THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST

Proclamation:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 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 (NIV)

Explanation:

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Rome, the Apostle Paul told them that all believers were set free from the penalty of sin.  He said they were no longer condemned because Jesus died as a sin offering and He condemned the sin in sinful man who believes. (Romans 8:3)  

Application:
Those of us who believe are free from the penalty of sin through Jesus, The Christ, but we are not free from sinning.  Since all unrighteousness is sin, anything that we do which does not give glory to God is a sin. (1 John 5:17)  However, if we live our lives according to The Spirit of God, we will think more often about the things that please God. (Romans 8:6)  The unsaved person has a sinful mind, is controlled by their sinful nature, and frequently thinks about sinful things.  Their sinful thoughts and actions are hostile towards God and they cannot please God. (Romans 8:7-8)  Believers are not controlled by a sinful nature, they are controlled by The Spirit of God and their desire is to do that which is pleasing to God. (Romans 8:9-10)  If we are not trying to please God, then who are we trying to please?  If The Spirit of God is within us, then we will live, as best we can, by The Word of God. (Romans 8:11)  When we sin and mess up, we will fess up, we will get up, and we will pray for His help continue to walk the Christian walk.  We will continue to walk the walk because we know that we are not condemned for our occasional slips and sinful mistakes.  We may be punished for doing wrong, because He chastises those He loves, (Proverbs 3:11-12) but we are not condemned.

By Sin Man Fell From The Grace Of God

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned ..."  Romans 5:12 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul, the Christian persecutor turned preacher, wrote to the believers in Rome and told them that it was because to the voluntary transgression of one man in the Garden of Eden that sin entered into the world. (Genesis 3:1-24)  Death also entered then because the penalty for sin is death. (Genesis 3:3 and Romans 6:23)  Since all men have sinned, all men must pay the penalty of sin which is death. (Romans 3:23)  

Just as sin and death entered the world through the transgression of one man, so then by the grace of God did the gift of righteousness and salvation enter into the world by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ. (Romans 5:17)  Jesus died so that we might be saved. (John 3:17, Acts 4:12, and Romans 10:9)  By His death, burial, and resurrection, He who knew no sin, paid the price for our sins. (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Jesus paid it all for us, He died in our place, and for that we owe Him a debt that we cannot repay.  That alone should be reason enough to give Him all praise, honor, and glory.  He is worthy of our worship.

In Whom Do You Put Your Trust?

Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the members of his own household. But as for me, I watch in hope for The Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, The Lord will be my light. Because I have sinned against Him, I will bear The Lord's wrath, until He pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see His righteousness." Micah 7:5-9 (NIV)

Even in the sad state that he finds himself in, and the rebellious state of God's people, the prophet Micah warns the people not to put their trust in man, friend or family. He states that he will put his trust in The Lord. He admits that he has also done wrong, and that he must give an account for his sins. He knows that he has a whipping coming for his sins, but he also knows that he is a child of The King and as such, will be brought out of darkness in to the marvelous light of God.

We need to know who to trust. Friends and family will let us down, and if the truth be told, we will disappoint them also. The only one that we can always be sure of is The Lord. Even though we sin and fall out of fellowship, we never lose our relationship with Him. Once a child of God, always a child of God. Once we confess, repent, and turn from our sins, we will be restored to His good graces. Then He will turn our gloating enemies into our footstools and allow us to move up a little higher.

Caught In The Act

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?' They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, 'If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.' Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there." John 8:1-11 (NIV)

When the woman that was caught in the act of adultery was brought before Him, Jesus said let the one among them who was without sin throw the first stone at her. No one knows what Jesus wrote in the dirt when He bent down. Jesus did not condemn the woman, but it is possible that the men were convicted by what He wrote in the dirt.

Be careful when you set out to trick someone, you may end up being the one that is embarrassed. Jesus taught them and us that we should not be so quick to condemn. Before we condemn others, we should take a look at ourselves. When you live in a glass house, you should not throw stones at others. Don't focus on the sins of others, deal with your own sins.

What Will Be Said About Our Life After We Die?

The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. " Genesis 4:1-10 (NIV)

Abel gave God his best, while Cain just offered God some of his increase. God accepted Abel's offering but he rejected Cain's offering. Cain got angry and killed his brother Abel, and God punished him for that.

What will our "blood" say about us when we are gone? Blood here is a figure of speech, it is something that will be left behind after our soul leaves our body. What will be remembered about us and said about us after we die? More importantly, what will the life that we have lived say to God about us after our death?

God knows whether we have truly given Him our best, when we have been wronged by others, and when we have done wrong unto others. We will have to give an account for our actions, as well as for our words and thoughts. When we stand before Jesus in judgement, we won't have to say a word, our lives will speak for us. What will our life say about us and what we did, or did not do, to give God glory?

Why Are Times So Hard For Us?

To Adam God said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life ... By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV)

After the original sin in the garden of Eden, man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent. God gave us free will and we did not choose wisely. For this reason we will suffer
hard times all the days of our lives. In sin we are conceived (Psalms 51:5), and we are servants to sin (Romans 6:6) until we give our lives to Christ. Every man born of a woman woman will live but a few days and those will be full of trouble (Job 14:1).

Things will not really get better for us until we change, humble ourselves, and pray, and turn from our wicked ways, and seek Him (2 Chronicles 7:14), then God will hear and answer our prayers.

The Penalty Of Sin And The Gift Of God

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

Because we all have sinned, we all deserve the penalty of death. And not just the physical death, but separation from Jesus The Christ. We cannot pay the debt that we owe for our sins. However, Jesus has already paid the debt for us and has given us the opportunity for eternal life with Him, if we believe in him.

Death is both physical and spiritual. The physical death is the separation of the body and the spirit. Spiritual death is the "second death" when the soul is cast into the "lake of fire" for eternal damnation and torment. The only way to escape the second death is acceptance of the gift of eternal life.