Romans 8:1, 2 - When Living In Christ And Spirit Filled There Is No Condemnation.
Romans 8:1, 2 (NIV) Therefore, there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of
the Spirit of life set me free from the law of
sin and death.
Romans 8:1, 2 (NLT) So now there is no
condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 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 (CWR) Therefore, there is no
condemnation to those who hid in Christ by faith. 2 For
the Holy Spirit has given me a new life in
Christ and has freed me from the controlling power
of my sinful nature which always stands ready
to put me back on the road to death.
INTRODUCTION
In chapter 7 Paul asked, "Who will deliver
me from this body of death?" (7:24). Chapter 8
gives the answer: the Holy Spirit of God. The
blessings He brings make us "more than conquerors" (v.
37)! [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by
Warren Wiersbe]
This Spirit of life is the Holy Spirit. He
was present at the creation of the world
(Genesis 1:2), and he is the power behind the rebirth
of every Christian. He gives us the power we
need to live the Christian life. For more about
the Holy Spirit, read the notes on John 3:6;
Acts 1:3; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 1:5. [Life Application
SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
How God Sees Us
As Christians, were going to mess up.
Were going to sin. But when He died on the cross
of Calvary, Jesus took upon Himself the
condemnation and the judgment that we should have faced.
Romans 8:1 tells us, So now there is
no condemnation for those who belong to Christ
Jesus (NLT). A Spirit-led believer lives a
condemnation-free life.
We see a classic example of how this
works in John 8, when the religious leaders
brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to
Jesus. Obviously a man was involved, but he was
gone, and the religious leaders had set up a trap.
They said, This woman was caught in the act of
adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do
you say? (verses 4"5 NLT).
But Jesus knew exactly what they were
doing. And instead of answering right away, He
stooped down and wrote in the dirt. Now, we dont
know what Jesus wrote, but whatever it was, it
had a profound effect. Then He stood up and
said, All right, but let the one who has never
sinned throw the first stone! (verse 7 NLT).
The Bible tells us that one by one they
all left, from the oldest to the youngest. So
Jesus said to the woman, Where are your
accusers? Didnt even one of them condemn you?
(verse 10 NLT).
She replied, No, Lord.
Then Jesus told her, Neither do I. Go
and sin no more (verse 11 NLT).
This woman knew she was going to die that
day. But instead, everything changed when she
looked into the eyes of Jesus and looked at the
others who had condemned her. And she believed on
the spot. Thats how long it takes to believe
in Jesus.
When we come to believe in Christ, we
dont understand everything about Him. We dont
understand all the intricacies of the theology of
conversion, justification, sanctification, adoption, and
so forth. But we know that we need Jesus, and
we put our faith in Him. Then He says, Go
and sin no more.
God always sees us for what we can
become. Think of Simon Peter. When he was still
known as Simon, Jesus gave him a new name, Peter,
which means rock. Now, if there was anything
that Simon was not, it was a rock. He was
hotheaded, vacillating, and argumentative. Yet Jesus
was saying, From now on, youre a rock.
Maybe the other disciples were laughing
at this, thinking, Rock? Does Jesus actually
know Simon?
Yes, He did. But Jesus wasnt calling
Simon what he was; He was explaining what he would
become. Where we see failure, God sees potential.
We see a Simon. God sees a Peter. We see
the past. God sees the future. We see a mess.
God sees a message. God sees us for who we are
in Christ, not what we were in sin. God does
not see us in our sin; He sees us in His Son.
God can change everything in your story - if
youll let Him. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Jesus Took Your Judgment
Do you get it right all the time? Of
course you dont! None of us do. None of us is
perfect.
There is a lot of pressure in our society
to have it all together, to be successful in
every endeavor, to be everything to everyone. But
those expectations are unrealistic. Why? Because
you are human. And being a Christian does not
make you a super-human.
The Bible says you wont be perfect
after you become a Christian. If someone tells you
that, that person is not telling the truth.
Youre going to mess up. Youre going to fail at
times. And most likely you will beat yourself up
for your failures.
But, if youre a follower of Jesus, you
can be sure of this: God never condemns you.
Way too many believers live in fear,
bitterness, and insecurity. Although theyre saved,
youd never know it by how they live. Theyre
too stressed out with fear that God will condemn
them for what theyve done wrong. Theyre
walking around with tension in their mind and body,
and it shows in how they look at the future and
how they treat others. Instead of dealing with
their own guilt, they often pile it on others.
Yet the Bible says theres no need:
There is no condemnation for those who belong to
Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1 NLT).
In other words, God doesnt judge you
for all the things youve done wrong if
youve trusted Christ. Jesus took all that judgment
upon himself on the cross. God doesnt have to
judge you because Jesus was judged. He took the
blame for your sins.
Thats amazing news. That is Good News
- the Gospel! Theres no reason for a
Christian to walk around in shame. Theres no reason
to be bitter. Before you were ever born, God
knew all the sins youd ever commit - and he
paid the price for every single one of them.
Whatever youve done in your past,
whoever youve hurt, no matter what other people
tell you - you can be sure of this: If youve
given your life to Christ, youre forgiven.
It is finished! [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
What It Means to Have Holy Spirit Power
None of us are immune to persistent sins.
Some people struggle with anger, while others
wrestle with worry or gossip or lust.
How do you break free from persistent sin?
You understand what Jesus has done for
you. On the cross, Jesus paid for the penalty of
your sins so you dont have to pay for it. All
of your sins - even the ones you havent
committed yet - have been paid for on the cross.
But Jesus not only paid for your sin. He
also paid to break the power of sin in your life.
Now you have a power you didnt have before -
the power to say no to sin. Its more than
willpower. Its Holy Spirit power!
The Bible says in Romans 8:2, The
power of the life-giving Spirit - and this power
is mine through Christ Jesus - has freed me
from the vicious circle of sin and death
(TLB).
If youre a Christian, you know Jesus
died to pay for your sin. Thats the Good News.
And if thats all there was, that would still
be the best news in the world. But when he died
on the cross, Jesus also took our old sin
nature and gave us a new nature, one that no longer
has to live in persistent sin. We know that
our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ
so that sin might lose its power in our lives.
We are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6
NLT).
Sin no longer has any power in your life.
A dead person cant be tempted! That old
nature cant be tempted, and since it died with
Christ, you can be confident that you also share in
his new life.
Willpower will never be enough to break
the power of sin in your life. But thanks to
Jesus, you have more than enough power in the Holy
Spirit to resist temptation and break the vicious
circle of sin and death. [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
When we speak of faith, there is a
distinction that should be borne in mind. There is a
kind of belief that is wholly distinct from
faith. The existence and power of God, the truth of
His word, are facts that even Satan and his
hosts cannot at heart deny. The Bible says that
"the devils also believe, and tremble;" but this
is not faith. James 2:19. Where there is not
only a belief in God's word, but a submission of
the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to
Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is
faith--faith that works by love and purifies the soul.
Through this faith the heart is renewed in the image
of God. And the heart that in its unrenewed
state is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be, now delights in its holy precepts,
exclaiming with the psalmist, "O how love I Thy law! it
is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97.
And the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in
us, "who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit." Romans 8:1.
There are those who have known the
pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be
children of God, yet they realize that their
character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they
are ready to doubt whether their hearts have
been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would
say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often
have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus
because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are
not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome
by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken
and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Said the beloved John, "These things write I unto
you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous." 1 John 2:1. And do not forget the words of
Christ, "The Father Himself loveth you." John 16:27.
He desires to restore you to Himself, to see
His own purity and holiness reflected in you.
And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He
that hath begun a good work in you will carry it
forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more
fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust
our own power, let us trust the power of our
Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health of
our countenance. {SC 63-64}
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Romans 8:1 - No Condemnation IF We Live In
Christ.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220611-0933.html
Romans 8:2 - Spirit Filled and Empowered.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230804-1120.html
John 3:6, 7 - Twice Born Required for Heaven.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210614-1111.html
John 3:3 - You Must Be Born Again To Enter
The Kingdom Of God.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200518-0946.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
