No Condemnation

Romans chapter 8 begins with an incredible pronouncement. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The throne of God's holiness no longer looks known upon us. We have been free and we have been set free and liberated and the birds and of condemnation, the guilt has been taken away and is one of the many reasons we call the gospel good news hello and welcome to Renewing Your Mind kindly with many times have you heard someone say that they want nothing to do with Christianity because they claim it's hard and restrictive. Today Dr. Derek Thomas believes in a study that counters that claim and reminds us that if Jesus set you free. You are free indeed. Well hello and welcome and that we are going to walk through together.

The eighth chapter of Romans and I preached a series on this and once called it the best chapter in the Bible and then a deacon came to this I was a deacon and he came to me and said, does not imply that there are parts of the Bible that matter than other sentencing that call into question the inspiration of the totality of Scripture side sent them. Joe, you've got two minutes to live, and I'm the pastor coming to the hospital to visit you have a choice.

Do I read the first eight chapters of Chronicles, which is a list of names or Romans eight and the clock is ticking. Make a choice and I think that is perfectly okay to say that the second parts of Scripture that are so condensed with the gospel. The gospel and all of its purity the gospel in all of its simplicity.

The gospel in all its contours and almost the entirety of the shape of the gospel is contained in Romans a to this been a favorite chapter 4 Christians have a since Paul wrote to begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation, and I want to remind you as we begin by going to look at this in 12 parts and then this first session were going to look at the first four verses and before I read the first four versus I want to remind you an illustration from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's progress. Not the first part but the second part of Pilgrim's progress the story of Christiana and the four boys as they make the same journey as Kristin made in part one, and there's a marvelous illustration that Bunyan implies about a man who is going amuck crake and and he's looking down and and he's doing this sort of thing and what he doesn't see is that behind him as a man who's holding a crown above his head. All he can see is the menial task in which is implied but he doesn't see the status that is actually a king and Romans eight is a reminder to us that in Jesus Christ we are children of God, and we are heirs and we had joint heirs with Jesus Christ and there is no condemnation and there is no possibility of separation from his loveless dive into Romans 810, beginning at the first verse.

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 requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit we need some context. The three major rules of real estate is location, location, location, and the three principal rules of exaggerating Scripture is context context context and where enrollment data and that means, of course, that seven chapters have preceded it.

And Paul is writing this letter he's never been in Rome he's anticipating a journey to Spain and he wants Rome to be what Antioch was. Antioch was home base for the spread of the gospel in what we might call the middle east on the eastern side of Europe.

And Paul is now strategizing that role will become the home base for an expansion of the gospel westwards send us forests Spain which was about as West as is Paul probably envisaged the world to be and he's begun. This magnificent letter by reminding his readers in Rome of the gospel and he is after those's extraordinary words that is not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God unto salvation. He explains and narrates that gospel you remember how Martin Luther discovered that gospel in the first chapter of Romans the righteousness that Luther was endeavoring to find through efforts and work send performance and acts of self denial and so on until he saw that righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ and it was the first chapter of Romans that brought that home to him. Paul has expended on why we need the gospel and in Romans 118 through 321. He has examined how there is none righteous, no not one. Both those who have the law on those who don't have the law, both Jews and Gentiles all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And then in chapter 3 in verse 21 coming close to every method, every math might be stopped before God, he brings in the wonder and provision of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and and expands on the doctrine of justification, how we are declared to be righteous. How we are declared to be in the right with a holy God and he goes to the Old Testament in order to demonstrate that that is always being the way that sinners have been made right with God and uses that Abraham and David as his primary example sin. Romans chapter 4 and then in chapter 5 he talks about the Adam Christ Paolo.

He expands upon the realities of the Christian life. Find chapter 6 that we are in union and communion. Now with the Lord Jesus will no longer an item with in Christ buried with Christ, raised with Christ to newness of life and chapter 6. Perhaps is the fulcrum of the pivot on which the book of Romans turns from having considered what we were all now wants us to appreciate what we are in Jesus Christ and I'm we are a new creation. We are in union and communion with Jesus looking at this now very quickly. Chapter 7 expands upon the realities that even though we are in Christ. We still continue to sin. Sin no longer rules and reigns in life, but it is still a powerful force in our life and we often forget who we are and we refer to thinking that we are back in Adam again. Then the good that we would we do not in the evil that we would not that I find I do a wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death and the answer to that question is here in Romans eight that we are delivered by the purposes and promises of God in Jesus Christ of God, who will not and cannot let you go so we come to Romans eight in verse one there is therefore now no condemnation.

No condemnation. Those sweet words because by nature. We are condemned by nature. We have broken God's law. We have fallen short of the glory of God. That's how Paul puts it in the third chapter of Romans we we have failed to live up to what God intended us to be as image bearers of God and therefore we have failed to realize the glory that God has in store for us like the men and bunions, pilgrims progress image for the muckraking and were constantly looking down and we failed to see the glory and the glorious.

On one level, no condemnation wanted to look at the passage and I wanted to see that it is thoroughly Trinitarian, that there is something in these opening verses that tells us of that which the father does, of that which the Holy Spirit does and all that which the Lord Jesus does and it's very important for us to understand that that the gospel is more than just Jesus died on the cross for me. The gospel is Trinitarian in origin and shape the contours of the gospel as Paul describes it here is Trinitarian, one involving the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. There is therefore now no condemnation and you notice that in verse three. For God has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do. By sending his own son, so the God in verse three is actually the father.

The father has done something and the father has declared that by nature, we are guilty and we broken God's law, but something has happened that the condemnation of sin has been taken away and eradicated. So therefore, in verse one of Romans eight and whenever you see the word. Therefore, you asked the question why is it there. What is it there for.

And Paul is drawing a conclusion based on everything that Christ has done. Based on everything that Christ has accomplished.

Based on the fact that we have now been regenerated and quickened and called and brought him to a saving union with Jesus Christ. There is no condemnation. Calvin and the institutes of the Christian religion. This extraordinary book that he writes from his 27 years old and 1536 and then it goes through various Latin and French traditions until the final edition in 1559 and it had grown from its original size to four times its size. But in book 3 units in four books in book 3 Calvin begins with the famous statement that soloists Christ remains outside of us all that he has accomplished is useless and of no value to us, so long as he remains outside of us, and what Paul wants us to understand that when Christ becomes part of us. When we come into union with Christ. When we believe in him and trust in him and I'm take him completely and utterly as our Lord and Savior. There is a consequence there is a therefore under, therefore, is there is no condemnation actually in the Greek the first word is no is the negative would not because Paul wants to be negative in and of itself. Next he wants to be positive because the note here is that we are no longer condemned the frown of God's holiness no longer looks down upon us. We have been freed. We have been set free and liberated and the burden of condemnation, the guilt has been taken away.

The judge has declared us not guilty.

Even though we are guilty he has declared us not guilty and he has done so in a way that has satisfied divine justice and therefore not only is there that which the father does the declaration of no condemnation. There is also that which the sun does for God is done with the first three for God has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do the law, justifies because of the weakness of the flesh, not because of any weakness in the law itself. The Lord is good. The law is holy and pure.

The law is an exposition of the character of God, the law tells us what God is like. It shows us his character's attributes.

The problem lies in our cities. The weakness of the flesh. It's our inability to keep the law of God is done with the law, weakened by the flesh could not do by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, other two things that this is the father sending his son like John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. The love that rescues and redeems us, initiates as much in the father's heart as it does the sons heart the initiative and redemption is the father sending his son, his only son to notice how Paul puts it in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he doesn't say in sinful flesh that would call into question the sinlessness of Jesus. Jesus was impeccable. He was without sin. There was no blemish in him. He had no original sin he committed no actual sin.

He was flawless, pure, he offered a righteousness which was immaculate, but he came in the likeness of sinful flesh.

He came into this world into this fallen world, discussed 12 this world. It is unhinged. He came in a lowly condition being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, took the form of a servant stranded fashion as a man tempted in every point.

Like as we are yet without sin. In the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh became in the likeness of sinful flesh, but without sin and became in the flesh in actual flesh. He wasn't a ghost. There is an error in the early church, the John speaks of in his first epistle called DOS citizen.

Those who denied the reality of the incarnation of the Jesus was justice. The Greek background having some misgivings about material atoms and molecules in the creation itself was somehow impugned with sin and iniquity, and the whole idea of the soul being imprisoned by the body and so on. And here is there is the apostle Paul saying about Jesus that he came in the likeness of sinful flesh. He was flesh and blood.

He was a true man.

He was born in Bethlehem a baby boy of Mary and of the Holy Spirit conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary room from a little baby to a 12-year-old discussing with the rabbis in the temple grow to be a man with human mind and human emotions in human affection send and and physical properties in every conceivable sense, a man human being because he came to represent us and became notice especially for sin.

That was the purpose of his coming became to deal with the problem of sin, our greatest problem greatest predicament that which Paul has already expanded upon in this epistle that there is none righteous, no not one for all of send and come short of the glory of God and Jesus came as our representative and substitute for sin, for the purposes of sin to deal with sin, to atone for sin to redeem us from the bondage of sin and pay the ransom price that would set us free so that in union and communion with Jesus.

God can look down upon him, and condemned sin in the flesh, God made him Jesus to be sin for us, that we might be reckoned the righteousness of God in him. So here is the double imputation.

Our sins reckons to the account of Christ is obedience, his righteousness, his perfection reckoned to our accounts. He obeyed where we disobey. He offered up himself as a sacrifice to satisfy the demands of divine justice of the God would be just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus is that puts the father does, and there's that which the sun does with this. Also that which the Holy Spirit does in verse two and that's something that Paul is going to expand upon in some detail in the course of Romans.

A Bronze Age is one of the great chapters on the Holy Spirit and this is reported for the law of the Spirit of life. The law of the Spirit of life. It's an interesting phrase, why doesn't he just say for the spirit of life are set us free in Christ. Instead he says the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Always hinting at something that he's going to expand on in verse four 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 and the commentators disagree on what verse four means but I think I think of verse four is saying that as a consequence of salvation and redemption in Jesus Christ. We are now set free to live out the law by the power of the Holy Spirit, not in order to be justified, but because we are justified in the grammar of the gospel that are indicative's and imperatives in the indicative saw. We are saved we are redeems we experience this amazing sentence.

We are not condemned. We are set free set free to what redeem for what purpose, in order that the law the law of the Spirit of life and by the power of the Holy Spirit might work itself out in the pattern of our lives. God saves us in order that we might be holy, not a holiness that justifies but a holiness that declares our sanctification, progressive sanctification, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit opposed to expand on that a little more in the course of this eight chapter of Romans procuring these opening verses a little picture actually the grand picture of the doctrine of the Trinity father the son and the Holy Spirit rescuing us from the plight of sin and delivering us no condemnation in the glory, glory, Romans eight introducing Romans eight to give us a sense of joy and peace. It is a source of great comfort for every Christian. Thank you for joining us today for Renewing Your Mind. I will you have been the Dr. Derek Thomas is leading us over the next couple of days in the study of Romans chapter 8 is a look in your teaching fellow. The senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia South Carolina and Chancellor's Prof. of systematic theology and perform theological seminary's series on Romans eight watches through this high point of the New Testament and would be happy to send you the 12 part two DVD set of the entire series simply give a donation of any amount to regular ministries when you call us at 800-435-4343. You can also make a request online at Renewing Your Mind, that word, and when you contact us today will add the study guide for this series to your online learning library at the beginning of today's program. I asked if you've ever heard someone say that Christianity is harsh and restrictive.

Your friend, or even a family member is made that claim.

Let me encourage you to share Dr. Thomas's message today with them when you go to Renewing Your Mind that were just below the title of the lesson, you'll find a share tab.

Just click that and will give you an email option. You can also share it on Facebook and Twitter. The gospel is understood as good news. Only when we grasp the bad news. We are dead in sins will are in bondage to sin themselves and therefore not free, not free to choose anything at all. Not free to choose their spiritual good requires a sovereign initiative and act of God's will and what it means to be spiritually alive, you'll join us for Renewing Your Mind tomorrow