This is the first in the sermon series called - Eight ‘Not(s)' in Romans Eight.
Rom 8:1 - Not Condemned
Rom 8:7 - Not Subject
Rom 8:15 - Not Received
Rom 8:18 - Not Worthy
Rom 8:26 - Not Know
Rom 8:28 - Not, Not Know
Rom 8:32 - Not Spared
Rom 8:35 - Not Separated
Donald Grey Barnhouse - “Every movement of revival in the Christian church has been connected with the teachings set forth in Romans.”
Romans 8:1 - "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus".
We will look at the three parts of Rom 8:1:
I. THE POWER OF 'THEREFORE'
Whenever we come across a ‘therefore’, we must recognize that ‘therefore’ is there for a reason. The word ‘therefore’ has been used with emphasis in the book of Romans. (27 times in the KJV).
Romans 5 has the ‘Therefore’ of Justification.
Romans 6 has the ‘Therefore’ of Identification. (It does not start with a therefore).
Romans 8 has the ‘Therefore’ of No Condemnation.
Romans 12 has the ‘Therefore’ of Sanctification.
I am thankful that the ‘therefore’ of ‘no condemnation’ appears before the ‘therefore’ of ‘sanctification’. The process of conformation to the likeness of Christ does not decide whether I would be accepted or condemned. The quality check - ‘passed’ is put on me even before I am put in the kiln of sanctification. Rom 8:1 tells me that just as in the case of a drunk who got saved (his headache may stay a little longer) but is no longer condemned, I am no longer condemned.
Grammatically, ‘therefore’ connects two clauses. What is the clause? First, Rom 3:20 gives us the ‘therefore of condemnation’; but Rom 8:1 gives us the ‘therefore of no condemnation’.
Rom 3:20 - “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin.”
Rom 3:20 says you can’t expect NOT to be condemned just because you kept the law. The law is only the sign that points the direction — Turn left to Hwy 666 to death or turn right to Hwy 66 (Bible) to life (in Christ). Between chapter 3 and chapter 8, Paul talks about all the reasons why the ‘therefore’ in chapter 8 is powerful. I want you to go home and read the book of Romans, especially chapters 5-8.
Three thoughts on ‘Therefore’:
A) The power of ‘therefore’ is Powerful
Romans 8 begins with a negative and in Greek, the power of the negative is seen as stronger. It is an emphatic force – “There is not one”. Not one person can stand up and condemn.
Confessions of Paul:
Towards the end of chapter 7, Paul is in despair and condemning of himself. He is bruised, battered and pummelled like a boxer in a ring, and we get a ringside view of what Paul feels about himself in Rom 7:24. That’s Apostle Paul ‘fessing up to being a ‘wretched man’. Paul is a fellow struggler. Paul is saying, “Man, just this morning, I gave in again. I failed miserably. “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me…?”
It happens to us all. How often has this happened?
You want to be patient with your kids, your spouse, your parents, but in an instant the resolve is gone. There is damage done, sometimes irreparable.
You thought you had control over a nasty habit, but in one weak moment, you gave in. Just this once, you think.
You have nothing better to do one evening and so you shop with money you don’t have. Debt kills joy and enslaves even the best of us.
That sense of ‘wretchedness’ is acute because you can’t believe you fell for it again, and you feel so helpless. It is in this abysmal self-loathing that Paul then begins chapter 8 with a ‘therefore’ because of the last verse in Chapter 7. In Rom 7:25, Paul says that in spite of all what it seems, “I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord”, that it is through His strength Paul can serve God, and that is the relief. No circumstance can squeeze the condition of thankfulness from a Christian’s heart.
B) The power of ‘therefore’ is Personal
Christians are often branded as hypocrites, sometimes by other Christians. We forget that we are all wretched. All of us are fallen. We come to church not because we have learned the agape love and to behave perfectly, but because of the lack of it. We are weak and frail. We would be hypocrites only if we deny our own shortcomings and the need for a perfect God.
I think of church leaders and if I can be selfish in requesting prayers for church leaders. We are in the direct line of fire. In addition, there remains a constant ‘divine burden’ for the flock which wrenches at the very heart. We can’t forget you all even in our sleep. The constant burden takes its toll and often there is no one to share it with. We need to give our leaders extra grace. We too crumble like dust. It is only because of His compassions that we fail not.
So whether you be the “hypocritical” church member, or a leader with “feet of clay”, we can come back to church every Sunday, because of the “therefore”. The power of the therefore is personal.
C) The Power of ‘Therefore’ is a Person
Rom 7:25 – “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Jesus Christ is the great ‘therefore’ we are introduced to by Paul. All that He is and all that He has done, “therefore” says Paul, there is no condemnation. There is no salvation by balancing the records. There is only salvation by cancelling records in Jesus Christ. Your pound of flesh is not enough to satisfy the demands of Law. Christ is the reason; therefore, there is no condemnation.
There is no self-justification. There is no way I can justify myself.
Job 34:17 - “I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me.”
We often justify ourselves by playing down our weakness and think they are small enough to be forgiven in themselves without having to make a big deal (Not an exact quote from C H Spurgeon). Heroes of faith and great men of God realize that there is nothing like a small sin or failing. Whether an enemy country comes marching in with five people or with one million, the defending country will defend itself because there has been a breach. So why do we treat sin any less. There is none here who can stand the test of sinlessness but Christ can.
It is through Jesus Christ that I can say, “You might call me a hypocrite but the ‘power of therefore’, nay, the very ‘PERSON of therefore’ gives me the confidence that there is NOW no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus.”
II. PRINCIPLE OF 'NOW NO CONDEMNATION'
There is ‘now’ no condemnation. It is neither a future promise that we wait for, nor the result of a probation we successfully complete. The principle of ‘now no condemnation’ is in the present tense.
Paul could be in no seminary: Tony Campolo says Paul could never get admission to a seminary today. This is probably how his interview would go.
“So Paul tell us about your conversion story.”
“I was on my way to Damascus and I fell, saw this light and heard a voice.”
“Was there anyone with you, Paul? What did they hear?”
“Oh yes, there were others with me, but no one heard the voice except me.”
“So what happened to you after that?”
“I was changed. I even have a new name. I was Saul and now I am Paul.”
“Very well Paul, who are you today?”
“I have these two natures in me. The new and the old.”
“Can you tell us more?”
“Sure I can. They are always raging war with each other. One wants to dominate the other. And the way I behave and act is either Saul or Paul.”
“So how do we know who you are today?”
“Well that depends on who is winning, and who I feed. On any one day, the stronger one always wins.”
“Hmmm…we will review your case and get back to you.”
Think about it, Paul says, there is ‘now no condemnation’, even if the world doesn’t understand it. I can almost hear the old Apostle end the interview, “Oh that’s okay, because I have now no condemnation.”
Three quick thoughts on now no condemnation:
1. Now no condemnation because of ‘passing away’
Once the person dies, there is no demand of the law on that person. No court sentences a dead man to prison. It is said that a person hanged to death in England was written up as “______ was justified at 3 pm on Jan 13, 2013″. That is the true effect of Justification. Justification is the opposite of condemnation and that is what we read happened when we die in Christ Jesus.
Charles Hodge calls justification a forensic act. Justification is not simply pardon and restoration; it includes a declaration that the person is just. In a simple pardon or a substitutionary payment the guilt remains on the person pardoned. In justification, the person can plead righteousness that satisfies the demand. (Rom 8:4).There is no ongoing guilt.
Justification doesn’t make you holy, nor is there a destruction of sinful nature for that relates to the process of sanctification and glorification. That is a false teaching – it is a Romish doctrine. However, justification makes you just. A justified saint is still being processed under sanctification. Justification assures me that there is NOW no condemnation.
2. ‘Now no condemnation’ because of the privilege
There is now no condemnation because I am a son and daughter of God.
Vernon McGee asks, “Do you know the difference between the son in that pigpen and the pig? The difference is that no pig has ever said to himself, ‘I will arise and go to my father.’” A pig can never do that; the pig has nowhere to go, but a child can! And when that stinking poo of a boy came within eyesight of home, his dad was there waiting for him to welcome him.
Titus 3:7 - “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life”.
As a child of God, I have the assurance that my 'now no condemnation' status remains legit irrespective of my frailties and failings. My sin will strain the relationship with my Heavenly Father but I will not be dragged to court condemned. That is not to say I take advantage of my privilege; on the other hand it encourages me to live the life of the son and daughter of the King of Kings.
3. Now no condemnation because of the position
There's now no condemnation because of my position in Christ Jesus. “There is now no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus.” The ruling of the courtroom judgement ‘now no condemnation’ is confined to ‘in Christ’.
Contrasting Christ with the Law
Rom 7:12 gives us three truths about the law:
The law is just; but it cannot justify.
The law is holy; but it cannot sanctify.
The law is good; but it can’t make me good.
Romans 8 gives three truths about Jesus Christ:
Christ sets you free ( Rom 8:2); the Law cannot claim you.
Christ condemned sin (Rom 8:3); the Law cannot condemn you.
Christ enables you to walk in the Spirit (Rom 8:4); the Law cannot control you.
What THE LAW could not do, THE LAMB could! ‘I am in Christ Jesus’ - that’s what makes the difference.
“It is precarious to call any one chapter of the Bible ‘the greatest chapter’ because the entire Bible is great. It is God’s Word. Nevertheless, there is a sense in which the eighth chapter of Romans is even superlatively great. These thirty-nine verses begin with ‘no condemnation’ and end with ‘no separation,’ while in between there is ‘no defeat.” One must imagine that the Bible is a ring and the book of Romans its precious stone. Chapter 8 would be the sparkling point of the jewel.”
(Author Unknown. “Part Three: The Triumph of God’s Grace.” Life in the Spirit- Romans 8:1-17. BSF International. 1998).
III THE PLEASURE OF ‘IN CHRIST’
‘In Christ Jesus’ is the bookend of Rom 8:1 and 39. It is the “Made in Christ Jesus” sign that meets God’s approval.
1. Being ‘in Christ’ is potent
‘In Christ’ is the ‘Satisfaction guaranteed’ label you will ever need for this world. Chapter 8 reminds us of at least three things that will never happen in the flesh (as opposed to ‘in Christ’):
Flesh is not capable (Rom 8:3)
It is corrupt and cannot help. It remains desperately wicked (Jer 17:9). You cannot submit in the flesh to God and therefore it must be crucified (Gal 5:24).
Flesh cannot convert (Rom 8:4)
It cannot be reformed. It can be made new. A pig remains a pig even after it is cleaned up on the outside. Flesh needs to be condemned.
Flesh is carnal (Rom 8:6,8)
It cannot please God. It is incorrigible; it is incapable of being corrected. It is always and ever opposed to God (see Gal. 5:17). It will never be at peace with God; instead there is a constant war. It must become a casualty and you must be found ‘in Christ’.
For a Christian, condemning carnality and being found ‘in Christ’ is not a choice but a charge. It is the only way for a Christian to remain consecrated. We ought to pray that not just in our position but also in our profession. Not just in our talk but also in our walk we would be found “in Christ”.
2. Being “In Christ” is not provisional
There is the phrase, “Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” in certain translations. In some it has been dropped. This is because earlier manuscripts do not provide this phrase.
See for example the NT translations by John Darby and William Kelly of Rom 8:1 - “There is therefore (then) now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.” [Compare also other translations.] We should note also that these very same words are found at the end of verse 4 (where all the Greek manuscripts are unanimous), and it’s possible that a scribe took these words from verse 4 and wrongly added them to verse.
(http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/romans/romans8.htm)
Whether as some scholars have said Rom 8:1 to read, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and so we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh” or as some translations drop the latter part using the earlier manuscripts — one thing is amply clear. The security of ‘now no condemnation in Christ Jesus’ is neither conditional, nor provisional upon us.
Gal 3:3 - “How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”
We are IN CHRIST JESUS and it is only by His grace and NOT by our works and on the strength of our walk that we remain ‘not condemned’.
3. Being ‘In Christ’ is precious
Here are four verses from among the many that will remind us of the preciousness of being ‘in Christ Jesus’.
Eph 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
No matter what you think, you are a masterpiece created in Christ Jesus for good works.
2 Cor 2:14 - “Now thanks [be] unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”
No matter how you feel, God will cause us to triumph in Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:6 - “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..”
No matter where you are, remember God has made us to sit together in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus.
Jude 1:24 – “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.”
No matter what you do or fail to do, God is the one who keeps us from falling away and will bring us with joy into His glorious presence without us having a single fault.
Conclusion
I wish to end with our consequent response from 2 Cor 5: 9-11. I want you also to note that the abject wretchedness that Paul feels does not prevent him from being poured out in the service of His God. That is the freedom we experience in Christ; that is the response He calls us to.
.“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. “