1. No Condemnation (Rom. 8:1)

This sermon was preached on 17/9/2009 as part of a series on Romans 8.

‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 8:1).

As we begin a study of Romans 8, perhaps some of us are wondering why we are doing so. Obviously there are verses in the Bible that are more important doctrinally than other verses. Similarly there are verses that give more insight into practical Christian living than other verses. In addition to verses having such content, there are passages and chapters about which the same could be said. Most Christians know that Isaiah 53 is a chapter that gives great insight into the work of Jesus on the cross. They know also that the Sermon on the Mount contains important teachings on Christian living. Or they can read Revelation 2 and 3 to discover the ways by which Jesus assesses his church. Among such important chapters is included Romans 8.

James Boice considered Romans 8 to be the greatest chapter in the Bible. John Murray wrote that ‘Chapter VIII teems with assurance that all things work together for good to them that love God and that they are more than conquerors through him that loved them.’ Douglas Moo states that ‘Rom. 8 deserves to be put in the front rank for its rich and comprehensive portrayal of what it means to be a Christian.’ C. H. Spurgeon commented: ‘What a banquet this chapter has often proved to the souls of God’s hungry Servants!’ He also affirmed: ‘This wonderful chapter is the very cream of the cream of Holy Scripture.’ David Brown likened this chapter to a mighty river, into which many streams [Paul’s previous comments in Romans] had flowed, that carries God’s people along until they lose themselves in the ocean of a blissful eternity.

When we list the various topics covered by Paul in this chapter we can see why these above assessments have been made. In it we read of the believer’s relationship to the law (vv. 1-4), his possession of the Holy Spirit (vv. 5-11), mortification of sin (vv. 12-13), the doctrine of adoption (vv. 14-18), the future of creation (vv. 19-22), prayer in the Spirit (vv. 23-27), providence (v. 28), the golden chain of salvation (vv. 29-30), and the security of God’s people (vv. 31-39).

It is not surprising that a common illustration of this chapter has been to refer to a range of mountains: some passages are like the smaller foothills, other passages are like higher hills, and a few passages (including Romans 8) are like high mountains. Just as a person needs to be physically fit to climb hills and mountains, we need spiritual energy to scale the hills of God, and the higher his hill the more we need of the Spirit to ascend its altitude. When Paul wanted the Ephesians to climb one such high mountain (experience the love of Christ), he reminded them in his prayer that they needed to ‘to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being’ (Eph. 3:16). In order to appreciate the contents of this chapter, we need to develop spiritual stamina through prayer, fellowship with other believers and meditation on the Bible.

Therefore
It is important to note Paul’s use of the word ‘therefore’ in verse 1. It causes us to consider what he had written in the previous verses. The immediately preceding context describes a spiritual conflict going on within him, and we may find it surprising that he can make such a strong assertion of pardon right after admitting he often fails to keep God’s law. Nevertheless our surprise should not prevent us noting two matters: first, a state of no condemnation in God’s estimation is possible; second, those who are so regarded by God freely admit that they have sinned and are continuing to sin. Indeed a person can have a very strong sense of sin and yet possess an awareness of no condemnation.

Of course, Paul’s ‘therefore’ is not limited to the immediately preceding verses. A case can be made that he is referring to all that he has written so far in Romans. His discussion of condemnation and deliverance from its consequences has been the theme of the entire letter so far, so it is very likely that Paul is calling upon his readers to remind themselves of the various details about which he has instructed them. It is always useful to give listeners a framework into which they can slot any new information that they are given. The framework of the Christian life is deliverance from condemnation by Christ and the reception of new life by the Spirit, both of which happen at conversion. So as begin our climb up this majestic mountain, we can do so by reconsidering how we became Christians.

1. The state of condemnation
This spiritual condition is alien to what can be experienced in the justice system of a country. Sometimes, despite all the protective measures, there can be miscarriages of justice. An innocent person is found guilty. Eventually it is discovered that he is innocent and he is pardoned. Yet through his state of condemnation and in his state of pardon, that person does not have a sense of guilt. He is regarded as guilty by the judge, but the person knows he is not guilty.

In contrast, there have been individuals pardoned who were guilty of their offence but because of lack of evidence have not been condemned. Such a person is regarded as not guilty by the judge, yet the individual knows that he is guilty and that his crime has not been punished.

We may think that Christian forgiveness is similar to the second illustration. But it is not. In the illustration the judge is ignorant of the criminal’s actions and the verdict is wrong because of this limitation. Yet as far as God is concerned, he is a witness to the sins of those he forgives; further he knows all the consequences of their sins and the dire effects that have occurred. It is important to note that ‘no condemnation’ does not mean that God ignores their sins. Rather he has provided the way by which his justice can be exhibited and sinners pardoned.

What did Paul meant by condemnation? The Bible teaches that all humans are in a state of condemnation, and that for two reasons, both connected to disobedience to God. They are described, theologically, as original sin and actual sin.

Original sin concerns our relationship with Adam, the first man. He was more than the father of the human race when God created him at the beginning. In addition, Adam was the representative of each other member of the human race. When God made Adam, he entered into a covenant with him, in which the Lord promised to bless Adam and his descendants as long as he was obedient to God’s requirements. This covenant is summarised in the Westminster Confession of Faith 7.2: ‘The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.’ If Adam disobeyed, we would have disobeyed as well. So when Adam fell from his original state of sinlessness, all he represented fell as well.

Sometimes it is suggested that this method was unfair. The answer to the objection is that it all depends on the capabilities of the representative. Was Adam suitable as our representative? Given that he was sinless, created in God’s image, capable of making good choices, and living in a helpful environment, he was suitable. Any onlooker would have deduced that, having Adam as its head, the human race was in good hands. Sadly he turned out to be unable to resist the temptations of Satan and made a sinful choice which brought him and his descendants into a state of condemnation, under the wrath of God.

Actual sin describes the almost limitless number of sins we have committed against God in an almost limitless variety of ways. Each of us sins with our minds, with our affections and with our will; each of us sins individually and communally; each of us shows in numberless ways that we deserve to be in the state of condemnation, under God’s wrath.

2. No condemnation
The way to be delivered from condemnation must deal with the two aspects mentioned – our original and our actual sins, and also deal with another consequence of our sinfulness – our failure to live a righteous life. God’s remedy for our terrible state was that his Son should endure the penalty of our sins and provide an obedience for us. He provided the obedience by his perfect life and he suffered the penalty when he endured God’s wrath on the cross. Of course, this is a very brief way of stating what Jesus did.

The life and death of Jesus are necessary in this context because together they are the basis of the doctrine of justification, which describes how a sinner becomes accepted in God’s sight. When I believe in Jesus, God the Father forgives my sin because Jesus paid their penalty on the cross. But God does more. In addition to pardoning me, he also gives to my account the obedience (righteousness) of Christ. This means that forensically I have paid my debts and I have kept the law – Jesus did them both and they are reckoned by God to my account.

It is essential to notice two small words from this verse – they are ‘no’ and ‘now’. The ‘no’ in ‘no condemnation’ is very emphatic – it comes at the beginning of the sentence in the original, and it was placed there for emphasis. Whatever a person has been guilty of, he is forgiven by God.

The term ‘now’ has two possible meanings. First, it could refer to the Christian dispensation that now exists in contrast to the Old Testament dispensation. Yet since Paul has already argued in this letter that Old Testament believers, such as Abraham and David, had been justified by God, there would be no point in Paul suggesting there was a difference between what took place in the two dispensations as far as acceptance with God is concerned. The other meaning of ‘now’ connects it with the future, with what will take place on the Day of Judgement. The Bible describes what will happen on that future Day when all of God’s people will be publicly shown to have been forgiven and clothed with Christ’s righteousness. Yet as far as they are concerned, they do not have to wait until then to have assurance that all is well with their souls. They are as secure now as they will be on that day when they stand at the right hand of Jesus. This theme of the security of Christians is a major one in Romans 8.

3. In Christ Jesus
In his letters Paul refers to this union between believers and Jesus many times. The subject of union with Christ is an enormous one and, indeed, it includes within its range the fullness of salvation. Believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, they died with Christ when he died, they rose with him when he rose, and they have ascended with him to heaven, which means that they are secure in Christ as they wait for the dawning of the eternal world. Although it is such a big subject, there are three words that summarise its meaning and we can consider them briefly – they are belief, blessings and behaviour. They depict this union from the human side, and if we were considering it from the divine side we would mention divine activities such as election and regeneration.

With regard to belief, it is by faith that a sinner enters into this union (obviously his faith follows on from election and regeneration). Faith brings him into the state of justification – he is pardoned and clothed in the righteousness of Christ when faith in Jesus is exercised. Until he exercises faith in Jesus, he is not forgiven. Of course, many of these details happen almost simultaneously, yet it is important that we grasp the order of events: regeneration leads to faith in Jesus, which results in justification, which leads on to sanctification. Faith is essential for union with Christ.

When we believe, we discover that we have entered a land that is marked by spiritual blessings. Paul speaks about this in Ephesians 1:3 when he writes that believers have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. But what is the location of these blessings? The apostle gives the answer when in that passage he shows that these spiritual blessings are found in Christ. Having been united to him we have access to all the blessings he possesses. Union with Christ can be illustrated by thinking of a poor woman who marries a rich man and immediately discovers that all he possesses is now hers to enjoy. So, in Christ we have been given access to objective blessings such as election, adoption and redemption and to subjective blessings such as peace, joy, assurance and many more.

The third feature of union with Christ concerns behaviour. While a changed life is not part of the doctrine of justification, it is inevitable that justified sinners will live holy lives. Paul here connects the change from condemnation to one’s behaviour as well as to one’s trust in Christ. This is not surprising because Jesus, by the Spirit, will work in the lives of all who trust him. Union with Christ means that a condemned sinner becomes a believing person who enjoys God’s blessing and whose behaviour indicates that he is being sanctified. We will return to the working out of union with Christ many times as we study this chapter of Romans.

As we conclude our study of verse 1, I would emphasise a very important reality, which is that justification is the basis on which all other outworkings of the Christian life are based. We serve God, not in order to become forgiven, but because we are forgiven; we serve God, not in order to obtain sufficient righteousness, but because we have been clothed with the perfect righteousness of Jesus. Not only does the Christian journey begin with an understanding of justification, so also does Christian comfort, Christian recovery when we fall, and all other features of the Christian life.