Romans 8:1-4

Let us begin with a quick review.  Chapters 6-8 deal with the way the believer begins to live in the kingdom of grace.  Entrance into this kingdom was by faith in the gracious work of Christ (Ch. 3-5).  The believer needs to …

·        Know that he was united with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, 6:1-10.

·        Reckon/count this to be true of himself, 6:11.

·        Yield/present his body to God for righteousness, 6:12-13.

In this way he is no longer under law but under grace, 6:14.  To seek to walk obediently under law is to commit to failure.  The believer is too weak in his flesh to live the righteous life (Ch. 7).  Rather the believer must live under grace.  To do so is to avail oneself of the strength of Christ Who defeated sin and death in His resurrection.  We need to know that power (Eph. 1:19-20).  Romans 8 reveals this grace to us.

The first thing grace does is answer the defeat and despair of attempting to live by law.  Paul knew this despair (7:24).  Have you had that experience when you know what is right and desire to do what is right, but when it comes down to it you just can’t pull it off?  To do this before a God we love and long to please can be devastating.  We may have strong guilt feelings, may suffer discouragement and feel like quitting.  The first word of grace is for this situation: there is therefore now no condemnation (8:1a).  We used to be condemned (Rom. 2:1; 5:16, 18).  But now there is no condemnation.  The frustrated believer must hear this good news, but how can it be?

·        For whom is there no condemnation?  For those in Christ Jesus (v1).  To be in Christ takes us back to 6:3-11.  It refers to our union with Christ, a union that is true for those justified by faith.  All believers are in Christ (3:24).  It is for this believer, in his spiritual struggle, that the words no condemnation come.

·        How can there be no condemnation?  Remember the four laws of 7:21-23?  Here we get the resolving law.  The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  The law of God could not do this (v3a).  But God has done this through His own Son.  God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful man (i.e. Christ became a man, John 1:14).  His Son lives a sinless life and thus did not die for His own sins.  But He dies for our sins, thus judging or condemning sin (v3b).  Instead of us dying, sin died.  This is the case for all who by faith have died with Christ.

·        Why is there no condemnation?  As we died with Christ so we were raised with Him to walk in newness of life (6:4).  The result is that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us (7:4), not by doing our best to keep the law but by walking according to the Spirit.

The rest of Romans 8 explains how to walk according to the Spirit.  For now rejoice that when we fail in the flesh those who are in Christ can exclaim no condemnation.

One of my sons played basketball for a demanding coach who was notorious for yanking kids out of a game every time they made a mistake.  His teams were good but regularly cracked under the pressure of big games.  I often contrasted him with coaches like the legendary John Wooden who firmly but gently allowed players to play through their mistakes, encouraging and teaching them.  Our gracious Master is willing to look at us in our failure and say, “No condemnation.  Walk on in the Spirit.