Romans 8: 1 - 17

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

No Condemnation.

In the last part of Romans 7, Paul described the difficult human situation of wanting to do good, but finding oneself doing evil instead. He pleaded – who will rescue me? And back came the answer, ‘Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ (Rom. 7: 25)

Now, chapter 8 begins with ‘Therefore’: meaning that even though we can find ourselves in a struggle with the sinful nature, God delivers us through Christ. So it follows that ‘there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.’ (v. 1 and 2)

Romans 8: 1 is a well-known and well-loved verse that is important when we find we are struggling to forgive ourselves for something in the past, or we are racked by shame and guilt. If you are in Christ, then there really is no condemnation for you! God does not condemn you, and you should not condemn yourself, nor accept the condemnation of others.

In John 8, a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, to see what he would do. The Teachers of the Law and Pharisees pointed out that the Law of Moses required that she should be stoned. And Jesus famously said, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Everyone went away, leaving just the woman and Jesus. And he said to her, ‘‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, sir,’ she said.

‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’

As believers, we are in a similar position to that woman. Jesus truly does not condemn us, and we need to believe that and rejoice in it! But also, he says to us all, ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ And we must obey that command – Romans 8: 1 requires it, and the rest of this passage makes that point.

And in verses 14 to 17, Paul writes that as those led by the Spirit, we are now God’s children. We are heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ. That is amazing news, and something that we should take time to think about and to explore. God promises that we inherit the gift of new life if we will put our trust in Christ. We are no longer slaves – now we are sons of God! Remember in the parable of the Prodigal Son, how the son wanted to be taken on by his father as a servant? But the father welcomed him back as a son! And the same is true for our Heavenly Father who welcomes us back!

 

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that in Christ there is now no condemnation for me, and I have the wonderful gift of new life and of being your son. No longer a slave to sin, but now an heir of God! Amen.