to forgive AND cleanse us (1 John 1:9).

The ungodly manner often reveals itself in acts of self-deprecation and self-condemnation. You begin to treat and view yourself as filthy and unclean, like nothing but a pile of trash. Yet, this very thinking is precisely what your sin will feed on in order to desperately maintain control of your life. Sin lost its power from God’s condemnation no longer being a possibility for your life, but it will quickly grasp on to your own self-condemnation to regain power and control. This ungodly sense of guilt and shame is a distorted form of pride; the kind of pride in you that thinks you have the right to condemn yourself when even God does not condemn you. Thankfully, even that distorted pride loses its power when the reality of “No Condemnation!” is constantly heralded in Christ.

In light of the glorious truth of Romans 8:1, may we go forth and live as people free from the power of sin because of the forgiveness that Christ has made possible through faith. May we live lives that demonstrate the reality of “No Condemnation!”