NO CONDEMNATION AND NO SEPARATION. (Rom 8:1-14)

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

The chapter of which this lesson forms a part is unquestionably one of the most precious in the entire Bible. It begins with the assurance that condemnation has passed, and concludes with logical proofs of everlasting divine favor toward those who become “New Creatures” in Christ Jesus. In the preceding chapter the Apostle specially points out condemnation and imprisonment upon the whole race of Adam as sinners under the divine Law – and especially upon the Jew, additionally under the Mosaic Law. He points out the utter hopelessness of those who attempt to escape the penalty of death by self-justification through “works of the Law.” After thus showing the bondage of all, he points to the door of salvation – the redemption in our Lord Jesus: saying, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is to this class, which gets the victory through Christ, that there is no condemnation, and can be no separation from the divine love and favor, so long as they abide in him as the branch in the Vine.

This lesson is well fitted in, as giving us a glimpse of the Apostle’s spiritual liberty and relationship to God at the time of his imprisonment at Caesarea. Once he had had his liberty according to the flesh, and in his ignorance and blindness had done many things contrary to the Lord, not properly appreciating his liberty nor knowing how to use it aright. Now, although a prisoner and outwardly restrained, he had gained great liberty and blessing, and also freedom from divine condemnation, with assurance of hope toward God, not only respecting the present life, but also the one to come.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. “(Rom 8:1)

In the first verse the word “therefore” carries us back to the preceding argument viz., “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind (the spirit) I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Rom 7:25), and shows us that our freedom from present condemnation is the result of our Lord’s sacrifice on our behalf. It is because we appreciate the fact that justice provided a redemption price for our sins, and because we have availed ourselves of the terms offered its beneficiaries, that we realize that the condemnation of the divine Law no longer holds as against us. In his preceding argument the Apostle had clearly shown that the difficulty did not lie in the Law itself; that God could not give an imperfect or, in any sense, an evil Law. The Law was just, perfect and good; the difficulty was in us, that through the inheritance of sin and its weaknesses we were unable fully to comply with the requirements of the divine Law.

How, then, do we escape its condemnation? 

The Apostle answers that we reached the present standpoint of release – freedom from condemnation – when we came into Christ (By consecration). Others, out of Christ, are still under the condemnation (That is those who have yet to have fully consecrated themselves to the Lord). It is an important question, therefore, for each to decide for himself, whether or not he has taken the (second) step (of a full consecration) which alone can bring him into this happy condition. The Apostle, in a previous chapter, (Rom 5:1), marks the first step out of condemnation and into Christ as being justification, which brought peace with God, the covering of the sins that were past; but this was not enough, for if all the sins that were past were cancelled, and no arrangement was made for our daily imperfections of word and deed, we would quickly be again condemned. Hence, to those who would be entirely freed from condemnation, another step was necessary – a step into Christ. These two steps should not be confounded; it is one thing to get out of responsibility for past sins, and quite another step to get into Christ, and under the full covering of his merits as respects all the remainder of life. The two steps are mentioned in Rom 5: 1,2

“Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Faith in the redemption brings justification from past sins and peace with God; but by it ALSO, as the Apostle explains, we have access into this grace (the favor of sonship, membership in the body of Christ) wherein we stand, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God (because glory and honor and immortality are promised to every member of the New Creation – every member of the body of Christ). But of course, you have to actually take the second step to reach this latter honor. Its not something that you automatically receive upon a profession of faith in Christ.

The last clause of this verse, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit,” (in Rom 8:1) is properly omitted by the Revised Version, because not found in ancient MSS. The thought, however, is correct enough, and these very words are found in the conclusion of Verse 4. The words do not properly apply in Verse 1, for that describes those who are in Christ, as members of his body, and none are counted as in him except those who are walking after the spirit – not after the flesh.

The Apostle calls our attention in Verse 2 to two laws in operation.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

We were under one of these, which sentenced us, as sinners, to death. We got out from under that law entirely when we got into Christ Jesus, as members of his body. Our Redeemer kept the Law, was blameless; then gave his blameless life as a redemption price to purchase us who had been the slaves of sin and death from that slavery. We were redeemed by his precious blood. As he was raised to a new nature by the Father’s power, we now are invited to become associates with him in that new nature – to be counted in as members of his body, under him as the Head. The whole transaction is one of faith; faith first in his sacrifice, and God’s acceptance of it, and our justification thereby. Secondly, faith in our call to membership in his body; faith that our consecration in response to that call made us acceptable with the Father and recorded our names in the Lamb’s book of life as children of God upon this new plane. All who can realize that they have taken these two steps may, therefore, realize that from God’s standpoint they are no longer thought of nor treated as members of the human family, but as members of the new order – members of the body of Christ.

Hence, they may realize themselves as entirely freed from the condemnation that was against them as human beings, and as having come under a new law, a new arrangement, which in Christ guarantees them life everlasting. The new law judges us as new creatures in Christ, according to the spirit, the mind, the intention, in righteousness, and NOT as human beings, according to the flesh and its weaknesses and imperfections.

This is what I felled to understand, and to keep in mind. If we focus on what we can or cannot perform in the flesh, with the idea that we are being judged according to the results we could easily see how we would lose all hope of becoming a member of the elect Church, it would prove an unattainable task.

Continued with next post.