There Is No Condemnation for Those Who Belong To Christ Jesus

Monday, July 08, 2013    

There Is No Condemnation for Those Who Belong To Christ Jesus

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

Romans 8:1-2

I have previously noted that virtually all of the stimuli in our culture are aimed at our emotions. Almost all sales advertising is aimed at trying to get you to feel good about a buying decision. If the advertising is not aimed at getting you to feel good about a buying decision, it is aimed at making you feel guilty if you do not buy, or give to a promotional campaign. God does not use guilt to either condemn or motivate us, and anyone using guilt against you is not within the will of God.

I believe Paul’s affirmation in Romans 8: 1-2 is one of the most powerful and liberating principles of life in Christ. However, we must be careful not to misinterpret this passage lest we slip into the land of cheap grace. Apart from new life in Christ, we stand accused of sin and we are guilty as charged. We stand before the judgment seat of God awaiting a sentence whereby we will be condemned to death, to a Christless eternity. But as followers of Jesus we do have new life in Christ because God has forgiven us our sins and declared that we are not guilty. Therefore there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

There is interplay of three important principles in Paul’s affirmation. We are guilty of the offense; we have violated God’s law. But God extends His mercy to us. God’s mercy means we do not receive what we deserve for our guilt. God also extends His grace to us. God’s grace means we are receiving new life in Christ which we do not deserve. We can never earn our standing as the beloved children of God. Our new status, our new core identity as friends of God, is a gift of God’s grace.

Because God extends His mercy and grace, we are not condemned by our guilt. However, as Paul noted in his opening lines of Romans 6, God’s grace does not give us a license to continue in our sinful ways. As we continue in our journey to make the life in Christ our way of life, the Holy Spirit will alert us when we are out of sync with God’s way for our life. We will certainly have an appropriate sensation of guilt in response to this witness of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this witness of the Holy Spirit is not condemnation; rather the witness is for correction. The witness of the Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity to repent, to change direction in our lives, so that we return to the path where God is leading us.

Jesus, once and for all time, has paid the penalty for our guilt. Hallelujah, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus! Hallelujah, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed us to make the life in Christ our way of life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version will follow soon.

·        The second edition First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.