No Condemnation! Romans 8:1-4

Transcription

1 No Condemnation! Romans 8:1-4 In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul describes this constant, continuous, incessant battle between the Spirit and the flesh this PUGILISTIC CONFLICT that exists within the hearts and minds of men. In chapter 7:15 Paul exclaims: I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. He goes on to say, For I have a desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (v.18,19). There are some who teach THAT Romans 7 describes the UNBELIEVER, or the CARNAL CHRISTIAN there are still other teachers who teach Romans 7 as something a Christian goes through but once. Then he gets out of it and moves onto Romans 8, never again to return to the theatre of war described in chapter 7. Nothing, in my opinion, could be further from the truth! Even a man as mighty as Paul, went through it again and again. In fact as we look at Romans 7, beginning in v.13 on through the end of the chapter the very meat of this struggle that Paul is describing between the flesh and the spirit the verbs used are all in the present tense or present continuous tense. Meaning that it is happening right now and continues to happen! As he is writing this letter to the Roman church, Paul is CONSCIOUS of the ongoing battle ragging within himself. This is a description of what every believer will go through many times in his experience, because sin has the POWER TO DECEIVE us and to CAUSE US to trust in ourselves, even when we are not aware we are doing so. I believe, that to imagine Romans 7:13-25 as anything other than the Apostle Paul describing his own personal struggle as a Christian trying to please God in his own strength (to measure up to God s standards as revealed in the Law) is a GRAVE MISTAKE. 1

2 Paul is talking about the experience of everyone who has ever come to Christ. And to argue that Romans 7 cannot be the experience of a GREAT CHRISTIAN is to espouse an unrealistic and unhealthy approach to the Christian Life. One Christian Scholarship said in response to the details of Romans 7, that the Christian life is a CONSTANT ADVANCE against hindrances that seek to derail us from reaching our goal: It is no dishonor to the Divine Spirit that the work of renewal is not an instantaneous and perfect work, leaving nothing further to be done. The new birth is, as a birth, complete; but it is only the commencement of a new life. To be born again is to begin to live anew, with higher principles and purer motives and nobler aims. Here, upon earth, the path of the Christian is one of progress; he is introduced to the right way in order that he may follow it that he may make progress therein, year by year, and day by day. (TPC) Alexander Maclaren (19 th Cent. Scottish Minister) metaphorically describes the Christian as a fugitive, continuously on the run from forces that seek to bring him back into subjection and servitude: We are as slaves who have escaped, but are still in the wilderness, with the enemies dogs baying at our feet; but we shall come to the land of freedom, on whose sacred soil sin and death can never tread. Paul s passionate conclusion in Romans 7 is THE CRY OF EVERY CHRISTIAN who has ever tried to please God on his own: 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? This has been and is my cry! It has been yours too. We want to do good, we want to do the right thing, but we end up doing the very thing we do not want to do. Our inner being wants to please God (v.22) but the power to do so, many times, seems to be out of our grasp. This is the COMMON EXPERIENCE of everyone who has been born again of every soul who has desired to live a life pleasing to God. 2

3 But there is ANOTHER EXPERIENCE, which also belongs to everyman and it is described fully in Romans 8. If we have been Christians for any length of time, we have known something of the life of Romans 7 BUT all of us would like to spend more time in the liberating heights of Romans 8! Amen?! IF Paul s letter to the Romans ended in chapter 7 with v.24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Christianity would be almost unbearable. Ours would be a life marked at best by discouragement and depression, and worst by defeat! But Paul, memorably introduces us to THE SOLUTION that plagues humanity by answering the question left at the close of chapter 7 by saying: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (8.1) This is an ARRESTING statement! In this way Paul introduces the grand theme of Romans 8: the work of the Holy Spirit in effecting our liberation. THE THEME OF ROMANS 8 IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. Until this point there have only been THREE mentions of the Spirit in Romans: The first was a passing reference to the Spirit of holiness (1:4); And the second described the Holy Spirit as pouring out the love of God within our hearts (5:5). And finally, chapter 7:6 where Paul describes how the believer has been released from the law and now serves the new way of the Spirit. Now Chapter 8 mentions the Holy Spirit 20x! 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Romans 8 is the chapter of LIBERATION THROUGH GOD S SPIRIT. 3

4 My hope is that our study this morning will enable us to live more and more in the freedom of the glory of the children of God (v.21) so that chapter 7 will become less and less our experience. Amen?! I. (1-2) Romans 8 is the flower of the book of Romans in full bloom; it is very good news for everyone who comes before God the Father in right-standing through faith in Jesus Christ This chapter begins with no condemnation It ends with no separation And sandwiched in between is no defeat A. (1) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This is a glorious beginning to a glorious chapter. This is perhaps one of the greatest statements of the Scripture; one of the most important for the Christian experience; for health and well-being of the Christian believer. 1. Romans 3:20 (NIV) Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (The law simply shows us how sinful we are - NLT) a. Romans 3:20 shows the therefore OF condemnation; but Romans 8:1 gives the therefore of NO CONDEMNATION which is a tremendous truth and the conclusion of a marvelous argument! b. The question naturally arises: Must a believer spend his whole life on earth frustrated by ongoing defeats to INDWELLING SIN? Is there no power provided to achieve victory? 1) The answer to the first question is NO and to the second, YES! 2) In chapter 8, Paul described the ministry of the INDWELLING SPIRIT OF GOD who is the: 4

5 i. SOURCE of divine power for sanctification; ii. And the SECRET for spiritual victory in daily living. c. Warren Wiersbe says: the basis for this wonderful assurance is the phrase in Christ Jesus. In Adam, we were condemned. In Christ, there is no condemnation! d. Therefore This word marks a consequent conclusion from the entire 1 st seven chapters of the Book of Romans, which taught us about justification by faith alone; made possible solely on the basis of and by the power of God s grace We have been studying the Book of Romans in our Men s and Women s studies for the last 6 months and we have been learning about Justification by faith alone made possible SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF and BY THE POWER OF God s remarkable grace Paul tells us that NOW because we understand these things we can now understand this as well there is no condemnation i. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: This is the greatest good news that has ever come into the world; it holds out the greatest possibility for man since the Fall. It is the heart and essence and soul of the Christian gospel... a way of salvation in which there is no longer any condemnation. ii. What an amazing truth to behold and an even greater truth to appropriate [to take exclusive possession of] Do we KNOW this to be true? Do we really UNDERSTAND the weightiness and the ramifications of such a truth Have we allowed it to impact and infect our lives? Have we allowed this reality to permeate our thinking and our being? 5

6 iii. Do we truly understand what is meant when Paul says: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus? 2. No Condemnation a. Condemnation: i. A decision against someone, a condemnatory judgment. ii. iii. A damnatory sentence (Thayer s Dictionary) Its primary focus in not so much on the verdict as on the penalty that the verdict demands b. What this is saying is that having been justified by faith alone; made possible solely on the basis of and by the power of God s grace there is NOW no damnatory sentence/penalty against us as a RESULT of, faith in and identification with Jesus! 3. No condemnation a. The word no a little word of two letters But are we aware of is full meaning? It is entire, it is complete, it is absolute! b. It is an EMPHATIC, NEGATIVE ADVERB OF TIME; and carries the idea of complete cessation! c. Paul is saying that the Christian is a person who has been taken entirely outside the realm of any possible or conceivable condemnation! In this sense, no means NEVER d. With that understood, what Paul is saying is there is absolutely, completely, not one iota, not one stitch, not even a trace on the molecular level of any condemning accusation or penalty against you! WOW! 4. There is therefore now no condemnation 6

7 a. The word now is a statement of our present condition We are JUSTIFIED, declared RIGHTEOUS, and therefore STAND in His grace and NOT under His wrath! b. There is no condemnation to the Christian now and never can be it is impossible B. The question is: Have you realized that? 1. APPLICATION: This is a fact that we must apprehend and take into custody in our daily walk with Jesus right now there is no condemnation! 2. Many times I think, because of unbelief, we allow ourselves to be carried away with feelings of condemnation paralyzing us from progressing in our Christian walk a. We experience a ch. 7 moment and then we condemn ourselves What kind of a Christian am I? I am a terrible example a horrible witness. b. We feel like a failure and we flog ourselves spiritually and emotionally for failing c. But when we do these things, the greatest failure is that we have failed to trust in God and in His word: John Walvoord The provision of deliverance from the power of sin is through the death of Jesus Christ, but experiencing it in one s daily conduct comes through the controlling power of the Holy Spirit. d. Trust in God and His word (in spite of the emotions] He is greater than our feelings! 1 John 3:20 For if our heart [the seat our emotions] condemns us God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. i. Remember, God never condemns us (Romans 8:33,34) 7

8 ii. By Faith, we rest in the full assurance of Romans 8:1 There is therefore now (right now) no condemnation iii. Your sins and mine past sins, present sin, and future sins have already been dealt with once and forever! C. BUT WHO IS THIS TRUTH FOR? Who are the rightful recipients of such a great and awesome blessing? Those who are in Christ Jesus 1. Those who are IN Christ every true Christian! a. Those who are in Christ are completely and forever released from sin s bondage and its penalty (death) We do sin but we are not slaves of sin. We do stumble, make mistakes, take missteps fall to temptation and give in to the deception of sin. But we are freed from the bondage of it! We are slaves who have escaped free but still in the wilderness b. Paul emphasizes the marvelous reality that every believer, even the weakest and most unproductive, shares in COMPLETE and ETERNAL freedom from sin s condemnation. John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not condemned c. Here, when we feel as if we are living in Romans 7 Romans 8 promises us that we, the weakest of believers though we still stumble and fall into sin s power in our flesh we experience ULTIMATE VICTORY over sin in the life to come! d. And here is the heart of the matter The simplest, but most profound truth upon which this statement of no condemnation balances so delicately is on the phrase: Those who are in Christ Jesus. 8

9 2. Having stated the FACT OF FREEDOM here in v.1, Paul then explains how it is achieved (READ 2-4) a. Paul explains the impossibility of attaining freedom over sin through a religious system, such as the law for it is powerless to free us from sin. b. God accomplished deliverance over sin by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man c. And He was sent, literally for sin (3) in other words, He came to do something about the sin issue! d. And what He did was to condemn it; by His very death on the Cross, He condemned sin! (passing a judicial sentence on it) e. So that, those in Christ are NOT condemned! i. Romans 5:9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. d. Listen to this quote from the Sidlow Baxter: His purpose in assuming sinless flesh was that He might be an Offering for sin, and thereby might condemn sin in the flesh. His whole life in the flesh was, indeed, a condemnation of sin; but the condemnation reached its climax when on the cross Jesus expiated human guilt. 3. A Christian is one who is in Christ Jesus a. Being a Christian is not simply being outwardly identified with Christ, but being part of Christ not simply of being united with Him, but united in Him [John 15:4] b. There is a mystical and spiritual union betwixt Christ and believers Christ is in believers by His Spirit, and believers are in Christ by faith. c. Our being in Christ is one of the most profound mysteries this world has ever known 9

10 i. It's as if Paul begins, "I can prove what I say here." This is what he proves: If we are one with Jesus and He is our head, we can't be condemned. You can't acquit the head and condemn the hand. You can't drown the foot as long as the head is out of water. Joined to Him, we hear the verdict: "no condemnation." ii. Having been qualified by God through faith we are told here in Romans 8:1 that we will never, under any circumstances, be subject to divine condemnation Timothy Keller We know we are out of condemnation because God has sent the Holy Spirit into our life to free us from sin iii. How blessed to be placed BEYOND THE REACH of condemnation! AMEN?! Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. iv. The truth that there can never be the eternal death penalty for believers is the foundation of the 8 th Chapter of Romans v. As Paul asks rhetorically near the end of the chapter, If God is for us, who can be against us? (v.31) and again, Who will bring any charge against God s elect? God is the ONE who justifies (v.33). If the highest tribunal in the universe justifies us who can declare us guilty? 10

11 CONCLUSION: Christian listen: If you are IN Him, you are in Him forever; you are in Him for all eternity! We must CEASE to think of ourselves merely as forgiven, merely as believers, merely as holding on to Christ. The truth about us as Christians is that God by the Holy Spirit has put us into Christ, Implanted us IN HIM! So we DO NOT go in and out of that. - We do not cease to be a Christian when we sin, - We do not come under condemnation when we sin, - We are not cast out of Christ when we sin. If we are in this position, in Christ, then we are there forever! There is no condemnation past, present or future. There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (1)... who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit! (4) And now that we come to the end of our time together this morning WE KNOW WHERE TO LOOK We know how we can climb out of our Romans 7 experience and LIVE in the liberating heights of Romans 8! BY LOOKING TO JESUS CHRIST AND HIS INDWELLING SPIRIT! AMEN?! Pulpit Commentary: Two things are needful first, growth, always; and secondly, revival, sometimes To be brought into a right relation with God is the first step in the spiritual life; but to remain [so as to grow] to learn God s truth, to do God s will, to serve Christ s people, and to promote Christ s cause. It will take the whole of life to fulfill the high calling of God in Christ Jesus it is by the Spirit of Life that this result is to be effected by the Sprit of Life working in the heart, and changing the character into the likeness of the Lord, and assisting to conquer sin, to resist Satan, to acquire a character congenial and akin to Christ s. This is the Holy Spirit s choicest, holiest work; to foster and promote spiritual life, that it may be growingly vigorous and fruitful, to the praise and glory of the ever-living God. 11