Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1.
It’s been a saying in our family for many
years, that whenever we see the word “therefore”, we ask, “What’s it there
for?” My good friend Merriam-Webster says “for that reason” or “because of
that”.
So, when Paul wrote this verse, what
did he have in mind? “No condemnation” is a great place to be—
whether natural
sense or spiritual sense. If we go back into chapter 7, verse 5, we find that
“in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work
in us, so that we bore fruit for death.” We were under serious condemnation—in
fact, we had sold ourselves as slaves to sin and our wages (if you can call it
that) were going to be death.
What changes things? Jesus Christ our
Lord delivers us, thanks be to God (7:25).How does Jesus deliver us? From the
Gospel of John, we see that the physical condemnation the Jewish leaders placed
on Jesus was vicious. Look at this list:—
·
Beating
before Annas.
· Ceremonial
contamination and false charges before Pilate.
·
Claimed
to be worse than Barabbas, a murderer.
·
Mocked
and flogged by Pilate’s men.
·
Vilified
by the Jews.
·
Crucified
in great agony.
But there was condemnation from God in
heaven, as well:—
·
Forsaken
by the Father. Psa.22:1.
·
Buried
under our sins. Isa.53:6.
So just how does Jesus deliver us? All
the condemnation that fell on Him was really due to us. The key is in the word
“substitution”. Jesus, the infinite Son of God, was able to bear all those
condemnations, and apply to us the good of His obedience.
·
The
Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isa.53:6.
·
The
blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7.
·
The
blood of Christ will cleanse our consciences. Heb.9:14.
“Therefore”, and “because
of” that sin-offering by Jesus, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Romans 5:1). In fact, whoever believes in him is NOT CONDEMNED! (John
3:18).
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