No Condemnation in Christ – Romans 8, Part 1

I am so thankful that my eternity rests in the hands of my Father who is made a covenant with me that He cannot break without ceasing to be what He has declared about Himself in His Word.   Consider that for a moment.  If God breaks His covenant to bring those whom He has redeemed home to Himself (to be joined to Him or rest in Him), then He would not be what He has revealed to us in His Word.  Scripture states that Yᵉhôvâh or Jehovah (the self-existing, eternal One) is faithful, immutable, merciful, righteous, just, loving, all-knowing, ever-present, outside of time, Creator of all things, Sovereign over all authority, gracious; and He intervenes in the matters of humans.  This means that His oaths cannot change and He can not lie. 

If my eternal salvation depended on my ability, I no doubt would fail to live up to the requirements of entrance to Heaven.  But thank God, He has given believers His Oath, His Covenant, His blood!  And, there’s more.

So far, it’s as though the book of Romans has taken us on a journey through what it means to be saved by faith alone!  The Holy Spirit through Paul has cemented key foundational doctrines including:

• Human Depravity:  the understanding that no one is righteous in the sight of God through good works or ancestry because we all fall short of God’s righteousness (Chapters 1-3);
• Soteriology:   the explanation that we can only be pardoned from sin or justified by God’s grace through faith in His Christ and why (Chapters 4 to 5);
• Sanctification:  the expectation and need for believers to live a life worthy of the calling in Christ through obedience and practical application steps (Chapter 6); and,
• Original versus Regenerated Natures:  the reality of the ongoing struggle with the old nature that desires to arise against the new nature we have in Christ (Chapter 7).

With this knowledge from the previous chapters in mind, the Holy Spirit now provides the believer the solid confidence needed to persevere through our earthly trials and refinement until the end!  In fact, reference to the Holy Spirit is made 22 times in Romans 8.    Think about that.  In the previous chapters, the Holy Spirit was not directly mentioned; and, after chapter 8  He was mentioned again only 6 times (once in Romans 9, once in Romans 14, and 4 times in Romans 15).  Because of the Father’s love for (1) His Son, and (2) the adopted children He redeemed through Christ, the Father has given the Holy Spirit to mark His possession.  As such, Romans 8 wonderfully reveals the Trinity’s collaborative redemptive work in the Christian pilgrim.  

I have heard it well stated that Romans 8 starts with NO POSSIBILITY OF CONDEMNATION and ends with NO POSSIBILITY OF SEPARATION for those in Christ!

In part 1, we will slow our reading down so that we can meditate on the truth of God’s word. It is too easy to speed past what is plainly written, and in doing so, fail to resolve within our souls (mind, will and emotion) to agree with the what Godhead accomplished within the pardoned spirit. In meditating on what is written and comparing it to the full counsel of God’s Word, we can silence unbelief and fear.

Let’s dig into Part 1 of my study notes blog on Romans 8! Perhaps you’ll want to grab your Bible, follow along, and then journal your own impressions ministered by the Word by the Holy Spirit. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

• Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 NASB95).

Depending on the version of the Bible you are reading, you might discover there is additional text that explains what it means to be in Christ Jesus.  Let’s look at the NKJV rendering of Romans 8:1.

• There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

While the earliest manuscripts do not have the additional words, this is neither a contradiction or additional clarification simply because those who are in Christ Jesus walk (increasingly and not flawlessly) according to the Spirit.  The Geneva Bible Translation Notes explain that the fruit of the Sprit (which are the effects of sanctification) is not what grafts us into Christ; it is God’s grace through faith in Christ alone which is a work of His Spirit.  Those who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit as their guide, not the flesh or the natural mind (even if there is a misstep from time to time).  So even when a God-justified human errors, because the Father has imputed Christ’s righteousness to them, God does not condemn them. 

So why does this next segment of Paul’s letter to the Romans start with this?  This concluding statement of no condemnation came after Paul had confessed:

• I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25 NASB95).

Having received victory over the power of sin and the fear of death through Jesus Christ’s all-sufficient and complete triumph over all of humanity’s enemies, Paul stated that despite human limitations, NO ONE in Christ Jesus IS CONDEMNED! 

This is speaking about the position or standing in Jesus Christ as a regenerated believer regardless of feelings, past sins, and future errors.

I like the way Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible expresses this:

• “He does not say, “There is no accusation against them,” for this there is; but the accusation is thrown out, and the indictment quashed. He does not say, “There is nothing in them that deserves condemnation,” for this there is, and they see it, and own it, and mourn over it, and condemn themselves for it; but it shall not be their ruin.”

As it is written:

• “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
• “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19)

There is absolutely a difference between sorrow that leads to repentance over sin and the guilt the accuser of our souls tries to lay on a believer.  The word “condemnation” in Romans 8:1 is the Greek word “katákrima” (Strong’s 2631) which means damnatory sentence and is used only 3 times in the New Testament:  Romans 5:16, 18 and Romans 8:1.

The truth is, those God has justified are free from His condemnation regardless of our “performance”. 

The “standing” or “title” for the believer is not based on performance because salvation is a gift and not earned.  God made a covenant through Christ’s shed blood which provided believers their standing.  This standing or position is based on union with Christ, and the union is made by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit baptizes (or immerses) the quickened human spirit into the Spirit of Christ so that Christ’s triumphs are ours (1 John 5:4-5; 1 Corinthians 15:57).

As it is written:

• “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13)
• “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4)

So then, what is the standing in Christ?

• “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1st John 3:1-2)
• “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)
• “and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:17)
• “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1st Peter 1:4-5)

Jesus said:

• “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” (John 6:39)
• “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

From Scripture, one can see that the standing of a child of God is a fixed, settled, guaranteed position because believers have passed from death to life by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

• “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8)

It is also written:

• “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)
• “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,” (Colossians 3:1-10).

This tells me that there is absolutely a difference between a believer’s standing and state.   My standing or position is redeemed in Christ Jesus; and, my current state is in the midst of sanctification.  I have been regenerated into a new creation, yet my flesh with its senses has not been re-created (the old nature).  While I have the mind of Christ because I have the Holy Spirit; I still have the responsibility to renew my mind in God’s word to develop to full maturity  (1 Corinthians 2:12-16; John 16:13-15).  It is God’s desire that I be made increasingly holy; the Father desires that I become like His Son.  But this is the struggle. 

Let’s look at a few passages from chapters 1, 3, and 5 of 1st John as it pertains to sin and the believer (in context and flow of the letter):

• “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5-10)
• “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:4-9).
• “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? … These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” (1st John 5:1-5, 13)

At the time of writing this blog, I am studying the book of Hebrews with a small group.  Hebrews (the book about better things because of our better High Priest) deals with perseverance and warns the reader to avoid the errors of a very specific set of people in a certain generation from descendants of Jacob who did not enter into their promised land; their promised inheritance.  The Holy Spirit teaches us so much from historical accounts so let’s review this case.  As it is written:

• “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. … Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1st Corinthians 10:1-4, 11)
• “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED ME BY TESTING ME, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'” Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So, we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:7-19 NASB95)

This is not a contradiction to Romans 8.  From the point of being justified, all condemnation has ceased; the justified person has been delivered from the authority of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love (Colossians 1:13-14).  Jesus said:

• ” For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18 NASB95)

So, as a believing follower of Christ, I have passed from condemnation.  Being in Christ, all of my sins have been forgiven since: 

1. Christ paid the price for them before one ever came to be; and,
2. the Father chose me to be in Christ from the foundation of the world. 

That said, I was not justified (pardoned) until I was called into a relationship where I received the gift of God’s grace and illumination to His Son.  Every believer is on a pilgrimage through this lifetime of sanctification until we are glorified (which will not be completed until we take off mortality and put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). 

As it is written:

• “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 NASB95)
• “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. (James 1:18 NASB95)

The Scripture we are expounding on is Romans 8:1 in conjunction with its cross-references (Romans 4:7-8; Romans 5:1; Romans 7:17, 20; Isaiah 54:17; John 5:24; Galatians 3:13; John 15:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16; Titus 2:11-14). 

There is a tendency to question who are those that are “in Christ”.  We like to evaluate ourselves and others on some sort of distribution curve.  This propensity to evaluate a person’s standing in Christ based on what seems to be normative among professing Christians is actually the wrong standard.  The standard is Christ and we all fall short of His glory. 

Each believer’s walk, circumstances, trials, and relationship with the Lord are personal and should not be a gauge for another’s.  Consider the vessel the Holy Spirit used to pen Romans.  Paul (who was used mightily for the Kingdom) had accomplishments and trials that were uniquely designated for his journey; and, he confessed that his old nature would act up from time to time.    Refer to Acts 22 and Romans 7.  Paul was:

• a Jew, born in the small town of Tarsus of Cilicia under the Roman Empire (in what would be Turkey today);
• brought up in Jerusalem, educated under Gamaliel (a Pharisee, a doctor of the law, an authority in the Jewish Mishna);
• initially, a persecutor of the Christians;
• travelled the empire spreading the gospel and witnessed before rulers; and,
• beaten with rods, was stoned once, three times shipwrecked, and spent around 24 hours in the deep water.

I certainly would not even dare to compare his “ordained” race with the one the LORD has afforded me.  This Paul stated:

• “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NASB95)
• “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NASB95)
• “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NASB95)
• “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:1-8 NASB95)

Be assured dear friend, God’s goal is to mature His adopted children into the likeness of Christ using the “stuff” of life to train us in our individual lives.  If we are in Christ, we:

• have switched eternal destinations so we have moved from being condemned to being covered by Christ’s shed blood (justification);
• are now running a race (sanctification) to win a prize (reward);
• will experience joy, victories, battles, tears, failures, and discipline.

Since God has provided past examples for us to learn from, let’s look a little closer at those mentioned earlier who had perished in the wilderness.  This part might surprise you.  It refers to a saved group of people (Numbers 14:20-23) who failed to inherit what was promised to them. This group was the children of Israel who came out of Egypt under Moses and Aaron.  While they were all offered the land of Canaan, only 2 who left Egypt along with the next generation actually crossed over Jordan into the land promised to Abraham.

So, what does it mean to be in Christ Jesus?  Jesus explained it this way:

• “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. … “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:4-5, 10)

The apostle John said it this way:

• “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6)
• “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 1:9)

Let’s continue with Romans 8, repeating verse 1 for context.  It is written:

• “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who 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 of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:1-8 NASB95)

In verse 2, we observe there are two possible laws at work in a person:  The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus versus the law of sin and of death. 

Let’s look at the Spirit (pneuma  –  breath) of life (zōḗ – existence) in Christ Jesus is at work in the person who has been baptized “in Christ” (or to say it differently, cleansed from the filthiness of sin by accepting Christ’s shed blood as the only sufficient sacrifice for sin, refer to Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Romans 6:3-6 and Titus 3:4-6).  This is the breath of life itself and it is sourced by Christ. 

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon states it this way as it pertains to Romans 8:   

• … “a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever“

and then specifically states the following for Romans 8:2 as:

• “the Spirit, the repository and imparter of life, and which is received by those united to Christ”.

Jesus, the Son of God said it this way:

• “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
• “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
• “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:38-39)

This Spirit of life in Christ Jesus begins the moment a person is regenerated regardless of the extent of their ongoing experience, and certainly

• “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7)

So, we see that justification is by grace and happens once and is completed; whereas being an heir is something that we have become but only to be fully realized in the future.   Consider the cross-references for what the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has completed in the believer paying special attention to the instruction to the believer:

• “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” (Romans 7:4)
• “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. … But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” (Romans 6:18, 22)
• “And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam (Jesus Christ) became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45)
• “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. … (Romans 8:11)
• “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” … “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32, 36)
• “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
• “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.” (Galatians 2:19)
• “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1)

Christ’s work on the cross is finished!  Praise God.  And, because it is, having been set free from sin, we are free to have fruit to holiness, to live for God, to know truth, to be free from the bondage that sin brings, to have joy (the joy in the fellowship of salvation which is union with Christ and His church). 

• “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. …  if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:3, 7)

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon provides the following information about sin:

• It is a failure to hit the mark, an error of the understanding, a bad action, evil deed. In the New Testament, sin is always referred to in an ethical sense whether it occurs by omission or commission, in thought and feeling, or in speech and action which includes violation of the divine law or God’s holiness.

The Word of God states:

• “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24)
• “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)
• “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2)
• “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12)
• “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption…” (Galatians 6:7-8a)
• “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:15)
• “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

Every person sins in some way, and the truth is that God hates all sin.  Scripture states that if you stumble at one point, you have broken the law (James 2:10).  And even under grace, every person falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). 

So then, we can see the believer is not free from condemnation because of a lack of sin; rather they are free from condemnation because of our union with Christ! And union with Christ gives the believer the Holy Spirit which is the enablement to avoid the practice of sin.

The contrast in Romans 8:2 is between two governing laws:  (1) life because of faith in Christ resulting in adoption by God and growing obedience to God’s will; versus, (2) death because of rejection of Christ’s gift of forgiveness and love resulting in disobedience, rebellion and a love of sin. 

You see, union with Christ, being joined to Him, being in Him doesn’t give a believer an escape from the consequences of sin.  Being in Christ means that we have passed from being condemned to separation from God eternally.  Although Christ died for the sins of the entire world, very few have faith in Christ’s death and resurrection. Yet, without faith in the risen Saviour, God’s only righteous requirement for justification is not met.  But for those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, being in Christ means that we have an advocate with Father God for those times when we do sin, or need help on our journey of sanctification.  Being in Christ means that the Holy Spirit abides within us so that our Helper guides us into truth and is the strength we need to yield to His Word; we have the power to obey God and to reject sin’s reign over us. 

It is written:

• “… And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. … Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. … Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us, eternal life. … And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”  (1 John 2:1-6, 15-17, 24-25, 28-29)
• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

I am eternally grateful for such a gift! Aren’t you grateful our Advocate hears our prayers; that the Holy Spirit abides in us so that we can be in Christ?  What a marvellous mystery that is the believer’s reality!

It is written:

• “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin“: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:20-32)

After rereading Romans 8:3-11, we can make the following observations and significant contrasts.  I encourage you to look up the cross references which will truly expand on each observation.

Verse 3:

• The holy Law (the humanly unattainable standard of perfection) had no power in itself to save a person since the fallenness in humanity could not obey its entirety.  Its purpose was to show us we needed God’s provision of grace. (Romans 3:20; Romans 7:5-11; Galatians 3:21; Hebrews 7:19; Hebrews 10:1-2)
• Christ’s sinless offering as our substitute defeated sinful flesh destroying the slave master’s right to have power over the redeemed.  (Mark 15:27-28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Romans 6:6; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 4:1-2)

Verse 4:

• Christ fulfilled the law so that those who are covered by His blood are standing or positioned in Christ’s fulfillment of the requirements of the Law. (Matthew 3:15; Matthew 5:17; Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 10:5-10)
• Christ’s righteousness has been imputed or put on the heavenly records of those who are in Christ because, as our substitute, He perfectly obeyed the law. (Romans 5:17-18, 20-21)
• Christ fulfilled the wrath and penalty for humanity’s sin in His own body (condemned sin) when the Father placed on His Son the totality of humanity’s sin at the cross to save those who would receive and be progressively guided by the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:22)

Verse 5:

• Without the work of the Holy Spirit, human beings are unable to set their minds, affections, and wills to be pleasing and obedient to God regardless of how nice, kind, and honourable a person may be.
• Someone who is unregenerated is governed by their sinful nature so their desires and thoughts dwell on things that are temporary and are in opposition to God (1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:48; Galatians 5:19-21)
• Someone who is Holy Spirit regenerated is governed, led, and controlled by the Holy Spirit so their desires and thoughts are focused on the things that please the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 3:1-3)

Verse 6:

• The consequences of setting the mind on that which is merely natural to fallen man apart from divine influence ends in death (Romans 6:23; Romans 7:5, 11; Galatians 6:8; James 1:14-15)
• The consequences of the Holy Spirit controlling or influencing the human mind will lead to life and peace (Romans 5:1; Romans 14:17; John 14:27)

Verses 7 and 8:

The following observation was made with the aid of “helps” for the word “flesh”/Strongs G4561

• While it is necessary to live in a body/flesh, having a mind that makes decisions according to self (independent from the Holy Spirit’s in-working) is displeasing to the LORD even if the thing seems respectable because it proceeds out of the untouched (unchanged) part of us (that which is not transformed by God).  Since this unchanged part of reason has been darkened, it does not seek God’s will above its own.  (Ephesians 4:18-19; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16; 1 Corinthians 2:14; John 3:3, 5-6; Hebrews 11:6)

Verse 9 through 11:

• A person is controlled by the Spirit of God (not the sinful nature) if the Spirit is in them.  And, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ is not God’s child (does not belong to God’s family). (Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 3:6; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13, 17-18; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:4; 1 Corinthians 3:23; Galatians 5:24)
• A person who has the Spirit of Christ living in them, has a regenerated, eternally alive spirit because of the righteousness of Christ that has put them in right standing with God even though the physical body must die due to sin. (John 14:23; John 15:5; John 17:23; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Ephesians 3:17; 2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 4; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 1:14; John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Colossians 3:3-4; Hebrews 12:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9)
• Just as the Spirit of God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, God will, by the same Spirit, resurrect the bodies of those who are united to Him by His Spirit.  (Acts 2:24, 32-33; Ephesians 1:19-20
• Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 1:21; Romans 6:4-5; Isaiah 26:19; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 51-54; Ephesians 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Peter 3:18; John 7:38-39; John 14:17)

So, what are these passages teaching us?  All of these passages describe our deliverance from bondage and our freedom to live as an overcomer through the Holy Spirit.  They also contrast the natural human who does not have the supernatural empowerment of the Holy Spirit indwelling them to the new creation nature. 

There is no volleying back and forth between these natures. 

• A person under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has permanently received the Spirit, has a regenerated spirit, and is learning to tell their mind (soul) not to argue with what the Holy Spirit and the regenerated spirit want.
• The person who has not received the Holy Spirit through faith in the resurrected Christ is not covered by the Law of the Spirit and is governed by other principles. 

Verse	Law of the Spirit	Mosaic Law and Man’s Law
1	No Condemnation	Under Condemnation (judged already since no one is righteous)
2	Freed from the bondage of Sin	Slave to the power of sin that leads to death
3	God condemned man’s sin in the body of Christ	Man is already condemned in his body and is awaiting the final penalty
4	Christ’s substitutionary death fulfilled the law once and for all who receive God’s gift of grace and seal of the indwelling Holy Spirit who leads away from sin	Without the perfect substitutional sacrifice, the penalty of the carnal nature which sins is eternal death (separation from God and all goodness) in torment
5	Those controlled by the Spirit think about things that please the Spirit	Those dominated by the natural or sinful nature think about sinful things
6	Letting the Spirit influence or control your thinking leads to peace and life	The sinful nature dominates your thinking which leads to death
7	The Spirit is in complete unity with the Godhead	The sinful nature had never obeyed God and will always be at odds with the Godhead
8	Able to be pleasing to God	Never able to please God
9	Those who have the Spirit of Christ are not controlled by sin and belong to God’s family.	Those who do not have the Spirit of Christ are controlled by sin and do not belong to God’s family.
10	Union with the Spirit gives a right standing with God and results in eternal life	Independence from God results gives no standing with God and results in eternal death.
11	Union with the Spirit results in resurrection with a new sinless body by the Spirit	Independence from God results in eternal judgment with a sinful body.

With the Spirit of Life within us, we have the power to choose the overcomer’s life.   We can co-labour with Christ and lay up treasure in heaven, or we can be occupied with wilderness wanderings and reap the peril thereof.

• ” And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9)

• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, … Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;”  (1 Peter 1:3-7, 13-17)

If you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Redeemer and you sense a tugging at your heart, it’s probably the Holy Spirit beckoning you to meet Him, to see Christ for who He is (Saviour, Redeemer, Lord of all creation, eternal God, Son of God and the God-Man). You can use your own words to tell the LORD you believe and ask Him to fill your heart with the knowledge of Him and the power to choose freedom over sin.

Where will you stand on that day? I hope you are one who will choose life!

A resource containing Scripture that correlates fulfilled prophecy about the Messiah’s redemption accomplishment can be located at:   https://desiringfruitfulness.ca/choices/.

All Scripture in this blog is from the New King James Version unless otherwise specified.