Romans chapter 8. We want to
look at verse 1 of Romans 8. Verse 1 down through verse 4
of Romans chapter 8. This chapter in Romans is one
of those special, special chapters in all the Word of God. One of
my favorite, favorite chapters, especially in the book of Romans.
I find great comfort, I find great assurance of salvation,
my salvation, and I trust that you do the same. Comfort and
assurance of salvation that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. This chapter begins with no condemnation. No condemnation. Now notice carefully
though, it's no condemnation to those who are in the Lord
Jesus Christ. There certainly is condemnation
for those outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. It begins with
no condemnation and then look at verse 39, the last verse in
Romans 8. And it ends with this statement,
"...nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able
to separate us from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus
Christ." No condemnation, no separation. No separation from
the Lord Jesus Christ. From the love of God which is
in, notice again, this love of God is in Christ. tells us that
everything God has for sinners is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the good news of the
gospel, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
The believer who finds great comfort and assurance in Christ
is the same person who has an ongoing warfare between the old
Adam sinful nature, the fleshly nature, and that new nature,
that divine nature that believers are partakers of by the grace
of God. And that's what Paul talks about
You remember in Romans chapter 7 verse 23, but I see another
law in my members, warring, warring. There is a constant warfare.
Yes, we have great assurance in Christ, our salvation in Christ. And yes, we have comfort in the
Lord Jesus Christ that He has dealt with our sin, but we yet
have a battle with this old, fleshly, sinful nature. The believer has a new nature
in Christ, a divine nature. But we still have yet this old
flesh. That's why Paul said, when I
would do good, evil is present with me all the time. All the time. Now, let's take
a look at verse 1, Romans 8. There is, therefore, right now,
every believer trusting the Lord Jesus Christ for His salvation,
There is therefore now no condemnation. And that word can also be rendered,
no judgment. No judgment in Christ. To them which are in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and this statement here is given twice, here in
verse 1 and in verse 4, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit. Now, the old commentators say
in the original, text that scripture is actually the second part of
that is found in Romans 4, but it's repeated here. If it's true,
it's always good to repeat that which is true. So the Lord is
pleased to give it to us twice here. There is right now for
every believer no condemnation from your sin. Now think about
that. Think of the blessedness of that.
There is therefore right now no condemnation to you who are
resting in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Lord Jesus Christ
has answered for our sin, and He made a full satisfaction for
all of the sin of God's people. Our substitute made complete
satisfaction for our sin, so much so that it says right across
the page in Romans 8, Look at verse 32, He that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him also freely give us all things? Now, who can lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? Are they not chargeable? Well, yes, they're sinners, but
who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? And you can't
get away from that word and that truth, elect or election. Who are the elect? Well, they're
those whom God has chosen unto salvation. It is God that justifies. That's why there's no condemnation.
Who is he that condemneth? Well, Christ has already died.
Yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us." No condemnation to those
who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is not saying that there
is no sin in us that does not deserve judgment and condemnation. As Paul said, I know that in
me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. If we say we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But
he is saying this, the Lord Jesus Christ, our substitute, made
complete payment, total satisfaction to God's law and His justice,
and He set us free. He paid the debt. All the debt
I owe, He paid it. That's why there is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is that man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin to you. Now, you remember that in Romans
chapter 4? Turn back and let's read that
again. Blessed is that man to whom the Lord will not impute
sin, will not charge sin to you. You see, our sin has already
been charged to Christ. He can't charge it to him and
then turn around and charge me. If he paid the debt, I don't
know it. Look what it says there in Romans 4 verse 6, Even as
David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Wow! Think of that. I'm a guilty,
wretched sinner. All my sin was reckoned to the
Lord Jesus Christ. He was charged with my sin and
He made full satisfaction to God's holy law, put my sin away
by the sacrifice of Himself. Therefore, the Lord will not
charge me with my sin. I don't have any. I don't have
any sin. They're all gone. All my sin,
the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. God will not and cannot charge
the believer with sin. We don't have any. The Lord put
it away. Now look at the second part of
verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in the Lord Jesus Christ. This only applies to those in
Christ. That's the key to the gospel,
is it not? In Christ. In Christ. How long have the
elect been in Christ? How long have the elect been
in Christ? Well, He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world. When they were chosen in Christ
from all eternity. Remember the Lord said in John
6, 37, all that the Father giveth to me will come to me. Those
that come to me I will in no wise cast out. When were the
elect of God given to the Lord Jesus Christ? In that eternal
covenant of grace. Chosen in Him. That's why Paul
said, we are bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord. God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation. That's what we call the blessed
doctrine of election. Had God not chosen us, we never
would have believed the gospel. We never would have loved the
Lord Jesus Christ. If any man be in Christ, he is
a creation of God. We are His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. Now, the third part of verse
1, when this statement is repeated in verse 4, "...who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now what does that mean?
Does that mean the believer lives on such a higher plane that he's
just not even aware of this sinful flesh? That would be a total
denial of reality, would it not? That would be a total denial
of what the Apostle Paul just said in Romans chapter 7. What does it mean when he says
those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit? The Spirit. Now, what he's saying
here, walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit is not the
ground or reason of our justification. Our walk and talk, our attitude,
our actions are never, and they never form the cause of our justification,
do they? If they did, that would be salvation
by works, would it not? But salvation we know He justifies
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. So what is He saying here? He
is rather describing those who have been justified freely by
God's grace who walk and live by faith in Christ. Without faith it is impossible
to please God, right? Hebrews 11 verse 6, "...those
who walk and live by faith, seeking salvation only in Christ, not
by the deeds of the law. The just shall live by faith."
Remember back in Romans 1.17, but look back at Romans chapter
3 verse 28, when he talks about the conclusion, therefore, we're
justified by grace, not by the deeds of the law. Therefore,
we conclude, Romans 3, 28, you got it? We conclude that a man
is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. The just
shall live by faith. We walk not by sight, but we
walk by faith. Those who walk after the Spirit
are those who are seeking salvation only through the Lord Jesus Christ. And by faith, we totally, constantly
look to Him for all of our salvation. that just shall live by faith."
We're not seeking salvation by the deeds of the law or by the
deeds of the flesh. You know why? Look at Romans
8, 8. So then, they that are just walking in the flesh, they
do not please God, because their carnal mind is enmity against
God. Now, let's go back to Romans
8, verse 2. Romans 8, verse 2. For the law
of the Spirit, now this word here, law of the Spirit, He's
not talking here about the Levitical Mosaic Law. He's talking about
the principles. You remember back in Romans 7
verse 21, right up the page a few verses, I find then a law, a
principle, that when I would do good, evil is present with
me. It's the same thing he's saying here in Romans 8 verse
2. for the law of the Spirit, or
the principle, or the truth, or the fact of the Spirit, the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. What is the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus? It's the Gospel. It's the Gospel
of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel of God. concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, the law, the spirit, the principles of
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, gospel principles of
the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free. have made me free from the law
of sin." Now that talking about there is talking there about
that condemnation to those who do not honor the law of God in
every aspect. Have made me free from the law
of sin and death. What does the law of God say
to the guilty? You must die. How are we going
to be made free from the law of sin and death? Only in Christ.
Only in the Lord Jesus Christ. The powerful principle of life
in Christ is the powerful force of the gospel of God, that's
the power of God and the salvation. Being made free from sin. No condemnation to those who
are in Christ and being made free from sin. That is the best
news any sinner has ever heard. being made free from sin, from
the law of sin and death. Now, let's go back for just a
moment in Romans chapter 6. is repeating a truth that's already
been established, Romans 6, 6. Look there. Knowing this, that
our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might
be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. He that is dead is freed or justified
from sin. Look down at verse 18 in Romans
chapter 6. Being then made free from sin,
There it is again. How are we made free from sin? Only through the Lord Jesus Christ
paying our sin debt. You became the servants of righteousness. Now, same chapter, Romans 6 verse
22. But now being made free from
sin. Now he just keeps repeating this
fact. He keeps repeating this fact, "...being made free from
sin, and you become servants to God, and you have fruit unto
holiness, and in the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord." Being made free from the law of sin and death. We are dead to the guilt, of
sin, dead to the condemnation of sin, dead to the curse of
the law through Christ being condemned in our room and in
our stead. Galatians 3.13, Christ has redeemed
us, delivered us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us. Now, Romans 8 verse 3, for what
the law could not do, Now what cannot the law do? What
the law cannot do? Turn back to Romans chapter 3. What the law cannot do? What
the law cannot do? Verse 19, Romans 3, we know that
what things whoever the law saith, It saith to them who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law
is the knowledge of sin. Remember I told you there on
that verse that the law of God never removes sin, does it? It
exposes our sin, it reveals our sin, but it does not remove our
sin nor our guilt. What the law could not do, the
law could not make us holy, Nothing wrong with the law, but here's
the problem. In that it was weak through the
flesh. Now the law of God is not weak.
It's strong. It's powerful. It's as holy as
God. But the problem is the flesh. The flesh is weak. Now let me
give you a homely illustration to illustrate that. You ladies
who cook, you put a roast in the oven. whether it's pork or
beef, you put a roast in the oven and you slow cook it. Slow cook it. And then you pull
it out of the oven, set it on top of the stove, and you get
you a good, strong fork. And you take that fork and you
stick it in that roast and you try to lift it. Lift it. What happens? Flesh is weak.
Your fork comes out, but the roast is still there. Nothing
wrong with the fork. It's a good fork. But what's
wrong? The flesh is weak. So what do
you have to do? You go to the drawer and you
get a spatula. And you put it under that and lift it out. That's exactly what Christ has
done for us. He has lifted us out of the miry
clay and set us in the righteousness that's found in Christ. It was
weak through the flesh. Now here's God's remedy. Here's
God's spatula, if you will. God sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh. Notice, it doesn't say that He
sent His Son who was in sinful flesh, the word likeness of sinful
flesh, don't leave that part out. And for sin, or by sacrifice
for sin as the marginal reference had, He condemned sin in the
flesh. When He bare our sin in His own
body on the tree, He was made guilty for our sin, He condemned
sin in the flesh, or He was condemned for our sin in the flesh. We
can say it that way as well. What the law could not do? Because
of the weakness of our flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ came and
did for us. God's remedy for our sin problem
is that God sent His Son in the likeness of our flesh. Now, He
was a real man. He was an absolute real man,
bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. Such a high priest
became us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin. The Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. The Lord Jesus Christ When He
was manifest in the flesh as the Son of Man, He never stopped
being the Son of God. He remained, what the old theologians
always said, He remained what He was, eternal God, and He became
what He was not. He was never flesh in eternity,
but He's always been the Son of God. Remember back in Romans
chapter 1, it said, He was made... Let me get over here and read
it. Don't turn, let me just read it to you. Remember what I said
over here in Romans chapter 1? He was made of the seed of David.
made of the seed. You follow his genealogy all
the way back to David, all the way back to Abraham, all the
way back to Adam. It's given in Scripture. He was
made of the seed of David, but he's declared to be the eternal
Son of God. Now there's two distinct things.
That's why we read in Isaiah 9, a child is born A son is given
two distinct things. He is the eternal son of God.
But he was born in the fullness of time. God sent forth his son,
made of a woman, the seed of David. He said, a body hast thou
prepared me. But he never stopped being God.
He said, when you've seen me, You've seen the Father. I and
the Father are one. That's what gives such infinite
power and value to everything He did. He was made in the likeness
of sinful flesh, but my friend, He never had no sin. Even though
He was made sin for us, the Scripture said He had no sin, knew no sin,
and did no sin, He never personally committed one act or thought
of sin, all the while upon Calvary he was made sin for us." Now,
how do you explain that? I can't, but I do believe it,
and therefore I declare it. God made him to be sin for us.
If he wasn't a real man, he couldn't truly be our substitute, could
he? He couldn't be wounded for our
transgression and bruised for our iniquities. God sending His
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin
in the flesh. Christ came as a sacrifice for
sin and He appeared once in the end of the age to put away sin
by the sacrifice of Himself. This indeed is that Lamb of God
identified by John, you remember? The last of the Old Testament
prophets said, this is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world. And that's the world of his elect.
Him being delivered by the permanent counsel and foreknowledge of
God. He's a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And he condemned sin by the sacrifice
of himself. Put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself. Now look at verse 4. Key word
right here, verse 4, that, that the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us. That's not fulfilled by something
we do. Look over here at Romans 10.
Romans 10, verse 3 and 4, "...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 believeth." You see, I must
not only have my sin put away, that redemption, sin put away,
but I also must have a justifying righteousness before God. The
Lord Jesus Christ did both for me. His obedience is our righteousness
and His atonement is our redemption. We're redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ. That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us. And again, we're not walking
according to the flesh. That is, we're not seeking salvation
by the deeds of the flesh, are we? What a sad thing it is for
any person to think that his morality would earn him righteousness
before God. You know the best you can bring
at your best day, your best moment, your best thought, whatever that
might be, God says it's filthy rags in His sight. nothing but
dung in his sight. That is why we are not going
about to establish a righteousness by our morality. Well, does that
mean that we just live like wild people? No, God's people do not
seek salvation by the deeds of the flesh or the law, they are
walking by the Spirit of God. seeking to please God only in
the Lord Jesus Christ, that the righteousness of the law might
be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the
Spirit. Our great God has so wisely divided
salvation so that His mercy is honored and His justice is also
satisfied. You know, that's the question
of questions. Some say that the book of Job
is the oldest book of the Bible, the first book of the Bible that's
written. And the oldest question that's
ever given is the most important question in the Word of God.
How God can be just and justify the ungodly. How God can be just,
holy, and righteous, and at the same time show mercy to guilty
sinners, not at the expense of His justice being satisfied.
The answer to that question is only in Christ and Him crucified.
We read about, you remember from Romans chapter 3, where it says
that He is just and the justifier of those which believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 45, 22. He is the only
just God and Savior. And I love that Psalm, Psalm
85. You remember verse 10? Mercy and truth are met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. All the attributes
of God are satisfied in the Lord Jesus Christ. His love, His mercy,
His justice, His holiness, all the attributes of God are satisfied
in Christ crucified, that the righteousness of the law might
be fulfilled or established in us in Christ. Christ in you,
the hope of glory. You remember back in Romans 5
verse 19, we'll read this verse and I'll let you go. Romans 5
verse 19, For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,
so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Christ
is our righteousness. The righteousness of the law
has been fulfilled in us, in every believer, because it's
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Okay, we'll pick up there next
time. May the Lord bless His Word.