Not Condemned!

ROMANS 8:1-4

THEME: practical righteous living is ours through our Lord Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

How do believers live holy unto the Lord? Is it by trying really hard to observe laws and rules? Could it be that it is through the Spirit of Christ empowering submissive believers to obey God’s will? Trying to obey spiritual laws without the Holy Spirit’s power will only lead to carnal living in bondage to sin, self-sufficiency, and selfishness. It is the equivalent of forsaking the gift of a brand new luxury car insisting upon crawling on your knees to your various destinations! Relying on personal strength and determination will only make us more aware of our need for a way of escape from the constant, wearying struggles of trying to live holy. Beloved, it is through Jesus Christ our Lord and the power of the Spirit that our lives are changed for the better. So, how can we escape and truly practice righteousness in our daily experiences?

Again, the key to holy living is the Holy Spirit. He is highlighted about 19 times throughout this great chapter. Someone has wisely observed that, this is in contrast to the “I,” “Me” and “My” of chapter 7.  When we attempt to live up to God’s high standards of perfection in the energy of our human strength, we become a miserable, struggling, sin dominated, contradiction of paradoxes!  But as the Spirit works in us Believer, we discover positive changes, freedom from sinful practices, power to walk in the truth, and real sanctification.

Now let us look together at how the Christian is enabled to live a holy life. Once more the key is the person of the Holy Spirit; victory over habitual sin does not rest solely in human will power and determination but in the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

LESSON:

WE ARE DELIVERED FROM THE CONDEMNATION OF THE LAW  

Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The characteristics of the carnal Christian are that he is defeated and frustrated by the law of God.  He is keenly aware of what the law demands but finds no ability to perform on that level within the realm of his own strength and ability.  Such a person is still held tightly within the bandage of the flesh and cannot behave in a manner pleasing to God.  The result is a discouraged, defeated, disillusioned, and frustrated existence. They feel condemned!  

THERE IS NOW NO CONDEMNATION

The Law condemns the guilty sinner to death and hell forever!  But not so for the repentant sinner in Christ!

There is therefore now no condemnation! This is the victory cry of the saint who stops trying in their strength and starts trusting in God’s redeeming power.  Paul here claims from the valley of despair and defeat in chapter 7 to the mountain top of triumph in Chapter 8 and proclaims that He is no longer Condemned!

No condemnation means that the believer is not doomed or damned to Hell, but is forever freed from the penalty of sin and has the power to conquer habitual sin.  There is no divine condemnation to all believers!  We have credit for righteousness because of faith in Christ as Savior.  The Law Condemns but the Believer has a new relationship to the Law.

This passage does not teach that we won’t ever sin again, nor that we are incapable of making mistakes. It does not say “no failures” “no mistakes” or “no sins.”  We do fail and make mistakes and we do sin.  And we suffer the consequences of our actions. It is the work of the Spirit of God to enable us to live righteous and put sinful practices out of our lives.

THEM WHICH ARE IN CHRIST JESUS

Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

So, who is not condemned? The key to this blessed deliverance from condemnation is to be “in Christ!” Genuine believers are the focus in this incredible passage because we reside in Christ. Note how Paul uses the term “in Christ” often.

2 Cor 5:17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Rom 16:7, Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Gal 3:28, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s favorite phrase “in Christ” denotes a new sphere into which the Believer is brought at conversion. Because we are in Christ we are entirely new creatures, identified with other saved individuals, and share a common bond with believers that transcends and supersedes our nationality, ethnicity, social status, and gender. Beloved, it is one thing to anticipate living in Heaven one day, but right now we live in an excellently extraordinary place called “in Christ”! This is the place we inhabit and here we are free from divine judgment, condemnation by the Law, the threat of Hell and the wrath of God in any shape or form. Our new Position frees us from any threat of condemnation because the crucified and resurrected Christ cannot be judged for sin again! The believer is eternally safe from divine judgment because we are in Christ!

Consider for illustrative purposes NOAH and The ARK. Sometimes it is difficult to understand New Testament truths, and it helps to go to the Old Testament and find an adequate illustration.    When Noah was finished with the Ark a perfect way of escape from divine wrath was provided.  Then the invitation was given, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark” (Gen. 7:1). Now the ark was pitched “within and without witch pitch.”  The word “pitch” is interesting because it is the same word in Hebrew for “atonement.” Therefore, between the waters of Judgment outside and the saved individuals inside the ark was the Wood of the Ark and Pitch.  A Picture of salvation through bloodshed on a wooden cross providing atonement. Once Noah and his family were safely in the Ark, we read that “the LORD shut him in” (Gen. 7:16). Inside is where we find complete security. God did not say to Noah after the ark was completed, “Now Noah, I want you to take eight spikes and drive them into the outside timbers of the ark.  So long as you and your family hang on you will be saved, but if you ever let go you will be lost.”  No!  God shut him in. What it meant for Noah to be “in the Ark,” it means for us to be “in Christ.”  In Him, God has placed us in a sphere where His wrath can never ever ever reach us, and we are as secure as Christ can make us. Beloved, there is absolutely no condemnation for sin.

Condemnation is for those who are "in Adam" according to Romans 5:12-21. Such persons are lost without God and eternally hopeless because they have never embraced the Lord Jesus by faith. Sin dominates, controls, and motivates them just as it once did to us. They still need to acknowledge Jesus is the Son of God sent into the world to provide a means of redemption. These folks have not come to the conclusion there is nothing they can do to rescue themselves from eternal separation from God. They must turn from their unbelief, rejection of God, acknowledge their sinfulness, and trust Jesus Christ, the Savior.

In addition, one cannot be in Christ and in Adam at the same time. To be “in Adam” is to be lost, condemned, without hope, and separated from God. Nor can one go back to being in Adam again, that is losing their salvation. Deliverance from eternal condemnation is salvation, and it is based entirely on the undeserved favor and mercy of God. Such deliverance is NEVER based on our performance, church membership, baptism, other church rituals, or good deeds in the community. Salvation is always all of God's Grace, and God’s salvation keeps the repentant sinner “in Christ” secure from the rains of God’s wrath! We are as free from condemnation as Christ is! Note what John says,

John 5:24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

“Reach my blest Savior first, Take Him from God’s esteem; Prove Jesus bears one spot of sin, Then tell me I’m unclean.”--W. N. Tomkins

By virtue of this wonderful truth, we can also apply it to our tendency to condemn ourselves.  Paul actually described this in Ch. 7's struggling and frustrating experience.  Yes, we cannot fulfill the law’s requirements in ourselves, but there is no need to live in condemnation and defeat! The Spirit of God will empower us!

WALKING AFTER THE FLESH

Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

So, real believers are not condemned because we are "in Christ" and we do not walk after the flesh.  No, real believers are after the Spirit. 

Well, what is the flesh? The flesh in this text refers to the old sinful nature and not the physical human body. It is human sinful corruption and the associated weaknesses we all were plagued with before we trusted Christ. We were born this way—sinful and motivated to sin more and more. Our tendency was towards sinful living. We had nothing to do with God and were free of any legitimate relationship with Him. There was no strength and power but human fallen inability. The Spirit did not indwell or empower us.

You see, there are two natures that are within every true believer, and they are the Adamic nature and the Godly nature. The Adamic nature is the one each sinner is born with and renders us incapable of doing anything good or right from God’s perspective. This nature does not evaporate when we are saved; it’s power is broken, but it remains a part of our lives. The godly new nature, which is literally the nature of God, is only capable of doing everything right. It can do no wrong at all according to 1 John 3:9. The two natures obviously exist in conflict and contradiction and are totally irreconcilable. In Romans 8:1, Paul is referring to the old fallen Adamic nature and lost condition. While all believers possess two natures, we do not remain in two states! 

To walk after the flesh is the same as saying a person is lost—they reside in the old nature. Understand this is not a reference to a carnal believer struggling with sinful habits and actions. This condition is the same as mentioned in verses 4 and 5, “they that are after the flesh” and in verse 6, “For to be carnally minded is death.” The individual’s entire orientation is that of a lost and condemned person. Being after the flesh and being after the Spirit are mutually exclusive. Then the same thought appears in verse 9, “But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.”  To be in the flesh is obviously the position of the lost person--the unsaved state or condition. To be in the Spirit is the position of a saved individual. Again, the two positions are mutually exclusive. We are in one state or the other, but not both at the same time. This describes the persons who are not in Christ and are not in the Spirit but instead are in the flesh and carnal—lost and without God having not the Spirit. Paul is emphasizing that those "in Christ" are definitely not those who "walk after the flesh."

The point here is real believers have life in the Spirit and are NOT of those who are still condemned because they are still oriented to their fallen carnal unredeemed human nature. Those of us "in Christ" do not walk "after the flesh" because our position and orientation is "after the Spirit." It is either one or the other here, and never both.  We are either in Christ or in Adam, but never both. We are not condemned because of this vital position “in Christ” who satisfied all the Law’s just requirements on our behalf. Thus, Paul describes us as "after the Spirit"--a saved individual; saved persons are not condemned. 

In contrast, to live after the flesh (Rom. 8:12, 13) is referring to a carnal lifestyle of a believer. This individual fails to recognize the value of Christ’s death and resurrection. They have not realized the life and power available to them in the Holy Spirit in daily practical ways. They may even be sincerely trying to live godly in mere human strength alone as Paul was in Romans chapter 7. Such persons do not habitually yield themselves to God to live out His plan for them. Clearly, the believer is called to abandon any carnal living and, we are obligated to live decisively in the power of the Spirit.

WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT

Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

To walk after the Spirit here just simply means that the person is saved. This is not a reference to our behavior as worldly, carnal, fleshly, or even spiritual. The phrase does not describe godly expression, but an “in Christ” position. Those of us in Christ are walking after the Spirit; this is our true spiritual orientation. We are saved by grace and through faith in the finish work of Christ at Calvary. Paul refers to us as walking after the Spirit. Again, this phrase is not a description of a deeply spiritual lifestyle! To define the phrase this way would actually destroy the gospel of grace and establish a work’s basis for remaining saved! The declaration of “No Condemnation” would make no sense at all if this was the case!

The wonderful truth here is that real believers are delivered from the condemnation of God’s Law through the Lord Jesus Christ. We need not worry about being finally condemned by God, because God already condemned the Lord Jesus in our place. The Law required perfect justice—death is the penalty for braking God’s holy Law. Well, we all were guilty before God for violating His perfect standard of righteousness. The Law shows us we are sinners in need of a perfect Savior. Jesus Christ is the only one who ever lived up to God perfect expectations in a human experience. Jesus then paid for all sin through His sacrificial death at Calvary. Anyone who accepts this payment for their sins by faith will be forgiven and accepted by God. You see, the Christ who died for us is alive to save those who trust him for forgiveness of sins and a new beginning. 

Beloved, real believers are free from any obligations to the Law because we are in the Christ who satisfied all its demands. Thus, we are not condemned by God or His Law. We have so many reasons to rejoice and thank God for His perfect solution to our incredible sin problem--Jesus Christ. Our obligations to live for God are not eliminated by this, but instead they are escalated and further amplified by it. We are not free to live lawless and ungodly, but to live holy in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, because of faith in Jesus Christ we are not condemned by God. Have you placed your hope and trust in Jesus Christ, The Savior?