Thank you mark sure I'm glad
to see everybody this morning The title of my message is no
condemnation in Christ taken from Romans Chapter 8 beginning
at verse 1 and going through verse 4 that we're going to study
this morning And to start with what I'm going
to do is begin reading in Romans 8 beginning at verse 1 in Romans
8 this morning and we'll read through these verses and then
we'll begin our study verse by verse as we normally do. So as
we look at these verses here where it reads, there is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk
not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law
of sin and death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now if you'll notice here in
this chapter eight, It begins with a declaration of no condemnation,
and it ends in verse 39 with no separation from God. This
no condemnation and no separation are due to the fact that our
Savior has been condemned in our place, as He substituted
Himself on our behalf. We'll begin our study this morning
by looking at the word condemnation, or to give judgment against. So let's look back at Romans
5, beginning at verse 18, where it reads, therefore, as by the
offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation.
Even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon
all men unto justification in life. For as by one man's disobedience,
speaking of Adam, many were made sinners, So by the obedience
of one, speaking of Christ, shall many be made righteous. Now,
you might wonder, as Paul began this verse 1 here in chapter
8, it says, therefore now no condemnation. So to begin with,
what I'm going to do is, of those that might wonder, well, why
do we need to be not condemned? in the first place. And what
I'm going to do is go over a few things concerning that, concerning
our condemnation in Adam and our justification in Christ.
Now, to begin with, there was a condemnation that came about
due to Adam's fall. We see this in the verses that
we just read in verse 18 of Romans 5. When we speak of our condemnation
in Adam, We have to speak of it within the context of the
everlasting covenant of grace that was made before the world
began, and our justification in Christ. So one might ask,
were God's elect ever condemned then? It says, there is therefore
now no condemnation. Were the elect of God ever condemned? Were God's elect ever charged
with their sin? The answer is yes, but only as
they were considered in their representative and surety, the
Lord Jesus Christ. This sentence of condemnation
comes upon all men, all the sons of Adam without exception, even
upon the elect of God themselves. But it's not executed upon them,
but it's executed upon our surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one
that stood in our place to pay that debt. Sin was never charged
to their persons individually, apart from being considered in
Christ. It is not as if God condemned
them as individuals and then changed his mind at the cross.
The sins of God's elect were charged to them, but it was charged
to them in Christ. Christ was always legally responsible
for the sins of God's elect. He was a surety. Christ became
a surety for his people from everlasting. He engaged to pay
their debts, to bear their sins, and to make full satisfaction
for them. He was eternally accepted as such by God his Father, who
viewed his elect, those he chose from eternity, in Christ on the
ground of the payment and the satisfaction that Christ made
on the cross. The cross is not a testimony
to the changing mind of God, but a testimony to the eternal
mind of God, to God's eternal will and purpose from the beginning. Now let's look at 2 Timothy,
beginning at verse 1. Who had saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before
the world began. We cannot lose sight of the elect
of God being in Adam when he fell, but we also cannot lose
sight of the elect being in Christ according to the everlasting
covenant of grace. As one old writer said, we fell
in Adam, but we did not fall out of Christ. God put us in
Christ from eternity. He put us in Christ, and Christ
stood as our representative, our surety, to come pay a debt,
that sin debt, that we all owe, but none could pay. As we still
look at condemnation, let's look at John chapter three in verse
18, where it reads, he that believeth on him is not condemned, but
he that believeth not is condemned already. because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. We must
also understand that our believing or our not believing does not
make us condemned or not condemned, just because we believe or we
don't believe. Our believing or not believing, it only gives
evidence of our being condemned or not condemned. Also look at
John 5 in verse 24, where it says, verily, verily, I say unto
you, This is Christ speaking. He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, on God that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from
death unto life. Christ took care of the whole
sin problem on the cross when he died for his sheep, his elect,
and established righteousness for them. And if you're in Christ,
if you're in Christ, If Christ represented you in His cross
death, there is therefore now no condemnation to you. Now,
as we begin in Romans 8, beginning at verse 1, we'll go and we'll
look over these verses here that we're dealing with this morning,
verse by verse. The first one is, it says, there is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. But Paul begins this
section with the glorious fact of no condemnation for any who
are in Christ, washed in his blood, clothed in his righteousness. Look a little further in this
chapter, the Romans 8 in verse 33, where it says, who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Who are God's elect? That's a good question. Who are
God's elect? Well, God's elect are God's people, elected and
chosen in divine grace before the world began. And he chose
them with no consideration as to what they would do or what
they would be enabled to do. He chose them and qualified them for eternal
life, not by what they do or don't do, but by what Christ
did. This election is an election unto salvation. Scripture says
that they are a multitude, a multitude from every kindred, from every
tribe, and every nation. Romans 8, 33 and 34 says, who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that
justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. As I stated earlier, Paul concludes this section with the
glorious truth of no separation, not being separated from God. Romans 8, beginning at verse
35, says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake we are
killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. This no separation here is for
all who are in Christ. So as Christ has saved us from
our sins, he has saved us completely to the uttermost and will never
let us go. Christ as our substitute and
surety came under the law for us as he took the full measure
of our condemnation, the condemnation that was in Adam under the covenant
of works. Our sins were imputed to Christ
and his righteousness imputed to us. We're eternally secure
in him and we can never be condemned or brought under the wrath of
God. Christ took on that wrath in our place. The cause of this
eternal blessedness is our position in Christ, who bore away our
sins and enabled God to justify us in Him. The next part of verse
1 tells us who it is that gives evidence that they are not condemned. Look back at Romans 8 in the
last part of this verse. It says, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. This phrase does not appear in
this verse in the original manuscript. It does, however, appear in this
fourth verse here in chapter eight. The King James translators
may have added it to the first verse here in order to emphasize
this truth. And it doesn't do any damage
to the meaning of the text if we understand what the apostles
say in here. He is speaking of the evidence
of one, who is in Christ. The cause of our justification
before God or no condemnation is not our conduct nor our walk. The cause of our justification
is the death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Our conduct and walk
of faith in Christ is the evidence of our being justified in him.
To walk after the flesh is to walk in unbelief. No matter how
we appear outwardly, To walk after the flesh is to seek righteousness
and acceptance and salvation based on your righteousness,
your works in some way. The natural man thinks that there
is something that you have to do to gain God's favor. So he
goes about to establish a righteousness of his own. He's ignorant of
God's righteousness. Now, to walk after the spirit
is to walk by faith in Christ. not seeking to establish our
own righteousness before God, but resting in Christ and his
righteousness for our whole eternal justification before God. To
walk after the spirit is to not look to your faith, to not look
to your prayers, your giving, your worshiping, or anything
done by you or in you in order to be accepted before God. If
you think there's something that you do that merits eternal life,
then you're walking after the flesh. We all are either walking
after the flesh or we're walking after the spirit. Believers, those who have been
regenerated and born again by the spirit of God, they walk
after the spirit. What does this mean to walk after
the spirit? Well, it's to be led by the spirit. He leads us
to the true Christ, the Lord, our righteousness. To walk after
the Spirit is to seek righteousness, life, and pardon, and salvation,
not by what we do, or not by what's done in us, but by what
Christ accomplished in his death, his substitutionary life and
death. We look to Christ's righteousness, not our own, which is nothing
but filthy rags. That's what our righteousness
is. Let's look over some scripture in order to see the picture of
some of those who walk after the flesh. Look at Romans 10,
beginning at verse 1. And this is Paul here, he's speaking
of his brethren according to the flesh. He was an Israelite,
he was a Jew, and he's talking, this is who he's talking about
when he says, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for
Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record,
they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For
they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believe it." These folks
here that Paul's writing off right here, Even though they
were outwardly immoral and doing everything they could to keep
God's law, they were walking after the flesh and not after
the spirit. In our next verse, verse two
here, that we'll look at, it says, for the law of the spirit
of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and
death. The law of the spirit of life
is the gospel. is the gospel of God's grace
in and by the Lord Jesus Christ, who by his death on the cross
gives life to his people. It may be called the law of the
spirit of life because it discovers the only way of life and salvation
by Christ alone. It is the means of quickening
dead sinners and a working faith in them by which they live on
Christ and also it gives spiritual food to the believer. for the
support of life, and all of this may be said to be in Christ Jesus,
or by him, inasmuch as it comes from and is concerning him. Christ is the sum, he's the substance,
and he is the subject matter of this gospel that we believe.
The last part of this verse says the law of sin and death. This
is salvation by works, works of the law that concludes in
eternal damnation for sinners. And this is what it says, it
says, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death. This is salvation
by works. When God the Holy Spirit makes
the gospel, the power of God and the salvation for us, we're
liberated and made free from the bondage and darkness of unbelief. We are set free from this bondage
as slaves to sin so that we become believers, servants of righteousness,
and made to be willing and loving bond slaves to Christ. In Romans
6, beginning at verse 17, But God bethanked that you were servants
of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
that was delivered to you, then being made free from sin, you
became the servants of righteousness. Also in John chapter 8 beginning
at verse 32, and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall
make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and
we're never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou you shall
be made free? Jesus answered them, verily,
verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is a servant of
sin. And a servant abideth in the house forever, but the son,
and a servant abideth not in the house forever, but the son
abideth forever. And in Galatians five, verse
one. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made us free. Be not entangled again in that
yoke of bondage, that bondage that we're all in by nature,
that bondage that we come into this world and we go through
our lives going about trying to appease God, trying to establish
a righteousness of our own rather than submitting to Christ's righteousness,
something that we don't know anything about and we're taught
in false religion We're not taught anything about the true gospel.
They don't know the gospel. The Holy Spirit, though, he brings
us to see the bondage and condemnation that lies in seeking to be saved
by works under the law. He brings us to see the glory,
the liberty, and peace of resting in Christ and him crucified and
risen again. Our next verse three reads, For
what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God sending his son, his own son, in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. For what the
law could not do, what is it that the law of God could not
do? Well, it could not justify a
sinner based on that sinner's best works. The law could show
us our sin, but it could not give us the remedy for that sin. It could show us what righteousness
and holiness is, but it could not make us righteous and holy.
It could show us the penalty for sin, but it could not pay
the price of our redemption. It can urge us to obey God, but
it cannot give us the right motive to obey God. God has to do that
by His Spirit. It is like a mirror that can
show me how dirty I am, but the mirror cannot make me clean.
It is like an x-ray machine that can expose the disease, but the
x-ray machine cannot provide the cure. Why is the law unable to do this? Well, is it because of the weakness
of the law? Anything weak in that law? No. It is because of the weakness
of the flesh, our sinful, fallen human nature, because of that
sin principle that we all have by nature. It's because of the
sin principle all of humanity inherited from the first man,
Adam. After the apostle tells us that
the law of God cannot make us righteous and justify us before
God, He then tells us what God did to solve the problem. He
says in Romans 8 and verse 3, God sending his own son in the
likeness of sinful flesh. What the law could not do, the
Lamb of God can and did do. This describes the person of
Christ as God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, in his
human flesh, yet without sin. His humanity was in the likeness
of sinful flesh." This is a carefully worded phrase, and we must not
miss the Holy Spirit's meaning here. Likeness means similitude
or resemblance, and in no way implies that one of the objects
in question has been derived from the other. in the same way
that two men may resemble one another, even though they are
in no way related to one another. Christ had a real human body
created for him by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
It was a real body just like our human bodies, but in no way
related to us similarly or through the seed of Adam. Christ was
of the woman's seed. He was not born of Adam's fallen,
sinful race as we are. He was not born in sin with a
fallen, sinful human nature as we were. He was born completely
holy and innocent, but he was in the likeness of sinful flesh,
yet without sin. He was truly man, yet not sinful
man. And in the next part of this
verse three here in Romans, says, and for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh. Christ was sent by the Father
to be a sacrifice for our sin, to be a sin offering and a sin
bearer. The pronouncement of judgment
And the penalty due to our sins was pronounced and carried out
upon Christ for his people, those that the Father gave him from
eternity, those that he represented as their surety to come and pay
a debt. Christ was always legally responsible
for the sins of his elect. Christ became surety for his
people, as I said earlier, from everlasting, engaged to pay their
debts, bear their sins, and to make full satisfaction for them,
all those that are in him. He was eternally accepted as
such by God, his father. He viewed his elect, those that
the father gave him, eternally in Christ, on the ground of the
payment and satisfaction that Christ made on the cross. Now,
he took our condemnation, Christ took our condemnation, and he
paid the penalty for all our sins in full. He did this as
God-man in human body, as he suffered, bled, and died on the
cross. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2,
verse 24, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness
by whose stripes we're healed. And also in 1 Peter 3, verse
18, for Christ also hath suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit. Then the last verse that we'll
deal with this morning, and this will be Romans 8 and verse 4, we read, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. Let's look at that first part
of this verse in verse 4, that the righteousness of the law.
This is the righteousness requirement of God's law fulfilled by the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is the standard of which we
all fall short, even as believers. Look at Romans 10 verse 4. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. And the next
part, the last part of this Romans 8 and verse 4, says, might be
fulfilled in us. That needs some explaining. How
is the righteousness of the law fulfilled in us? It is by God
the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin and driving us to Christ
for all righteousness, salvation, and eternal life. God the Holy
Spirit does not make us righteous within. We dealt with that in
our last study in Romans 7 when we talked about indwelling sin
and that warfare between the flesh and the spirit. But he
shows us that our only righteousness is Christ's righteousness imputed
and charged to our account. Always remember that the righteousness
of the law is fulfilled in sinners who continually, as Paul has
said, O wretched man that I am, and who have no confidence in
the flesh. The evidence of one within whom
the righteousness of the law has been fulfilled is in the
following, in Romans 8, in the last part of verse 4, who walk
not after the flesh but after the spirit. To walk after the
flesh, once again, is to walk in unbelief, and in darkness,
and energized by the flesh, whether in open rebellion to God or self-righteous
religion. That's walking after the flesh.
To walk after the Spirit is to be led by the Spirit. The Spirit
leads us to the true Christ, the Lord our righteousness. To
walk after the Spirit is to seek righteousness and life and pardon
and salvation, not based on what we do, but by what the Lord Jesus
Christ accomplished in His life and death. We look to Christ's
righteousness alone, not our righteousness. Our righteousness
is nothing but filthy rags. Look at Isaiah 64 and verse 6. says, but we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags. And we all
do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us
away. To walk after the Spirit is to
walk in faith, believing that there is no condemnation to those
that are in Christ Jesus. It is to see that we're justified
before God by grace alone. It is to see that we're legally
acquitted based on what Christ alone accomplished as our substitute
and our surety. When Christ died on the cross,
he drank damnation dry. He took on the wrath of God.
He paid our sin debt in full. Christ made an end of sin. He
put sin away. And where there is no sin that
can be charged against us, there can be No condemnation. I'm still sinful in my experience
as I walk this earth. I'm still a wretched man, but
I'm not condemned. Sin ruins everything that I do,
but I'm not condemned. No condemnation for my past sins.
No condemnation for my present sins. And no condemnation for
future iniquity and future sins. There is therefore no condemnation
to those that are in Christ Jesus. You all who are the people of
God, there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus.
There never has been, there is not now, and there can never
be any condemnation for a child of God. God's elect were in Christ
before the world began, before the foundation of the world.
We were in Him when He lived perfectly on this earth. We were in Him when He suffered
and died on the cross. We were in Him when He was buried,
when He rose again from the dead after accomplishing righteousness
on our behalf. We were in Him even now as He
sits on the right hand of God the Father. Rejoice in Christ
and know that our sins are not held against us. Christ took
them on Himself, and He bore them away. And if He took them
away, we're not accountable for them. We're not condemned. Therefore,
there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.