May 19, 2016 NO CONDEMNATION
Romans 8:1-2: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
If we fail to experience the truth found in this key verse, then we miss the core truth of the gospel. Before we came to know God, we were condemned, guilty, and without any possibility of us cleansing ourselves and were doomed to live under the “law of sin and death.” Living with a feeling of condemnation is a horrible way to live; it is like being imprisoned to the emotions that accompany condemnation. Before salvation, we were sinners by nature, and living in and with sin is who we were. When by faith we accepted the Lord as our Savior, we received a new nature and we were no longer subject to the law of sin and death. As believers, we can still choose to sin, but when we do, we are choosing to live contrary to our nature. Jesus’ dealing with the sin issue is a monumental deal and perhaps we don’t yet fully understand the full impact of being forgiven for every sin we ever committed or ever will commit and perhaps we don’t fully understand our freedom. In contrast to the “law of sin and death” is the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” The key to understanding the whole issue of sin and forgiveness is to understand that we are in Christ Jesus, and in Him, we have been “set free from the law of sin and death.” Because we are in Christ, even if and when we sin, we are forgiven, not condemned. At the core of our being, God desires that we realize that we have been set free from the condemnation that comes from the law of sin and death. Notice the words: “have been set free”-it is a done deal-no more condemnation-ever! It is true that as believers, we feel remorse or convicted when we sin, and it’s possible for a believer to feel condemnation, which is different from remorse or conviction, if they do not understand their freedom in Christ. As believers, we belong to God, we have been adopted into His family, and in His family, there is no condemnation, but there is discipline, training and a maturing process that the Father takes us through because He loves us and He is transforming us into His image. Understanding the freedom that is ours because of our relationship with our Father who has set us free from the law of sin and death, is most critical if we are to live according to the plans of God. The basic truth of the gospel, and the primary reason that Jesus came and gave His life, is that man might be set free from sin and be joined to the Father. The good news for you and I is that we no longer have to live with condemnation because in Christ, there is no condemnation.
Romans 7:6: “But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”
Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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