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Scripture Reading

Romans 8:1–4 (ESV)

• (1) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
• (2) For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
• (3) For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
• (4) in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Introduction

Welcome to Romans 8. Welcome to the pinnacle of the proclamation of our spiritual benefits in Christ Jesus. We are now perhaps in the most glorious chapter of the most significant theological treatise ever written in all of human history.

John Stott calls it “one of the best-known, best-loved chapters of the Bible” (The Bible Speaks Today, 216).

Douglass Moo writes that this chapter is, “The inner sanctuary within the cathedral of Christian faith; the tree of life in the midst of the Garden of Eden; the highest peak in a range of mountains” (NICNT, 491).

Our own Phil Sasser picked up on this last image when he preached on this passage in December 2008. “It’s like looking at a beautiful mountain range. Every mountain you consider looks great, but this is really the tallest and most beautiful of all the tall and beautiful mountains that Romans is” (Phil Sasser, “The Justification of Sinners,” December 14, 2008).

God has given this chapter, along with the rest of scripture, for us.

We will be preaching 14 messages through Romans 8. We will take a few detours for Easter Sunday, as well as a short six-sermon series on “The Church” between Easter and Pentecost Sundays. We will finish Romans 8 in mid-August.

This means you have time to memorize sections as we go! Some of the high school students are working on memorizing the entire chapter with Michael Stalker. I’m sure Michael would be happy to share his plan with you if you’re interested.

14 Messages in Romans 8

1. Romans 8:1 — No Condemnation in Christ
2. Romans 8:2-4 — Walking in the Spirit
3. Romans 8:5-8 — A Spiritual Mind
4. Romans 8:9-11 — The Indwelling Spirit
5. Romans 8:12-13 — Walking by the Spirit
6. Romans 8:14-17 — Adopted as Sons of God
7. Romans 8:18-25 — Present Sufferings and Future Glory
8. Romans 8:26-27 — The Spirit Who Helps Us
9. Romans 8:28 — God Works All Things Together for Good
10. Romans 8:29-30 — The Golden Chain of Salvation
11. Romans 8:31-32 — God is For Us
12. Romans 8:33-34 — Free from Condemnation
13. Romans 8:35-37 — The Love of God
14. Romans 8:38-39 — Nothing Shall Separate us from God’s Love

I’d like to take another cue from Phil in 2008. That is, I’d like us to hear the entire chapter as a unit before we begin looking at it piece by piece. This is a longer reading than we are accustomed to, but I can think of no better way to begin this series of sermons.

Sermon Points

Today, we are looking specifically at just one verse, Romans 8:1.

1. The Heart of Gospel Promise
2. The Basis for Gospel Promise
3. The Recipients of Gospel Promise

Pastoral Prayer

I. The Heart of Gospel Promise

Romans 8:1 (ESV) — There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Paul doesn’t say “less condemnation” or “some condemnation.” He says “no condemnation.” Why is this promise so precious to the Christian? Why is this verse the right medicine for so many spiritual ailments?

Many voices of condemnation

We all experience many voices of condemnation around us. These vary in severity, significance, and truthfulness, but we all hear them.

We rightly hear condemnation from God’s Law and tremble before his perfect holiness. We are condemned by our own conscience, our broken promises, and our expectations for ourselves. Satan, the great accuser of the brethren, also accuses us. We are condemned when we compare ourselves to others. We are condemned by the guilt of our transgressions and because of our inward struggles with sin.

We even feel shame for our creaturely weaknesses. The suffering and sickness we experience whisper subtle hints of condemnation in our ears. The productivity or self-help books we consume remind us that we fall short of some standard.

Do you listen to the voice that regularly tells you, “You are not enough?” It might say “you are not righteous enough,” but just as likely may remind you that “you’re not attractive enough” or “smart enough” or “athletic enough.”

Not all of these voices are true, but they tap into something that is true—we all fall short of the glory of God … there is none righteous, no not even one.

I was listening to a podcast episode this week between Christian apologist Wes Huff and Steven Bartlett (Diary of a CEO) where Wes very clearly explained the gospel. One of the things he said several times was “The good news is so good because the bad news is so bad.”

The bad news is illustrated by these many voices of condemnation.

Not just feelings of condemnation

We all try to silence these voices of condemnation. Teens stop listening to their parents. Society tries to reprogram our sexual ethic. Influencers persuade young adults to deconstruct the faith they embraced as children. Secular psychology tries to teach us that a lack of self-esteem was the real problem—we simply didn’t feel good enough about ourselves. Theological liberalism tries to make everyone believe God is ALL love, and that he ultimately won’t judge anyone.

Though we attempt to silence the voices of condemnation in our lives, we must not ignore the reality they represent.

Though we may have all of these various kinds of condemnation in our mind when we read Romans 8:1, we must try to grasp this morning what Paul is really telling us. Paul is not primarily trying to solve the problem of us feeling condemned. He is writing about the reality of the guilty verdict that hangs over every human being.

The scene here is not the counselor’s office where you are attempting to deal with false guilt, misplaced shame, or feelings of unworthiness. Instead, we are in the courtroom. We are the defendant. We are standing before the judge—a righteous judge—and we know that we are guilty as charged.

Romans 2:6–9 (ESV) — He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,

Paul has made the case throughout Romans that we have all inherited Adam’s original sin.

Romans 5:12 (ESV) — Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

And that we have all actively sinned and rebelled against God.

Romans 3:23 (ESV) — for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We are all, therefore, guilty, and deserving of condemnation—the very condemnation that Paul is speaking about in 8:1.

What does Paul mean by “condemnation?” This specific Greek term is only used in Romans, and only in three places (here, Romans 5:16, 18). He is referring to the actual punishment for the guilty verdict, the death-penalty that hangs over all sinners.

Paul describes this condemnation this way in 2 Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 1:7–9 (ESV) — … when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Here are Jesus’ own words about the coming condemnation for the wicked.

Matthew 13:41–42 (ESV) — The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

As you imagine yourself before the judge hearing the sentence, don’t imagine America’s court system where you may have a chance for appeal, where you may find a small technicality that overturns the true verdict, where you may avoid the full sentence based on good behavior. In God’s courtroom there can be no miscarriage of justice.

The Good news of Justification and No Condemnation

The good news of the gospel is that even though we are guilty as charged, we don’t have to suffer the penalty of death for our sins. God has made a way for us to be declared “not guilty,” even declared righteous before him. The amazing promise of Romans 8:1 is that we don’t have to experience the penalty of our cosmic rebellion.

Romans 8:1 is a continuation of Paul’s earlier argument about justification from Chapter 5. Compare the beginning of Chapter 5 with the beginning of Chapter 8.

Romans 5:1 (ESV) — Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 (ESV) — There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The two other passages that use this word condemnation compare it to justification.

Romans 5:16 (ESV) — 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 5:18 (ESV) — Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

The Heart of Gospel Promise is that God has reversed this condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

“No condemnation” reverses the condemnation pronounced in 5:16, 18 and anticipates no condemnation at the Last Judgment according to 8:34.

— Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament, 596–597.

Do you realize how horrible my sins have been?

No condemnation!

Do you understand how recently I have sinned?

No condemnation!

What if I just recently became a Christian?

No condemnation!

What if I lived most of my life spurning God and his word and only repented and believed at the end of my long life?

No condemnation!

Do you know how long I have been a Christian, and how often I fall into the same patterns of sinful disobedience?

No condemnation!

What if I sin in the future, I mean really sin big?

No condemnation!

What if my faith is small, my progress is slow, and my spiritual fruit barely visible?

For those who are in Christ, Jesus, there is No condemnation! None!

This is The Heart of Gospel Promise. This is not a statement of feeling, but fact! But, how can Paul make such a claim? This brings us to point 2.

II. The Basis for Gospel Promise

Romans 8:1 (ESV) — There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

How can God offer this great promise to withhold the punishment we deserve and still remain a righteous judge?

In fact, in light of our sinfulness before a holy God, how can God give us any of the benefits of the gospel described in Chapter 8?

Paul does not claim this out of thin air. He is simply drawing a conclusion from his argument so far in his treatise.

To this point, we’ve overlooked the “therefore” in verse 1. We know the “therefore” points back to something he has already written. But, what exactly is he pointing back to? Biblical commentators have a friendly debate about the specifics of Paul’s “therefore.”

Is Romans 8:1 an answer to Paul’s dilemma in Romans 7:24-25?

Romans 7:24–25 (ESV) — Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

We can certainly find some connection there captured in “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” But, these verses don’t seem to lead to the massive conclusion of 8:1.

Another option is to look back to Romans 7:6.

Romans 7:6 (ESV) — But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

This is closer to the mark. In fact, we argued several weeks ago that Paul could have skipped from 7:6 to 8:1 if he had not needed to help us understand how the Law relates to the Christian. We might say that 7:6 and 8:1 are part of Paul’s same conclusion based on his earlier arguments. In both verses, he concludes that something has changed in the “now” of salvation history. “There is therefore NOW no condemnation.” “But NOW we are released from the law.”

How, then, are we released from the law? Chapter 6 gives us a basis for this. We have been united to Christ in his death and resurrection.

Romans 6:4 (ESV) — We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

This union with Christ is key, and we will come back to it in our third point, but we haven’t gone back far enough in Paul’s argument to know how this is possible for sinners. For that, we must go back to his argument in Chapters 3-5.

I realize this is a lot of review, but we must see how Paul gets to the good news of Chapter 8. How can it be that there truly is NO condemnation for those who deserve condemnation.

In my opinion, the “therefore” of 8:1 is based on all of Paul’s argument from Chapters 1-7. However, there are a couple of key passages that get to the heart of the argument. First, we can look back to Romans 3:23-25.

Romans 3:23–25 (ESV) — for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

The point is not to go back and preach all of Romans, but to remember that the blessings and promises of chapter 8 are based on the salvation that was accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this passage we see:

• We are justified by grace as a gift. This means we are declared righteous before God.
• This was made possible through redemption and propitiation. Jesus died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. He took the full weight of the wrath of God on himself, though he was innocent. The wrath of God has been satisfied.
• This redemption is applied to us by faith—by trusting in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins—by believing that he died for us.
• Because God did not overlook sins, but actually punished them in Christ, he is still just and righteous.

We have already noted the connection between 8:1 and 5:1. “No condemnation” is another way of saying we are “justified by faith.” We are declared righteous (justification); therefore, there can be no condemnation.

In our day-to-day Christian walk, we can easily drift into claiming justification by faith but still feeling and living like we are under God’s condemnation.

One diagnostic for how well we have embraced “no condemnation” is to consider the return of the Lord Jesus. Do you fear that day as a time when you will be chastised for your sin or lack of progress, or do you look to that day with eager anticipation?

Hebrews 9:28 (ESV) — so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

The basis for our gospel hope is the free offer of redemption in Christ Jesus. To quote Hebrews again:

Hebrews 10:14 (ESV) — For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Now, let’s turn to our last point. Who are the recipients of this Gospel Promise?

III. The Recipients of Gospel Promise

Romans 8:1 (ESV) — There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

This promise is not applied to all of humanity. Paul is specific. We shouldn’t go around quoting just the first half of the verse without the second.

The blessings of chapter 8 only come to those who are “in Christ Jesus.” This is the doctrine of our union with Christ.

Romans 6 is one of the key passages regarding our union with Christ. If we were buried with Christ through baptism, we shall also be raised with him to newness of life.

1 Corinthians 15:22 (ESV) — For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Galatians 2:20 (ESV) — I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This union may be defined as that intimate, vital, and spiritual union between Christ and His people, in virtue of which He is the source of their life and strength, of their blessedness and salvation.

• L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 449.

Conclusion / Application

How do we experience “no condemnation” today? Don’t miss the “now” of the passage. I said earlier that this “now” is a statement of change in salvation history. Now that Christ has come, there is no condemnation for those who are in him.

But there is another way we need to hear the “now” this morning. We should not think of the benefits of salvation as only being realized in the future. For example, in 7:24 Paul asks rhetorically, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” He is looking toward that future, finished redemption, when there is no more struggle with sin, when all things are made new. But, he goes on to write 8:1. There is therefore NOW no condemnation.

Are you experiencing this blessing now? This entire chapter is filled with assurance, hope, promise, and confidence. Chapter 8 begins with “no condemnation” and comes back to the theme in verse 34.

Romans 8:34 (ESV) — Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

If you are not yet “in Christ Jesus”

• This promise does not yet apply to you. You are under the wrath of God for your transgression of his law and your idolatry of putting yourself and your will before him.
• This promise can apply to you today if you repent of your sins and turn to Christ in faith.
• “Now is the favorable time, behold now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).

If you are in Christ Jesus, but still faced with feelings or doubts of condemnation.

• If you have put your faith in Christ for salvation, this promise IS for you.
• Like the Psalmist in Psalm 42, you likely need to preach to yourself instead of listening to yourself. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Put your hope in God!”
• Remind yourself that whatever circumstances in your life tempt you to feel condemned, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
• Do you still struggle with besetting sins? There is no condemnation.
• Are you sick or suffering? There is no condemnation?
• Is your faith weak? There is no condemnation.
• Is you marriage a mess? There is no condemnation?
• Are you struggling financially? There is no condemnation?
• Are your kids wayward and far from the Lord? There is no condemnation.
• Do you feel a desperate need for help to live out your Christian faith? There is no condemnation. In fact, much of the rest of Romans 8 is for you?

Let us gaze intently at this tallest and most beautiful mountains of God’s grace together over the coming weeks.