In Christ - Pt 2

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 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, 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. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:1-8 ESV). Yesterday we looked at the phrase “in Christ”: today we must examine another phrase, “no condemnation.” This chapter from the Apostle Paul is abundantly sprinkled in gospel promises. They begin where the assurance of our faith begins: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” A definition is vital. Condemnation has to do with the penalty that follows a guilty verdict. It points to the judicial consequence for those who have demonstrated sin in any of its countless expressions. We should remember that though the specific actions that come from our sinfulness may vary in each of us by degree or kind, the reality of sinfulness remains true for all of us. Any honest assessment of our lives will leave us repeating with the apostle Paul, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (cf. Romans 7:19). So, the bad news is that no one escapes sin and therefore everyone is faced with condemnation. The good news is that God loved us too much to leave us in our guilt. He has taken in Christ the judgment and has paid the penalty we deserved. In Christ we do not stand condemned but free, we do not stand guilty but forgiven. Jesus Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and rose from the grave to overcome the consequences of our sin, so that “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (cf. John 3:16). I have testified in enough criminal cases to know the process is first proving guilt. Our guilt has already been proven. Of that there can be no doubt. After guilt has been proven, there is always a determination of sentence. At that point it is no longer a matter of whether the accused is guilty; it merely needs to be determined how badly they will be punished for their crime. We are guilty of the most heinous of crimes. We have rejected our Creator. The punishment is death. Because of Christ we now may be assured that our standing in Christ eliminates the entire process. We no longer are condemned. We are innocent. Are you in Christ? Then God says, “Not guilty!” That is glorious good news!