It is often remarked that this
chapter begins declaring that there is no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus, and it ends by declaring that there
is no separation from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. In preparing the message tonight,
it was interesting to notice the various divisions of this
chapter, the different writers used. Matthew Henry, John Gill,
and Robert Hawker, and Henry Mahan, and another writer, can't
think of his name right now, but so many different divisions. We're going to try tonight to
look at the first eight verses of Lord Willing. Let's read them
first of all. 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 sent his own son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemn sin in the
flesh. That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, to walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit,
the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. because
the carnal mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. As I was preparing the message
and noticing no condemnation at first verse, no condemnation,
I couldn't help but think about what it would be like to be in
a court of law and to be being tried for some crime and the
jury come back in and say, not guilty. not guilty. What a relief. What a relief
that would be to the person on trial. And what a blessing it
is to read tonight, No Condemnation. The opposite of condemnation
is justification. And that's what the Apostle Paul
has been dealing with up to this point, basically in the first
five chapters at least, the truth concerning justification, how
that through the sacrifice of Christ, through his propitiation,
that God justifies the ungodly. And what a blessing it is to
think about being justified. I want you to keep your place
here, but look back with me to the book of John, just a moment,
the gospel of John. And let's turn to chapter eight. John chapter 8. We have a story
here, a history I should say, a history in the life of Christ
when a woman who was obviously guilty was brought before the
Lord Jesus Christ. The scripture says Jesus went
unto the Mount of Olives. Everyone else, in the verse before
that, in chapter 7, every man went unto his own house. Where
did the Lord go? He had no house of his own, remember? He said, the foxes have their
holes, the birds have their nests, but the Son of Man hath not where
to lay his head. All of the men, they went unto
their own houses. The Lord Jesus Christ went to
the Mount of Olives. And he went there many times
and spent the night in prayer. What a blessing it is to think
tonight that he was praying for me. He was praying for you. He
was praying for all of his children. And to know that he continues
to pray, that he's at the Father's right hand tonight. While we're
sitting here and reading his word, singing his praises, he's
there praying for us and interceding for us and for all who come unto
God by him. Well, let's read on. And early
in the morning, he came again into the temple. And all the
people came unto him, and he sat down and taught them. And
the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. And when they had set her in
the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken
in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded
us that such should be stoned. But what sayest thou? This they
said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But
Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground, as
though he heard them not. And when they continued asking
him, he lifted up himself and said unto them, he that is without
sin among you, let him cast a stone at her. And again he stooped
down. and wrote on the ground. And
they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went
out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last.
And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself
and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, Where are
those unaccusers? Hath no man condemned thee? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus
said unto her, neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. You know, those men who have
little use for the word of God, they do not believe it is the
inspired word of God. They accuse the Lord from this
passage of scripture of making light of sin. Because he said,
neither do I condemn thee. But the truth of the matter is,
the Lord Jesus Christ did not come into this world to condemn
the world. The world was already condemned.
He came to save that which was lost, didn't he? And he doesn't
justify sin, because he told her at the end there, go and
sin no more. Well, but she still heard those
words, neither do I condemn thee. And that's what the Apostle Paul
is writing here in Romans chapter 8, that for those who are in
Christ Jesus, That's the difference, isn't it? Those who are in Christ
Jesus, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus. Because God justifies men and
women through the sacrifice, through the atoning work of His
Son. Now the reason that there is
no condemnation for those that are in Christ is because Everyone
in Christ, our sins, sins past, sins present, sins future, all
were charged to the Lord Jesus Christ, imputed, laid upon Him,
Isaiah 53 says. And they were condemned, my sin
and your sin was condemned in Him, in Christ. 2 Corinthians
5 and verse 21, the apostle said, for he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Sin is not eradicated in a believer. I mentioned to someone today,
when God saves a person, He doesn't save the old nature. The old
nature is just as lost as it was. That which is born of the
flesh is flesh, and it will continue to be flesh until we get a new
body, a body like unto His glorious body. Sin's not eradicated in
a believer, but Christ has satisfied the justice of God once and forever
for the sins of those who are in Christ. And I like that word
forever when we talk about the sacrifice of Christ, don't you? In Hebrews chapter 10, let's
look over there just a moment, Hebrews chapter 10. In verse 14, we read, well, let's
read verse 12. But this man, Hebrews 10 and
verse 12, but this man, that is the God man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down. For sins forever, sat down. This is the reason it's such
an affront. blasphemy, to believe that the
sacrifice of Christ is continuously being offered, even until today. No, by one offering, as verse
14 says, for by one offering, one offering. He got the job
done, didn't he? there says, but this man after
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on
the right hand of God. Sat down showing the work was
finished and it was accepted by God the Father. Those who
are in Christ were loved in Christ from eternity. And that's a truth
that is beyond our mind's ability to fully grasp, how that Christ
had no beginning, God had no beginning, has no ending, because
everything that we have learned since we came into this world,
we've known as a beginning and an ending, but not God, and not
God's love for his people, those that are in Christ. He's loved
us in Christ, from eternity, and chosen Christ, redeemed in
Christ with his precious blood, and called in Christ. Now the
last part of this verse, verse 1 of chapter 8, is a descriptive
phrase. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh
but after the spirit." Now, some people would read that and they
would say, well, the reason there's no condemnation is because they
walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. But no, it's
just the opposite. Because there's no condemnation,
then this describes those who are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. They walk not after the Spirit. It describes those
that are saved, those that are not condemned. Verse 2, For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. Now some people, some commentators,
they object to the Gospel being called a law, but truly this
is what the apostle is speaking of here, for the law of the spirit
of life in Christ Jesus. That's the gospel. That's the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you look back in chapter six,
he had used a similar term in chapter six in verse 17. But
God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine. What does he
mean? The gospels. You have obeyed,
you have believed with the heart that form of doctrine which was
delivered unto you, the gospel that was delivered unto you.
And in our text here tonight, when he speaks about the law
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, I'm convinced he has reference
to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now the gospel is not a law like
the Ten Commandments, which says do this, and if you don't do
it, then here's the penalty. That's not what we mean here
when we speak about the gospel as a law. It is a law in the
sense that that of doctrines and truths that are revealed
unto us. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. You know, the apostle in 1 Corinthians
15, he says, for I delivered unto you, first of all, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, how he was
buried, and how he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures. The gospel is according to the
scriptures, right? Some people quote that and they
just say, well, the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ. Well, it is, but it is a death
according to the scriptures. What does the scriptures teach
about his death? It's a sacrifice. His death was
a sacrifice. It was an offering given to satisfy
God. And about his resurrection, what
does the scripture speak about his resurrection? Well, it tells
us that on the third day that he came out of that tomb, walked
out of that tomb, raised from the dead by the power of God. The gospel here, the law of the
spirit of life in Christ Jesus, It made me free, delivered us
from the law of sin and death. I want you to turn to a couple
of places with me, but notice in 1 Peter, when we talk about
the gospel as a law, we recognize that God uses His word. is written
word in saving his people. First Peter chapter 1, beginning
with verse 22, the apostle said, seeing you
have purified your souls and obeying the truth, believing
the gospel, obeying the truth through the Spirit, Unto unfeigned
love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure
heart, fervently, being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and
all the glory of man as the flower of grass, The grass withereth,
the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth
forever. And this is the word which by
the gospel is preached unto you." God uses the gospel, the word
of God, in calling his people and saving his people. It's a
mystery. The new birth is a mystery, isn't
it? Isn't that what our Lord said? He said, the wind bloweth
where it missed it, and thou hear'st the sound thereof. But
you can't tell from whence it came or where it's going. And
the new birth is a mystery. How that in the same service,
two people hearing the same message, And one person hears, hears,
hears the voice of Christ in the message and believes. Faith
cometh by hearing. The fact that faith comes tells
us it wasn't there before. We didn't have faith, but faith
cometh by hearing and hearing, not just hearing anything. Word of the Gospel. Also in James,
if you look back a few pages, James chapter 1 and verse 18. I quoted this verse
this morning in the message. James 1 and verse 18, Of his
own will, that s God s will, begat he us. That s being born
again, isn t it? Being saved, begat. us with the
word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of
his creatures. Never apart from the word of
truth. Men are not saved by hearing lies. God uses his truth. He is the truth. And he uses
the truth in calling to save him and comforting his people. Now, in this same text here,
Romans 8 in verse 2, we read the law of sin and death. Obviously,
that refers to that law, that commandment, do, do and live. Do and live. One of the differences that you
see sometimes between the law and the gospel is the gospel
says come. The Lord Jesus Christ said, come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. And it's interesting to remember
there, he didn't say wait. He didn't say wait. Some people
have the idea because salvation is of the Lord, we just wait
until somehow we have some experience, some emotional experience, and
then we come. No, the Lord said, come. He didn't
say wait, come. If a person is weary and heavy
laden because of sin, bow down with a load of sin. Come, look,
and live. That's the message of the gospel
where the law says go and do. Go and do. And if you fail to
do, there's death. But come for life. What is it that the law, let's
see verse 3, 4, what the law could not do. What is it that
the law could not do? The law of sin and death. What
is it that it could not do? It could curse. Cursing is every
one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
law for to do them. It can curse. The law could condemn. The law can accuse men of sin,
but the law could not give life. It could not give life. As it
has often been said, and this is so true, the law leaves a
person where it finds him. where it finds him. It finds
him dead in trespasses and sins, and it demands obedience, which
he cannot render. He doesn't have that power, but
the law doesn't give him that power, doesn't give him that
strength. The law leaves a man where it
finds him. It can curse. It finds a man
guilty, dead in trespasses and sins, but it cannot deliver a
person from its penalty. God sent his son, you notice
the apostle says, God sending his own son in the likeness of
sinful flesh. And for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh, that is in his body. You notice that word likeness.
God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh. That's a very important word,
isn't it? In the likeness. He didn't send his son into this
world in sinful flesh. We know that he was holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, which tells us that he was not
involved in the sin of Adam. The sin when Adam disobeyed God,
and by one man's sin, all men became sinners. Christ was not
in that covenant. Why? Because he was born of a
virgin. He didn't have a man as his human
father. He was separate from sinners,
holy, harmless, undefiled, sinless. But he came in the likeness of
sinful flesh. He didn't just come in the likeness
of flesh. You know, there was a group at
one time, I believe they were called the Ebionites, and that's
what they taught, that He really didn't have a body, that He just
seemed to have a body, just appeared to have a body. No, no, no, no. He had a real body, just like
I have and like you have. And in that body, in that body,
God condemns our sins, laid them upon him, and the justice of
God demanded satisfaction, and received it, received it from
him. Verse 5, for they that are after
the flesh do mind the things that are of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit,
the things of the Spirit. Now let us understand when we
read that verse, Who are they that are after the flesh? And who are they that are after
the spirit? Well, they that are after the
flesh simply means all who have never experienced God's regenerating
grace. The lost, we use the term lost. That's who are after the flesh,
the lost. And they that are after the Spirit,
of course, refers to those who have been born of the Spirit
of God. The laws, the apostle tells us,
they that are after the flesh, they're mindful of the flesh,
the works of the flesh, the lusts and sins of the flesh. They're
natural to them. They're in their environment. But the same, those that are
after the Spirit, they mind the things of the Spirit. What is
that? Well, those that are after the Spirit who have a new nature,
they love the Word of God. You don't have to give prizes
to get God's people to come to church. And I remember years
ago, that was something we heard about, people would do, churches
would do, they'd put a $10 bill, back when a $10 bill meant something,
I guess. Still does to some of us, but
not nearly like it used to. They'd put a $10 bill or a $20
bill in the songbook, and if you happened to sit in the right
place, you got the $20 bill. What were they doing? Trying
to get people to come to church. offering prizes, pack a few,
cook a stew, all that stuff, you know, I've heard of it all. And it works. It works. And it fills places with people. But do they hear the gospel? That's the main thing, when they
come. Do they hear of Christ, his substitutionary work? Well, there's no $20 bill in
any song book here tonight, if you're looking, because we haven't
put one in any book. And I'm thankful it doesn't take
that for you to come to worship and hear the Word of God. Those that are after the Spirit,
they bind the things of the Spirit, as I said, the Word of God, Christian
fellowship. They love to be with God's people.
That's the kind of animal that our Lord chose to represent Christians. Sheep and sheep are animals that
must flock together. Unless they're sick or lost,
then they'll be by themselves. But sheep need one another. They need a shepherd. And these
are minding the things of the spirit. Prayer. That's minding
the things of the spirit. Praying, seeking God's face. Well, you know, we've become,
maybe I'm just speaking for myself, but we've become so used to these
things that we forget what a privilege it is just to bow your head and
say, our father, my father, pity the person. If an orphan, A child
is in this world and they don't have a man, they don't have a
woman that they can call daddy, mother. We pity that child and
pity the man who is in this world and cannot call God, my Father,
which art in heaven, hallowed be your name. What a privilege! What a privilege, right? And
we cannot ask more than he's able to give. We know that. And not only prayer, but praise. That's important for singing
praises unto the Lord. We mind the things of the Spirit,
those that are after the Spirit. who've been saved by the grace
of God. Now verse 6, for to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. In verse 5, the Apostle contrasts
practices with practices between the lost and the saved, minding
the things of the flesh and minding the things of the spirit. But
here in verse 6 he contrasts the states, the states of the
lost and the saved. The contrast is between death
and life. Death and life. Or to be carnally minded is death. But to be spiritually minded
is life and peace and all the world fall into one group or
the other. One category or the other. There's
no middle ground. There's no man's land or anything
like that. The whole world falls into one
category or the other. Death or life. Verse 7, because
the carnal mind is enmity against God. Have you ever looked that
word enmity up? Maybe you don't need to. I like
to, when I'm preparing a message, many times I like to look a word
up in the dictionary. And I looked this word up. I've
used it many times. Thought I had a pretty good idea
of what it meant, but I just looked it up. And what it means
is hostility or hatred. Hatred. The carnal mind is hatred
against God. A lost person hates the God of
the Bible. Now he doesn't hate, a lost person
doesn't hate the God of his imagination because he can mold and make
that God as he wants him to be, in his mind. He doesn't hate
that guy. But the God of the Bible, the
carnal mind hates his enmity with God. It doesn't say he's
at enmity against God, it says he is enmity against God. Hatred, hostility toward God,
the God of the Bible. To hate God is to hate his sovereignty. to hate his sovereignty. Some
of us, maybe not all of us here tonight, but some of us can remember
there was a time in our lives when we heard for the first time,
even though we had attended churches maybe since we were children,
for the first time we heard, God is absolutely sovereign. And we didn't like it. We didn't
like it. heard about, not the God I've
heard all my life being preached. No. We have to be reconciled
to the truth about God. I know quite a few preachers
and I've often thought that Several pastors are so blessed because
they were never exposed to false teaching like some of us older
men were. They grew up in churches where
they heard the gospel from the time they came to church as a
baby. We had to unlearn. Some of us
had to unlearn. And that's what man, the carnal
mind hates, the sovereignty. He doesn't hate a God that he
can manipulate, a God he can tell when to show up, when not
to show up, what to do, when not to do it. No, he doesn't
hate that God. But you tell him the God of the
Bible is a God who doeth his will in the armies of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth, and who can stay his
hand or say unto him, to pass by one and save another, to love Jacob and hate Esau. Karl Mein is infantile against
God. He hates the sovereignty of God.
He hates the justice of God. And God is so pure, so holy,
that he cannot even look upon iniquity. And every disobedience,
the scripture says, will receive a just recompense of reward. That's just how holy God is. We get to thinking that God is
like we are, those of us who are parents. And I know maybe
you never had this experience, but some of us have. We've told
a child, don't do that. I said, don't do that. And they
do it anyway. And sometimes you try to act
like you didn't see them do it. Why? Because you just don't want
to follow through on the issue. Now, God is not like that. No,
the soul that sinneth, it shall surely die. The justice of God. The righteousness, the holiness
of God, so holy, so pure that even the angels are not pure
in His sight. The mercy of God. You say men
hate the mercy of God? They hate the mercy of God in
the way that God extends mercy. only through Christ. Yes. Now if it's just a blanket statement
there, God's merciful to everyone, no matter what you think or believe
or anything, how you act or any way, anything else, no, they
don't hate that mercy. But you tell people God's mercy
is in Christ and only in Christ. And it is. I don't want to hear
that. That's too narrow. It's too narrow. Henry Mahan, let me quote him. He said, the carnal mind will
not be subject or submission to the will of God, the way of
God, the providence of God, nor the gospel of God. The carnal
mind. It just won't be submission.
to the will of God, the way of God, the providence of God, nor
the gospel of God. Jeremiah 17 and verse 9, the
heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? God does. God knows it. Well, I'm going
to stop with verse 8 tonight because I want to bring a message
next week the Lord willing on the truth of verse 8, so then
they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Augustine is quoted
as asking, how can snow be made warm? How can snow be made warm? And then he answers, only by
making it cease to be snow. The natural mind cannot be mended,
modified, can only be destroyed. Look with me in closing in Isaiah
55. In Isaiah chapter 55 and verses
7 and 8, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man
his thoughts. Not just his way, but his thoughts. and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon. For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." What
a wonderful, wonderful promise here that is given to us to forsake
our thoughts. our thoughts about how we might
be saved, how we might be reconciled unto God. Most people think it's
going to be by doing. I've got to do this, I've got
to do that. No, but we can forsake his thoughts
and return unto the Lord. There's only one way of reconciliation,
and that's by trusting, believing in Christ. Let us sing and the
ailment will be dismissed. It's off.