Romans 8:1-4 - Part 1

Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

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Our text for today is Romans chapter 8 verses 1 through 4.

Romans 8:1–4

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Romans would be the gem that enhanced that ring.

And Romans 8 would be the brilliant splendor that emanated from that ring.

This is perhaps my favorite chapter in the Bible.

In fact, when I suggested that we study Romans as a church to your elders,

I had this chapter in mind.

So the rest of it is of great value.

The entirety of the book is good for us.

But oh, chapter 8.

I have been long awaiting getting to this text.

So let's not delay as we have planned to look at the first four verses today.

Before I read it, let me remind you, beloved.

This is God's Word to us.

It was written for His glory and our good.

And so we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

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.

Our text this morning begins with,

There is therefore now.

So let's briefly think about what he means by this opening phrase.

He certainly means something that he's going to say in the text,

but I also think he's generally referencing back to the entire letter up to this point.

So let's draw a straight line through his argument to get our bearing for today.

You may remember back in Romans chapter 1, verse 16 and 17,

Romans 1:16

Paul's thesis statement for the entirety of his letter.

There he says,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, or hear it in the positive,

I am proud of the good news of Christ,

for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it, the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.

As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.

And we have been driving the point that we are saved,

we are declared righteous, justified before God by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

And I have been contending to you that this is not a thing that should be assumed in our day,

but it's a thing that should be held onto and held tightly onto and contended for.

He then begins to set up the great problem of sin in the world.

We'll pick up in chapter 2, verse 12 and 13.

There he says,

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, Gentiles.

And all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law, Israelites.

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God,

but the doers of the law who will be justified.

But then he goes on to talk about in chapter 3 how none is righteous.

No, not one.

So if it's the doers of the law who will be justified,

then we have a great problem.

We cannot be justified by our doing of the law

because we have already failed in our keeping of the law.

So chapter 5 and verse 1, there he says,

Therefore, since we have been justified by, not our works, but by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Justified by grace through faith in Christ.

And then chapter 6 and verse 6, there he writes,

We know that our old self was crucified with him

in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing

so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

And we've been working out all that this means

through the rest of chapter 6 and through chapter 7.

But I think not only is Paul generally referencing back to the entire letter,

but he is also certainly specifically referencing the end of chapter 7.

So read with me from verse 23 to the end.

There he says, he's stated that he's been set free from the power of sin,

but here he says,

I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind

and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

There's this struggle still in this life with his old self.

He's got new desires and yet he seems to be at competition within.

In verse 24 he breaks out and says,

Wretched man that I am,

who would deliver me from this body of death?

And the answer is that question,

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And that's where we pick up.

Sometimes our chapter breaks are very helpful to us in our Bibles.

And sometimes they are not.

This is one of the cases I wish that there was not a chapter break here.

Because it goes right into this,

There is therefore now

no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The Greek word here rendered condemnation

relates to the sentencing of a crime,

but focuses not on the verdict,

but on the penalty the verdict demands.

Its emphasis is not on the declaration of guilt,

but on the price that must be paid

for the crime of rebellion against our God.

Paul tells us that for those who are in Christ Jesus,

there is no longer any condemnation.

There's no longer a price that must be paid

for it was paid for us.

However, the implication is that for those who are not in Christ Jesus,

there is condemnation.

And we must take some time to consider this.

If we're to rightly appreciate what it means

for there to be no condemnation,

what does it mean for there to be condemnation?

Paul has told us previously in the letter

what sin has purchased for us

if we are not in Christ Jesus.

Chapter 6 and verse 23,

For the wages of sin is death.

Death, not just temporal, which we will all experience,

but eternal death awaits all who are not in Christ Jesus.

death forever.

We get some perhaps hint of what that may look like,

although it's a horror I don't want to imagine.

Jesus says in Luke chapter 13, verse 27 and 28,

Luke 13:27

I tell you, I do not know where you come from.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil.

In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,

and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,

but you yourselves cast out.

So at very least, it's a place of great sorrow and concern.

Death forever.

Do not be mistaken this morning.

The most important thing about you,

the most important thing,

we have so many things we tend to want to define ourselves by,

but the most important thing about you

is whether or not you are in Christ Jesus.

At the end of all things,

nothing else will matter.

The American pastor, Jonathan Edwards,

once preached a sermon called

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

He preached it in 1741,

which is in the midst of the Great Awakening,

and it was an exposition of Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 35.

Deuteronomy 32 · chapter mention

I want to read to you just a short excerpt from this sermon.

I'm going to do my best to read it well,

but history tells us that he read this standing at the back of this room.

He wasn't facing anybody.

Nobody was looking at him,

and he read it extremely flat.

And yet people were begging him to stop reading

because of the conviction they were feeling.

But I'll try to read it better for your benefit.

He said this,

There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God.

There is hell's wide, gaping mouth open,

and you have nothing to stand upon,

nor anything to take hold of.

There is nothing between you and hell but the air.

It is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.

You probably are not sensible of this.

You find you are kept out of hell,

but you do not see the hand of God in it,

but look at other things,

at the good state of your bodily constitution,

your care of your own life,

and the means you use for your own preservation.

But indeed, these things are nothing.

If God should withdraw his hand,

they would avail no more to keep you from falling

than the thin air to hold up a person

that is suspended in it.

Your wickedness makes you, as it were, heavy as lead,

and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell.

And if God should let you go,

you would immediately sink and swiftly descend

and plunge into the bottomless gulf

and your healthy constitution

and your own care and prudence

and best contrivance

and all your righteousness

would have no more influence to uphold you

and keep you out of hell

than a spider's web would have

to stop a falling rock.

Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God,

the earth would not bear you one moment,

for you are a burden to it.

The creation groans with you.

The creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption.

The sun does not willingly shine upon you

to give you light to serve sin and Satan.

The earth does not willingly yield her increase

to satisfy your lusts,

nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon.

The air does not willingly serve you for breath

to maintain the flame of life in your vitals

while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies.

God's creatures are good

and were made for men to serve God with

and do not willingly subserve to any other purpose

and groan when they are abused to purposes

so directly contrary to their nature and end.

And the world would spew you out

were it not for the sovereign hand of him

who has subjected it in hope.

There are the black clouds of God's wrath

now hanging directly over your heads,

full of the dreadful storm

and big with thunder.

And were it not for the restraining hand of God,

it would immediately burst forth upon you.

You don't hear preaching like that much anymore.

If you are not in Christ Jesus,

condemnation awaits you.

Death forevermore.

flee to Christ,

that you would be saved.

Believe that he paid the penalty for your sin on the cross.

He bore your condemnation

and that he perfectly kept the law on your behalf.

Find yourself in Christ Jesus

by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in him alone.

condemnation.

Because, oh,

in Christ Jesus,

there is no longer

any

condemnation.

Some of you may have been

asked to read in school

an excerpt

like the one I read

from Edward's famous sermon

to show how terrible

American Puritanism was.

I was asked to do this

in a college English class.

There is a reason

you were not assigned

the entirety

of the text.

I made a pretty grand point

of this

in my English class

in college.

Later in that same sermon,

Edward says,

And now,

you have an extraordinary

opportunity.

A day wherein Christ

has thrown the door

of mercy

wide open

and stands in

calling and crying

with a loud voice

to poor sinners.

A day wherein

many are flocking

to him

and pressing

into the kingdom

of God.

Many are daily

coming from the east,

west,

north,

and south.

Many that were

very lately

in the same

miserable condition

that you are in

are now

in a happy state

with their hearts

filled with love

to him

who has loved them

and washed them

from their sins

in his own blood

and rejoicing

in hope

of the glory

of God.

Beloved,

in Christ Jesus,

there is no

longer

any

condemnation.

Because of the

completed work

of Jesus Christ,

the sentence

that we

fully

deserved

has been

commuted.

We have passed

from death

to life,

from enemies

to friends.

We were once

estranged,

but now

we belong.

Hear me

carefully

this morning.

This declaration

of Paul's,

there is therefore

now no

condemnation

for those

who are in

Christ Jesus,

does not

depend

on you.

It does not

serve at the

whim of your

emotions.

It depends

entirely

on God,

so it

is

sure.

I hope

that you

can rest

in that.

God

accomplishes

all that

he sets

out to

and all

of his

promises

are kept.

Our salvation

finds its

confidence

in him.

But I know

that you

sometimes have

a hard time

believing this.

I sometimes

have a hard

time

believing

this.

You are

in good

company,

as am I.

Listen to

Paul once

again,

Romans 7,

23-25.

I see

in my

members

another

law

waging war

against the

law of

my mind

and making

me captive

to the

law of

sin that

dwells

in my

members.

Wretched

man

that I

am,

who will

deliver me

from this

body of

death?

What does

he say

next?

In verse

25,

does he

say that

he must

deliver

himself?

Does he

say that

perhaps

tomorrow

he will

perform

better

and feel

better?

No.

What does

he say?

Thanks be

to God

through Jesus

Christ,

our Lord.

God does

the saving

and the

keeping.

There is

therefore

now no

condemnation

for those

who are

in

Christ

Jesus

regardless

of how

you might

feel about

it.

Some of

you may

have

noticed

I brought

my copy

of

Pilgrim's

Progress

with me

today.

So I'll

read a bit

more to

you from

it.

The driving

point I'm

making here

is that the

experience is

common

that we

might feel

at times

this strain.

how can

it be

true of

me

that there's

no

condemnation

for me?

Look at

the way

I willingly

sin once

again.

Beloved,

if you're

in Christ

there is

no

condemnation

for you.

This is

much of

the Christian

experience.

This book

is called

The

Pilgrim's

Progress.

And the

main character

in the book

is not

named

Pilgrim.

His name

is Christian.

John Bunyan

meant for

this to

be understood

as the

typical

experience

of the

Christian

life.

Maybe we

don't get

every bit

and piece

of it,

but we

pick up

much of

this

across

our

life.

I find

myself

in it

more

and more

the

longer

I

follow

Jesus.

So the

short

little bit

I want

to read

to you,

Christian

has met

a

companion

named

Faithful.

And

Faithful

is recounting

the story

of how

he

arrived

at

this

spot

on the

journey

along

with

Christian.

And just

before he

has headed

up a

hill

called

Difficulty,

he was

tempted

by

Adam

I.

I should

mention

if you're

unfamiliar

with this,

it's an

allegory.

He's

tempted

by Adam

I.

to go

with him

to the

town

of

Deceit.

And Faithful

considers

this

for a

time.

And so

he begins

up the

hill

difficulty

feeling

the guilt

of being

tempted

by Adam

I,

tempted

by

his

flesh

to go

to this

town

of

Deceit

and to

fill

himself

with the

desires

of this

life.

So

he's

headed up

the hill

difficulty

and he

says,

now when

I had

climbed

about

halfway

up,

I

looked

behind

and

saw

someone

coming

after

me

swift

as

the

wind.

Soon

he

overtook

me

just

about

the

place

where

the

arbor

stands.

That

is the

place,

said

Christian,

where I

sat

down

to

rest,

fell

asleep,

and

lost

my

scroll.

Christian

lost

the

assurance

of his

faith

by

napping.

Dear

brother,

hear me

out,

Faithful

urged.

So

as soon

as the

man

overtook

me,

without

saying

a

word,

he

struck

me

and

knocked

me

down

unconscious.

When I

came to,

I asked

him why

he had

thus

assaulted

me.

He

said

that it

was

because

of my

secret

inclination

to

follow

Adam

the

first,

and

with

that

he

struck

me

with

another

deadly

blow

on the

chest

and

beat

me

down

backward,

and

I

lay

at

his

feet

as

if

I

were

dead.

So

when

I

came

to,

I

cried

to

him

for

mercy,

but

he

said,

I

do

not

know

how

to

show

mercy,

and

with

that

knocked

me

down

again.

Now

this

figure

is

Moses

beating

him

down

with

the

law.

Why?

Because

he

had

an

inclination

to

Adam

the

first,

and

the

law

comes

to

bear

witness

of

that

transgression.

But

here

he

finds

himself

on

the

hill

difficult,

unable

to

get

up,

and

maybe

you

find

yourself

in

the

shoes

of

faithful

this

morning.

Listen

to what

Bunyan

writes

next.

He

would

have

beaten

me

to

death,

except

one

came

by

and

told

him

to

stop.

Christian

asked,

who

was it

that

told

him

to

stop?

Faithful

went

on,

I

did

not

recognize

him

at

first,

but

as

he

went

by,

I

saw

the

wounds

in

his

hands

and

in

his

side.

Then

I

concluded

that

he

was

our

Lord.

So

I

continued

up

the

hill.

The

Lord

Jesus

Christ

came

by

and

said,

stop.

He

said,

mine

of

faithful,

and the

law

stopped

beating

him

down.

Do

you

sometimes

still

feel

the

weight

of

a

burden

that

has

already

been

loosed

from

your

back?

Our

Lord

did not

place

that

weight

upon

your

shoulders.

You

did.

You

stopped

believing

that there's

no

condemnation

for those

who are

in

Christ

Jesus.

Listen

to the

words of

Jesus

in

Matthew

Matthew 11:28

11,

verse

28 and

29,

find some

solace

there

where he

says,

come to

me,

all who

labor

and are

heavy laden

and I

will give

you

rest.

Take

my yoke

upon you

and learn

from me

for I

am gentle

and lowly

in heart

and you

will find

rest

for your

souls.

Love

still

bids you

welcome,

dear

Christian.

Jesus

calls to

you

in your

failure,

come

to

me.

He

is

unendingly

gracious

and merciful

to those

who belong

to him.

Your

standing

with him

was

accomplished

by

him.

You

are

his

and he

will

not

cast

you

out.

There

is

therefore

now

no

condemnation

for those

who are

in Christ

Jesus.

Not

there is

therefore

now

no

condemnation

for those

who feel

like

there is

therefore

now

no

condemnation.

Charles

Spurgeon

once said,

this is the

quotation on the

back of your

bulletin,

my hope

that I

am saved

does not

lie in

the fact

that I

preach

or that

I do

this or

that.

All

my hope

lies

in

this,

that Jesus

Christ

came to

save

sinners.

I

am

a

sinner.

I

trust

him.

Then

he

came

to

save

me

and

I

am

saved.

In

Romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter

12

and

verse

2,

Paul

tells

us

that

we

are

to

be

transformed

by

the

renewal

of

our

minds.

Beloved,

by the

renewal

of our

minds,

not

our

emotions.

I

think we

live in

a day,

perhaps,

more than

any other

day,

although I've

never lived

in the

others,

that emotions

lead the

charge.

We are

such a

people

batted

around by

the way

we

feel.

Perhaps

because it's

difficult to

know what

the truth

is as

we walk

in such

a

confused

world.

We have

an

absolute

word.

a

clear

text

that

tells

us

what

the

truth

is

as

it

concerns

the

most

important

things.

Do not

let your

feelings

lead the

charge

and try

to get

the

truth

to

catch

up

to

your

feelings.

Rather,

let your

feelings

catch

up

to

the

truth.

We're

to be

transformed

by the

renewal

of

our

minds.

So

repeat

it

until

you

believe

it.

There's

therefore

now no

condemnation

for those

who are

in

Christ

Jesus.

There's

therefore

now no

condemnation

for those

who are

in

Christ

Jesus.

No

condemnation,

no

condemnation,

no

condemnation.

We've

been set

free

from it.

Stop

carrying it

around like

a burden

on your

back when

the burden

has

been

taken.

You

didn't do

it.

Praise

God,

you can't

undo it.

the Lord

has

done

it

for the

glory

of his

grace

to be

expressed

to us.

What an

incredible

thing.

And we

walk around

beating

ourselves

down

as if

we've

not

been

set

free

from

the

condemnation

that

comes

with

sin.

I

want

to

ask

and

answer

two

questions

about

verse

one

that

find

their

answers

in

verses

two

through

four.

But as

I look

at the

time,

yeah,

I want

to ask

and answer

them at

length

next week.

When you

make the

preaching

schedule,

you get a

little bit

of liberty

to do

this.

But let's

consider them

briefly

before I

close.

Maybe

good just

to set

our minds

on no

condemnation.

Let me

ask them

and answer

them briefly.

Number

one,

how is

there

therefore

now

no

condemnation?

Paul has

been making

this argument

to us

across the

entirety

of the

letter,

but he

sums it

up for

us in

verses

two

and

three.

Because

if you

are in

Christ

Jesus,

you have

been

justified.

This

word is

so

important.

Justification

is a

legal

declaration

that your

sins

have been

forgiven

and that

you have

perfectly

kept

the law.

The

Mosaic

Covenant

requires

this of

us.

If we're

to be

God's

people,

we have

to be

perfect

law

keepers.

And we

haven't.

We have

failed at

this.

We deserve

the punishment

of our

sin.

That debt

has to be

canceled.

But not

just that,

we also

have to be

perfect

law

keepers.

And so

we get

both

from

Christ.

It's the

doctrine of

double

imputation.

We'll talk

about it

at length.

next week.

Our sin

taken

by Him,

given to

Him,

and His

righteousness

given

to us.

So briefly

see that

in verses

2 and

3.

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.

We could

not keep

the law

in our

sinful

flesh

flesh.

By

sending

His

own

Son

in the

likeness

of

sinful

flesh

and for

sin,

He

condemned

sin

in

the

flesh.

Whose

flesh?

In

Christ's

flesh

on our

behalf.

So you

see,

Jesus'

perfect

law

keeping

and His

taking

of our

condemnation

there in

the text.

Christ's

Christ's

But also

we should

ask,

why

have

you been

set

free

in

Christ

Jesus?

So that

we might

be

sanctified.

Another

important

term.

Sanctification

is the

growing

process

of becoming

holy.

When we're

declared

righteous,

this is

an eternal

state in

which we

stand.

It's a

positional

thing,

but then

we are

in this

life

sanctified.

Bit

by bit,

one

degree of

glory to

another,

Paul says.

We grow

in holiness.

Justification

necessarily

leads to

sanctification,

and much of

the rest of

this chapter

is about

that.

How do

we do

that?

Well,

we live

life by

the Spirit.

We're

empowered

by Him

to keep

God's

law.

Always

starting with

the fact

that we're

no longer

condemned

in Christ,

we're now

set free

to be

obedient

by the

power.

of the

Spirit.

Two

wonderful

things.

We will

take up

both of

these

questions

and we'll

answer them

in depth

next week

as we

continue

to study

together.

So,

we just

skipped

four pages

of notes.

We bring

you back

to verse

one.

I hope

it just

resonates

around

inside of

you

this morning.

Christian

brothers and

sisters,

almost all

of the

counseling

I do

is found

in verse

one.

We come

at it

from many

other places.

There's

practical

applications

to be

done,

but oh,

if we

would just

believe

that there

is therefore

now no

condemnation

for those

who are

in

Christ

Jesus.

Let's

pray

together.