Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”

We come to a chapter that has often been called either the greatest or one of the greatest chapters in the Bible.

It begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation.” In between there is “no defeat”.

Personally, I’ve come to Romans 8 again and again when I’ve been disappointed or depressed. I don’t see how you can read Romans 8 and remain down.

If you struggle with guilt…or sin…or go through difficult trials, read Romans 8.

If you don’t know how to pray, read Romans 8. If you’re struggling with assurance of your salvation, read Romans 8.

Interestingly, while the flavor of Romans 8 is exhortation, there is not a single command in the chapter.

There is a noticeable shift from Romans 7 to Romans 8. In chapter 7, “I” is frequent, the law is prominent, and sin is dominant.

In chapter 8, the Holy Spirit is frequent (18x, more than any other NT chapter), God’s grace and persevering love are prominent, and victory over sin is dominant.

Paul’s heart-cry in 7:24, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?”, was immediately answered in brief: “Thanks be to God [because he has rescued me] through Jesus Christ our Lord” (7:25a).

Because we have been rescued by Christ, and are thus in Christ Jesus, we are not condemned. To be in Christ Jesus means to have put our faith in him, becoming a member of his body of believers through obedient faith and an immersion in water in order to have sins forgiven.

There can be no condemnation, for “we have been justified through faith” and “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:2).

In John 3:17 Jesus said, “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.” Then he added, “He that believes on the Son is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already.”

Mankind is on death row when sins have not been dealt with as determined by God. Man is condemned because he is a sinner. He does not need to wait until judgment or eternity for condemnation. Jesus said, “He is condemned already.”

What is the answer? The answer is Christ. He who believes on the Son and is baptized in order to have sins forgiven is not condemned.

While the main concern of this question and its answer is freedom from the power of indwelling sin, we need to be reminded again of the main point already established in 3:21–5:21, that the penalty for our sin has been paid in full by Jesus.

In the midst of our intense spiritual struggle against sin, in which we are sometimes on the losing end, we need not fear that our forgiveness is in jeopardy. Christ has already secured this for us on the cross.

Paul deals with two very practical issues: guilt and sin. As we saw in chapter 7, believers fight an inner war. With the new man in Christ, they joyfully concur with the holy commandments of God’s law. But, with the old man (the flesh, or indwelling sin), they are prone to be held captive by the law of sin.

Even though mature believers experience consistent victory over sin, they still struggle daily against the flesh and occasionally lose the battle. So they must understand how to deal with guilt and how to overcome temptation.

When we do sin as Christians, the enemy comes in to stir up doubts about our salvation: “How do you know that your sins are all forgiven? True Christians don’t do what you just did! You’re hopeless! You might as well admit your hypocrisy in claiming to be a Christian and quit trying to be holy.” It is to those practical issues that Paul directs these opening verses:

God has graciously set free from sin’s penalty and power all who are in Christ Jesus.

The verse does not say “no mistakes” or “no failures,” or even “no sins.” Christians do fail and make mistakes, and they do sin.

I like Kenneth Wuest’s translation of this. He said, “Therefore, now, there is not even one bit of condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

I think that means a couple of things very important to you and me. First, there is no condemnation in the struggle.

This raises the practical question, “As a believer should I feel guilty when I sin?” If there is no condemnation, should we refuse to feel guilty when we disobey God?

I would argue that properly understood, believers should feel guilty when they sin. The guilt stems from the fact that I have violated God’s holy Word. I have disobeyed my loving heavenly Father.

Rather than loving my Savior, who went to the cross on my behalf, I have loved the sin that put Him there. Feelings of guilt that lead to genuine sorrow and repentance when I disobey God are appropriate.

On the other hand, I should not feel the guilt of condemnation that stems from the accuser’s false charge: “True Christians don’t do what you did. You’re not even a Christian!”

If I mourn over my sin and am repentant before God over it, then I must accept His forgiveness and answer the accuser with the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony that I trust in Jesus (Rev. 12:10-11; Zech. 3:1-5).

To put it another way, the guilt that I feel when I sin is relational, as a child to my Father. It is not forensic, as a criminal before the judge.

I know that some Christians are unwilling to admit that there is a struggle with the flesh at all. They have a false idea of Christianity. They think Christianity means that God takes this struggle away and removes the temptation so they never have to struggle again.

That certainly would be nice. Unfortunately, it’s not true; and many people have been hurt and have become angry with themselves and God because it doesn’t work that way.

I have seen young Christians become very upset at times because they thought they should no longer have to struggle – and when they did, they thought there was something wrong with them.

I’ve seen others, unwilling to admit their own weakness, look down with disdain on the struggle of others. But my Bible says in I John 1:8, written to Christians, 1 John 1:8, 10 (ESV) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ¹⁰  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. We all have the struggle.

Picture two 10 year old boys in track and field, trying to learn the long jump. One has a father who screams and hollers and threatens and condemns every time his boy messes up. “You good-for-nothing! You’re worthless! You ought to be disowned!” (it’s called conditional love).

I know you’ve all seen the type. The poor kid gets so exasperated, he seldom succeeds. Any desire he might have had to please his dad is sooner or later drowned out in the waves of condemnation. He often just gives up. As an older teenager, he may rebel.

The other boy, though, has a dad who, though he doesn’t rejoice when his boy messes up, helps him up when he falls and is constantly encouraging him to do better.

The boy knows his dad is on his side (it’s called unconditional love). “Come on, son, you can do it. I know it. Just a little higher this time. You can do it.” That boy will probably reach his full potential.

Which kind of Father is God? If you say He’s like the first, you need to go back to kindergarten….you’ve missed something very important in your training.

You don’t know what God is like at all! My point is, there is no condemnation in the struggle! The heavenly father knows we have to learn and grow. He is for us, not against us, even in the struggle.

MAN’S SIN: THE ULTIMATE PROBLEM

Modern man has largely lost the reality and consequences of sin. The word “sin” has been banished from our vocabulary; as result, “forgiveness” has been drained of its meaning and attraction.

The gospel can never be “joyous tidings” to a humanistic culture which recognizes no need for salvation.

The core of the message of Jesus Christ concerns the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus said the thing that would be preached to all nations in His name was this: “repentance and remission of sins” Luke 24:46-47: “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, {47} and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

When those who heard the gospel preached on Pentecost (in Acts 2) asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” they were told by Peter, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:37-38).

Paul said while preaching in Antioch in Pisidia, “Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38).

Yet, even among Christians, there is a need for renewed emphasis on salvation. Too rarely do we speak of our conversion in terms of being “saved.” Too rarely is the candidate for baptism observed mourning for his past sins, from which, by God’s grace, he is being rescued.

What’s needed? The attitude of David: Psalms 25:16-18: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. {17} The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. {18} Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.”

Those who expressed the deepest love for the Lord were those who had the most honest attitude about their own sin. Luke 7:47: Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” {48} Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” {49} The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” {50} Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.””

Luke 18:9-14: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: {10} “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. {11} The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. {12} I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ {13} “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ {14} “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””

1 John 1:7-10 (ESV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We believers must never forget the reality of our rescue and our indebtedness to God’s grace in Christ. We can persevere in our daily struggles knowing that “if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Tim. 2:13).

Conclusion. There are no more valued promises of God than those of His forgiveness. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psa. 103:11,12).

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool’” (Isa. 1:18).