No Condemnation

Coming up next on Renewing Your Mind... We know how sin and failure can cause us to sink. We so often become discouraged when we fail to meet the standards set for us in Scripture. But let's not lose hope. Instead, let's immerse ourselves in the encouragement we find in Scripture, particularly in Romans chapter 8.

Our teacher today is Dr. H.B. Charles, Jr. in the opening verse. They knew that the law commanded that an adulterer be put to death. They also knew that capital punishment had to be authorized by the Roman occupying forces. It was a trap. But Jesus stooped down and began to write in the dirt. Then he stood and said to the crowd around him, Let him who is without sin cast the first stone at her.

And then he stooped down and began writing in the dirt again. When he arose again, the crowd had dispersed. In John 8 verses 10 and 11, Jesus asked the woman, Woman, where are your accusers? None left to accuse you?

No one, Lord, she answered. Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. In too many instances, we act like those religious leaders filled with accusation and condemnation. The truth of us all is that we are like that woman taken in adultery. One word describes us all.

Guilty. Romans Chapter three, verse 23, indicts the entirety of mankind, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But the one who wrote a defense in the dirt for the adulterous woman has written a defense in his own blood for us. Faith in Christ saves us from the penalty and the power of sin. Romans Chapter eight, verses one through four, summarize the work of salvation of God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. But what does it mean to be saved?

Consider first true assurance. Romans eight, verse one. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The word condemnation is more than just the opposite of justification.

It is penalty after the sentencing of the guilty. The opening chapters of Romans declares the universal condemnation of all mankind. Jews are guilty before God. Gentiles are guilty before God. All are guilty before God.

But that is not the final verdict of those who are in Christ Jesus. There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The term here, condemnation, is used three times in the New Testament, all in Romans. Romans Chapter five, verse 16 says, And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin, for the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation.

But the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. Romans Chapter five, verse 18 says, Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. Now, here in Romans eight, verse one, Paul says there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

No condemnation. This is our assurance in Christ. The unbeliever's judgment day is before him. The believer's judgment day is behind him. There is now therefore no condemnation in Christ.

Notice the scope of this Christian assurance. Now, no condemnation. Now, no condemnation. Now speaks in real time. The past verdict stands today. Heaven is our hope, but you do not have to wait to get to heaven to have assurance of salvation. There is now no condemnation.

Now speaks in real time. No speaks for all time. It is emphatic in the original language of a complete cessation. There is no condemnation. This is not a mistrial that may be retried at some point later down the road.

This is an absolute dismissal of all charges with extreme prejudice. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. In John chapter five, verse 24, Jesus says, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me is not condemned.

He will not face the judgment he has passed from death to life. This objective truth should be the subjective experience for every believer in Christ. If God declares no condemnation in Christ, you should not condemn yourself.

Respond to Satan's whispered accusations with confidence that by the finished work of Christ, your case is closed. There is the scope of our Christian assurance here, but consider the sphere of our Christian assurance. We are reminded in this opening verse that there are two classes of people, only two classes of people in the world. Those who are in Christ Jesus. Those who are not in Christ Jesus. What's the difference between these two categories of people?

Glad you asked. It is the difference between life and death. It is the difference between truth and error. It is the difference between salvation and judgment. It is the difference between godliness and wickedness.

It is the difference between heaven and hell. Romans chapter eight, verse one is good news, but it is not good news for everyone. It is not good news for those who are not in Christ Jesus.

It would only be good news for everyone if this verse was just half a verse. If Paul just said there is therefore now no condemnation period point paragraph, then the world could claim this assurance without conversion, without repentance, without saving faith. But the good news for the believer is bad news for the unbeliever. John chapter three, verse 18 says, whoever believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God. The unbeliever is to face full and final condemnation from God in eternal punishment. But worse, the unbeliever will not just face that one day. The unbeliever is condemned already because he has not she has not believed in the name of the only son of the living God.

But thanks be to God. To those who are in Christ Jesus, there is therefore now no condemnation. This is a statement of the spiritual mystical intimate union between Christ and the believer. We are in Christ Jesus.

That is the basis of our assurance. There are many reasons to condemn us. Yet there is no condemnation in Christ. Romans chapter 6, verse 23 says, for the wages of sin is death.

But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Christ is the righteous one. By saving faith, we are in Christ Jesus. Therefore, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8, verse 34 asks, who is there to condemn? Christ died. More than that, he's risen again. He is seated at the right hand of God and he is making intercession for us. And so the passage begins with a statement about the believer's true assurance.

Secondly, consider with me spiritual freedom. Romans chapter 1, verse 4 says that Jesus Christ, our Lord, was declared to be the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead. Romans chapter 5, verse 5 says that hope in God does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. After Romans chapter 1, verse 4 and Romans chapter 5, verse 5, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned again in this letter until Romans chapter 8, verse 2. Yet, there are some 19 references to the Holy Spirit between verse 2 and verse 27 of this chapter. There are, in a real sense, three mega themes in Romans chapter 8.

Three mega themes, the eternal security of the believer, the sanctification of the believer, and the spirit's ministry to the believer. It is in verse 2 now that Paul begins to address the spirit's ministry to the believer. And he says in verse 2, for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Here, reference to the law is not a reference to the law of Moses. It is a reference to a principle of or standard or power of control. It in fact assumes coercion the way Paul is using the term here in verse 2. It is more here than just the principle that governs. It's a power that controls.

And he presents this double statement about the law to draw a contrast. He says that the law, the controlling power of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. When you go down to Romans chapter 8, verse 9, the be part of the verse says that anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But when you trust the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart immediately, completely, and permanently. What is the work of the Holy Spirit and the life of the believer? Paul here says the Holy Spirit is the spirit of life.

The Holy Spirit is life giving, life changing, life filling. And the law, he says, of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. This draws us back to the end of Romans chapter 7, verse 24, going into verse 25. Paul says, wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is not merely the testimony of the Apostle Paul.

This is the testimony of every believer who is in Christ. Verse 1 teaches there is no divine condemnation in Christ Jesus. Verse 2 teaches there is spiritual liberation in Christ Jesus. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law, from the controlling power of sin and death. Sin corrupts, death consumes. It is bad enough to struggle with the law of sin or death. It is worse to live under the controlling power of sin and death. But in Christ, Paul says, the law of the spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death. This does not mean the Christian no longer has to struggle with sin and death. It means sin and death does not have the victory over the believer. The law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. James Stiffler comments here, gravity never ceases, but it may be overcome.

Hallelujah. This morning, I sat at the gate waiting for my flight to take off to come here to be with you. As we sat at the gate, gravity was at work. But when we took off and ascended and cruised at 30,000 feet, gravity was still at work.

But there was a power on the inside of the plane that overcame gravity's downward pull. In a greater, deeper, higher way, Paul declares the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. To run and work the law commands.

It gives me neither feet nor hands. But better news, the gospel brings. It bids me fly and gives me wings. And so there in the text, there is true assurance. There is secondly, spiritual freedom. You consider with me further divine intervention. Divine intervention. Verse three says for God has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do.

Hallelujah. Paul is now again changing the way he is using term law. And this is not an unusual way to use language and secular vernacular. The word law can refer to a legal ordinance or scientific fact.

You can use the term different ways. And Paul apparently is doing that here. Here, law is not governing controlling principle.

It is divine standard. He is referring to the law of Moses and he is again drawing a contrast. And declares that God has done what the law. Could not do. God has done. What the law.

Could not do. What is it that the law could not do? Verse one and verse two. The law cannot save us from condemnation. The law cannot set us free from the controlling power of sin and death. Romans chapter 7 verses 7 and 8 says what then shall we say? That the law is sin.

By no means. Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said you shall not covet.

But sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. Law could teach us the commands of God. The law can show us how we should live.

It can expose us when we have missed the mark. But it cannot save us. It cannot make us righteous. It cannot even stimulate us for righteousness. It stimulates us to sin. Paul says I wouldn't even known I was covetous till the law told me not to cuff it.

Then I started coveting all kinds of stuff. Verse three of our text is clear. The problem is not the law. The law is good.

The problem is not the law. The problem is the weakness of our flesh. Verses one and two describes the believer as being in Christ Jesus. Now the believer is described another way. The end of verse four, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. This is an explanation, not an exhortation. He describes the believer as those who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. The evidence of conversion is new life. The indwelling presence of the life giver king will change the way you walk.

What a metaphor for Christian living. It's a walk. Walk means I'm on the path. Furthermore, walk means I'm making progress.

Hallelujah. Haven't arrived yet, but I'm making progress. Walk means I'm headed toward a destination. Believers are those who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. That reminds us of the pilgrims' progress, doesn't it? The Christian life is a journey. It is a walk. We walk by faith, assured that we are not alone. The shepherd leads us.

And for that reason, we are more than conquerors. What deep and refreshing encouragement today from Romans chapter 8. You're listening to Renewing Your Mind. I'm Lee Webb. Thank you for being with us today. Our teacher today was Dr. H.B. Charles, Jr., who is senior pastor at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. It's from a recent Ligonier conference that also featured Dr. Stephen Lawson and Dr. Derek Thomas. The theme was more than conquerors, and each message guides us through Romans chapter 8. We'd like for you to have all nine messages from this conference. You can contact us today with your donation of any amount, and we'll provide you with the digital downloads of each message. Plus, we'll send you a DVD copy of Dr. Thomas' most recent teaching series, also on Romans 8.

You can give your gift and request this resource online at renewingyourmind.org, or you can call us at 800-435-4343. You'll also find encouraging resources when you go to tabletalkmagazine.com. There are hundreds of articles and Bible studies on the book of Romans. Table Talk really goes back to the early days of this ministry. R.C. began publishing it because he wanted to establish us in the Word to deepen our understanding of God.

You can learn more when you go to tabletalkmagazine.com. Well, I mentioned Dr. Derek Thomas. He'll be our teacher tomorrow, and here's a preview of his message. You want to be spiritually minded? Well, you don't close your eyes and hum. That's not spiritual minded. A spiritual mindedness is to dig deep into the Word of God, to learn it, to treasure it, to memorize it, to make it your second-by-second nourishment. This message is titled, The Spirit is Life, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow for Renewing Your Mind. .