Romans 8:1
by:
Dan Hill, PhD
Pastor, Southwood Bible Church
7655 South Sheridan Avenue
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74113
E-Mail: hill918@aol.com
Introduction to Chapter 8
In A.D. 1100 Anselm the archbishop of Canterbury wrote a tract to console
the dying. He first asked a series of questions designed to help the sinner
realize that his own works could never save him. He then addressed the
dying person with these words: Come, then, while life remaineth in thee;
in Christ's death place thy whole trust. Let His sacrifice alone cover
thy sin. Then, when thou standest for judgment, say, Lord, between Thy
wrath and me I plead the death of Jesus Christ. I put it between my sins
and Thee. His merits I offer for those which I ought to have, but have
not.
As Paul comes out of the struggle of chapter seven he recognizes the futility
of his human efforts and how he must depend upon the Holy Spirit.
Romans chapter eight is the greatest chapter in the Word of God on the Holy
Spirit and the Spiritual Life; and it begins with a foundational principle
that becomes the basis for all that we have in our fellowship and relationship
with God.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
The King James translators added to this verse from v 4. But the addition
becomes a condition, and while that condition is very much a part of verse
4, it has no place at v 1.
There is no condition on our part that removes the one who has believed
in Christ from condemnation. Through faith at salvation and the grace of
God, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
IF WE ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, we are under no condemnation from God.
The word CONDEMNATION is KATA-KRIMA, the word "judge" with a prefix
that would mean to judge according to a norm and standard, a legal judgment.
This Greek word is only found here and in Romans 5:16 and 18.
This has application both to our relationship to God and to our relationship
with one another.
THIS ABSENCE OF CONDEMNATION IS BECAUSE OF THE CROSS:
At the Cross God took all the sins of the human race and poured them out
upon Jesus Christ. He willing accepted them and the punishment for them
which was spiritual death.
I Corinthians 15:3, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I
also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
If we have believed in Christ we are in Christ Jesus and we are under no
condemnation.
I John 2:1-2, My little children, I am writing these things to you that
you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins;
and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
THIS ABSENCE OF CONDEMNATION CAN BE APPLIED IN THREE DIRECTIONS:
FIRST DIRECTION: IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
As a result of the cross we are forgiven:
Two Words for Forgiveness:
1. AFIEIMI, which is only used in the Gospels in this form and then, only
by Christ. AFIEIMI looks at one half of the divine picture of forgiveness.
As early as the days of Homer it meant the release of actual or legal control
over a person.
In the N.T. it has two dimensions: (1) Forgiveness of sins, as accomplished
by Jesus Christ upon the Cross, and (2) divine acceptance because of this
forgiveness
The word is a judicial word that was used in the courts of ancient Greece
to declare judicial forgiveness.
THE OTHER HALF of the divine provision of forgiveness is seen in the word:
CARIZOMAI, which finds its root in the word for grace. This is relational
forgiveness.
That word is used in:
I John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So we have two words for FORGIVNESS, one is judicial and the other is gracious.
PRINCIPLE: We can only have a gracious forgiveness if we first have judicial
forgiveness.
THE SECOND DIRECTION OF THE application of the absence of condemnation is
towards other.
THE ABSENCE OF CONDEMNATION means that we not only can forgive others but
recognize that their is no condemnation upon others:
I Corinthians 4:1-5
The Corinthians were judging Paul's ministry as to his faithfulness, and
they were lacking faith.
Faith in God in that He would guide, direct, and even discipline Paul.
NASV But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you,
or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.
KJV And to me it is a very small thing that by you I am judged or by a human
day of judgment . . .
BUT (alla) I judge not my own self..
And here, with the English word "judge" we have a problem.
APPARENT CONTRADICTION:
I Corinthians 2:15 But he who is spiritual appraises (KJV: judges) all things,
yet he himself is appraised by no man.
The spiritual man judges all things and is judged by no man.
This is ANAKRINW
But I Corinthians 11:31 instructs us to judge ourselves.
But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.
Of course the answer to the apparent contradiction is found in the Greek
words for judge.
1. The word used here is ANAKRINW, the word KPINW is judge with the prefix
ANA it means to judge again or bring up a prior judgment.
So Paul does not allow for others to judge him according to past actions
or judgments.
Sins were judged on the Cross, that is the past judgment.
As in I Corinthians 2:15 we judge things, situations, systems, but not
people and we are judged in this manner by no one.
2. The correct use of the concept in I Corinthians 11:31 uses the word
DIAKRINW, which means to thoroughly judge. We at confession thoroughly
judge ourselves and thusly are not judged.
PRINCIPLE:
1. These believers were judging again or bring up a judgment
that has already been dealt with through the Cross and Paul's confession
of sin.
2. We have no right to individually judge another. We have no way of knowing
whether or not the sin we judge has or has not been confessed and if confessed
it is to be forgotten.
3. Paul even says he doesn't bring up these judgments against himself,
once sin is confessed he forgets it.
4. Furthermore, Paul was not one to get involved in all kinds of introspection
and self centeredness. Paul avoided the I'm O.K. and your O.K. syndrome,
no psycocybernetic introspection . . . yes, you can even become self centered
in your sins.
Our relationship with other believers is based upon the fact that we are
under no condemnation and they are under no condemnation. We can forgive
then and establish a relationship with others:
Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any
man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Topic: JUDGMENT, JUSTICE, and JUDGING
The third direction is towards ourselves and our own sins:
We can too often live in guilt over past sins but sins are forgiven and
if we are believers there is no condemnation.
In I Corinthians 6:12 after giving a list of pretty extreme sins, Paul
says: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.
All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything."
I Corinthians 10:23 , "All things are lawful, but not all things are
profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify."
Paul can make that statement because he knows there is no condemnation.
All sins were paid for at the Cross.
The motive therefore, not to sin is not fear of condemnation. There is
not condemnation for you as a believer.
The believer was never intended to fear God when he sinned. He was to return
to God.
Genesis 3:
v 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence
of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
v 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, Where are you?
v 10 And he said, I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid
because I was naked; so I hid myself.
Adam feared God instead of fearing sin.
If our theology begins here, we fear God because we are sinners. If it
begins in the previous chapter, Genesis 2, we fear sin because it will break
our fellowship with God.
Everything God does is being done to get us back to Genesis chapter two,
and even better. A relationship with Him. Too many believers get stuck
at Genesis 3 and they fear God.
Gen. 2:21 And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife,
and clothed them.
They need to go back to Genesis 2:25 And the man and his wife were both
naked and were not ashamed.
No sense of shame in the presence of each other (mankind) or in the presence
of God. Why? Because there was no condemnation.
Remember the Little Child Believer? What did John say to them in I John
2:12
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you
for His name's sake.
The very basic principle of Christian experience is that we are forgiven
and if forgiven, there is now no condemnation.
PRINCIPLES:
1. We can have a relationship with God although we are sinner
because we are forgiven, there is now no condemnation.
2. We have this relationship expressed in Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore
draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
and may find grace to help in time of need.
3. We can have a relaxed gracious relationship with others in spite of
sin because neither we nor they are under no condemnation.
4. We all have judicial forgiveness and can extend that to gracious forgiveness
with others and they with us!
5. The absence of condemnation means that we must hold nothing against
ourselves by way of guilt or shame. We are forgiven, there is no condemnation.
6. The absence of condemnation eliminates any individual judging we may
be tempted to do against others.
7. And the absence of condemnation means that your sins will never be an
issue in heaven. They are forgiven, forgotten, by God (no big screen TV
showing all your sins).
I would think that there would almost be no end to applications you could
make from this one unconditional statement of Grace . . .
Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus."
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