No Condemnation

Every lost person is like a person that is on death row who has already been tried and condemned.

The sinner does not have to be proven guilty. In the sight of God:

• WHO SEES ALL

• WHO KNOWS ALL

The sinner has already been condemned.

You might ask, "If this be true, then why does the lost person have to appear at the great white throne judgment?”

God knows he is guilty already, but on the judgment day, God will have the indisputable evidence of his guilt.

Illus: For example, a woman was cheating on her husband. The husband did all he could to preserve their marriage, but his wife continued living in sin, all the while denying that she had done anything wrong. Finally the husband hired a man to follow her and record what she was doing with a video camera. Later in the divorce court, before the judge, she still denied she had done any wrong. Since she would not admit her guilt, they showed the video of her and her lover together. She was so embarrassed, when the evidence was so overwhelming, showing that she was guilty. She could no longer deny her wrongdoing.

Sinful people all over the world are doing the same thing. They actually think they can sin and get away with it, but one day, the sinner will appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and the evidence will be indisputable.

This is why it is difficult to get some lost people to attend church. They do not want to be reminded that they are condemned sinners, waiting for that awful day when they will hear Jesus say, "Depart from me..."

A Christian is a person who once was in that same awful situation, but he recognized that the sin he was committing was terrible in the sight of God, so he did something about it. He came to Christ and confessed his sin before the Saviour, and Jesus forgave him of all his sins.

When he did that, some wonderful things happened:

1. HE WAS JUSTIFIED

The moment he received Christ as His Lord and Savior, he was justified. That is, he was declared righteous. The reason he was declared righteous is because on Calvary the Lord took our sins, and we took on His righteousness. And when God sees us, He sees us through the blood of the Lamb, and we are declared righteous.

But he was not only JUSTIFIED, also-

2. HE WAS SANCTIFIED

Whereas he was justified instantly, his sanctification began when he received Christ. He was declared righteous, and now, through the process of sanctification, God will make him righteous.

Having recognized that we are no longer under the condemnation of sin, we understand what Paul is telling us in Romans eight.

Look at verse 1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

This verse of scripture tells the Believer some wonderful things, such as:

I. THE BELIEVER'S POSITION

Look at verses 1-2, we read, “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.”

These precious verses tell the Believer about -

A. OUR SECURITY

Look at verse 1, we read, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Notice the words, "...in Christ Jesus..." This is our new position, as believers. We are “In Christ” we are no longer “In Adam!”

Someone might be saying, “If there is NO CONDEMNATION to those who are IN CHRIST, then why do we have to be judged?”

There are two judgments.

1. THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

Sinners will appear before the Great White Throne Judgment to give account of their sins.

2. THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

Christians will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give account of their faithfulness (or lack of it).

The Christian will not be judged as the sinner is judged. Because of the price Christ paid for sin, the saved man is beyond condemnation.

Paul makes the distinction here that only those who are "...in Christ..." enjoy this blessing.

Illus: In this life, God lets the rain and the sunshine fall on the JUST and the UNJUST.

But, there are some blessings we Christians enjoy that the lost world cannot enjoy, and one of those blessings is that we live lives FREE FROM CONDEMNATION!

Is it possible to be a Christian and still be in condemnation? Absolutely not! God's Word says, "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION TO THEM WHICH ARE IN CHRIST JESUS.”