Text: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word “condemn” has a number of meanings:
1. to express disapproval – denounce
2. to judge to be guilty – convict
3. to pronounce judgment against – sentence
4. to declare unfit for use or consumption – building
5. for public use – eminent domain
I don’t think any of us would like to be condemned for:
1. the way we talk
2. the way we dress
3. the movies we watch
4. the people with whom we associate
5. the food we eat
6. the place we live
7. the way we witness and carry on God’s work
Most people do not want to be condemned for anything. When people are condemned, rebuked, corrected, blamed, or judged, they don’t feel good about it.
Can you think of a time in your life when you were condemned, blamed, or criticized for something?
Maybe as a child, your brother or sister or friend did something and you were blamed and received a spanking, sent to your room or put on restriction and prohibited from leaving the house for a period of time.
Most prisoners do not feel as though they did any wrong. The man on death row feels that he has been unjustly treated. Most prisoners tend to justify the wrong they have done.
One prisoner said he shot his parents because they were very strict with him when he was a youngster. Another said that he robbed his employer because he wasn’t being paid enough. Yet another prisoner said he shot his girlfriend because she wanted to sever their relationship.
We can all make excuses for our actions, but these excuses are not justifiable in the eyes of earthly justice nor are they justifiable in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.
Most people believe that if a person does something wrong or commits some crime, that person should have to pay the consequences. The penalty could be incarceration, community service, monetary payment, probation, restraining order, etc. When a crime is committed, a lesson must be learned by the person committing the crime.
In some countries, if a person is caught stealing, that person’s hand or arm is cut off. A person here in the United States was found guilty of stealing some articles and received 25 lashes on his bare back. In the State of Virginia, the punishment for stealing a dog (horse, cow, or pony) leads to 1 to10 years in prison while stealing a cat in the same state is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year.
We are not here to pass judgment on anyone. We have laws in our country that are supposed to be carried out when a crime is committed. I believe all of us are in agreement that the punishment should fit the crime committed.
Crime is a sin because it is not in accordance with God’s Law. Any time we deviate from God’s Law, we have sinned. God’s Law says:
1. You shall have no other gods
2. You shall not make yourself an idol
3. You shall not misuse the Lord’s name
4. You shall keep the Sabbath Holy
5. Honor you father and mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false testimony
10. You shall not covet
If we follow God’s Law, we will remain on the straight and narrow path. These laws were given to the people so that they might lead a life acceptable to God and meet the needs of each person through the eyes of love. In the first four Commandments, God wants respect from us and in the last six Commandments he is telling us to respect other people.
Anytime we break one of God’s Laws, there is a penalty to pay. Those who say they do not break any of God’s laws are not telling the truth. God’s Word say “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). These Laws take into account the sins of:
1. Sexual immorality
2. Hatred
3. Jealously
4. Anger
5. Selfishness
6. Envy
7. Murder
8. Idolatry
9. Drunkenness
10. Cheating
11. Adultery
12. Greed
13. Stealing
14. Lying
15. Homosexuality
16. And numerous others
There is not a person here on earth that is perfect. We all make mistakes. We make wrong choices. We have a tendency to listen to the world instead of listening to the Word of God. Satan is as powerful today as he was in the past. He is whispering to each of us every day.
Remember that he tempted Jesus after Jesus had fasted for 40 days and was hungry. This was a time in Jesus’ life when Satan thought Jesus was very vulnerable and he would succumb to temptation, but Jesus did not disobey his Father. During this time of testing Jesus proved that he was the Son of God and he could overcome the evil of temptation.
Each one of us is tested daily and at times we fail. There are times when we do things we know are not right, but because by world standards they appear right. Males and females in the work force today are often tempted to do things that married people should not do. People know that what they are about to do is not right and is sinful, but they listen to the voice of Satan instead of the voice of the Holy Spirit.
We remember that God led the people of Israel into the desert to test them. He said, “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2).
God wanted to see if his people would obey him when they were under pressure. When Satan tempted Jesus, Satan wanted to know if Jesus could remain obedient to God under pressure. Satan does the same thing to us. He tempts us and then sits back to see if we will fall for his lies.
We will not fall for Satan’s temptations if we know the Word of God which says that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4).
Mankind is surrounded by the wickedness of the world and it is indeed frightening because Satan is strong, evil, and tends to make things look as if they are compatible with the ways of God. Although Satan is strong, God is stronger and is able to conquer all evil. Each Christian need not fear Satan because the Holy Spirit and the Word of God abides within their heart.
Satan does not like that we follow and obey God. At One time Satan had a wonderful relationship with God, but because he wanted to be equal with God that relationship was broken. Listen to the words recorded by the prophet Isaiah:
You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isaiah 14:13-15).
God knew when he created man that Satan would try to influence man and that man would fall for Satan’s lies. Prior to the fall of man and sin entering the world, Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with God. God had given them control over everything that he made.
God said to Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:1-17).
God placed this tree in the garden so that Adam could have a choice; the choice of obeying God or disobeying God. If God had not given Adam a choice, then Adam would have been like a puppet.
When you or I have a choice between two things, we feel like we are more in control. If we are told exactly what to do with no deviation, we feel like we are robots.
We have to realize there are good choices and there are bad choices. The good choice will be advantages and bring us rewards; pleasure, friends, love, money, etc. The bad choices are will probably bring us heartache, disappointment, loneliness, depression, etc.
No one likes to make bad choices. When we are faced with making a choice, Satan enters the picture and tries his very best to paint a pretty picture of a bad choice. This is the time we must check in with God and ask him to help us make the right choice.
God will speak to us through the Holy Spirit who lives within our heart and if we listen, the right choice will be made. If we don’t listen or we don’t even consult God, Satan will smile because we have made the wrong choice.
After Adam and Eve made the wrong choice and Satan thought he had a victory, God put Plan #2 into action. At this point God could have given up on mankind and wiped him off the face of the earth, but God put his plan of redemption into action. The void between sinful man and Holy God would be filled by the Cross.
Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah revealed these words given to him by God: “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
People have been walking in darkness every since sin entered the world. Every individual born is born with a sinful nature. There are no big sins or small sins. Sin is sin. It might appear on the surface that some sins are bigger than other sins, but this is because the penalty is more serious.
One might think murder is more serious than hatred because murder could condemn one to jail or death, whereas hatred just seems a dislike for a person.
One may not consider anger, disrespect, gossip, greed, or judgment as being sinful. They are sins because they exhibit a lack of love for God’s children.
God’s Word says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of us sin and we sin on a daily basis. Although we do sin, God still loves us and when we repent of our sins, he forgives us of our sins. We are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
The words “justified freely” means that we are declared “not guilty” for our sins. That does not mean that we have a license to continue sinning. Human-beings will make wrong choices leading to sin, but God does not want us to live apart from him, so that is why Jesus shed his blood for us. God’s Word says, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). God did not want us to spend eternity separated from him so he gave us the gift of eternal life in his Son. The gift is ready for us to accept and it is free because Jesus already paid the price.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
As our Scripture reading stated: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1, 2).
God has given us the gift of freedom. He has declared us “not guilty”. We are not living under the Law, but we are living under the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus and under the power of the Holy Spirit.
We could not be saved by living under the Law. The Law had no power. Animal sacrifice could not bridge the gap between sinful man and Almighty God. God’s Word says that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
This was only a temporary way to deal with sin. In Old Testament times, offering the blood of animals was God’s way of teaching the people the evil of sin. He forgave the sins of people when they offered their sacrifices through faith. Through faith, the people looked to the day when the Messiah would appear on the scene and permanently take away the sins of mankind.
Paul tells the Romans; “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that natures desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5).
In other words, there are people today who are living the ways of the world. These people believe they are in control of their lives and they are entitled to anything they want. They are focused on the material possessions of this earthly life. They are not concerned about their sinful nature because they are living for themselves. These people will do whatever it takes to reach whatever worldly goal they have in mind. The sins of greed, anger, hatred, jealously, etc, are not in their vocabulary. They live for today.
On the other hand, those people “who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5). The people living “in accordance with the Spirit” are the people who are living in accordance to the ways of Jesus. These people have answered the call to follow Jesus because the Holy Spirit has opened their eyes to the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
God’s Words says, “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Romans 8:6-8).
We cannot have our cake and eat it too. Listen to the words of Jesus to the church at Laodicea: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).
We cannot take a stand for Jesus in one breath and then change our minds the next. We cannot take the middle of the road. We cannot vacillate between good and bad. We cannot live worldly and project a Christian image. There is no middle-of-the-road when it comes to Jesus. Either we have the Spirit of Christ in us or we do not.
Conclusion;
When we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior, our sins are forgiven and we are guaranteed a place in the heavenly mansion. We are living under the grace of the One who took our place on Calvary. “God did not sent His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
A few years ago a truck driver mistakenly entered a neighborhood in Los Angeles where riots were in progress. Before he realized what happened, bricks hit his truck, the truck door was opened and he was pulled from the cab and severely beaten. He became unconscious, but by the grace of God lived through the terrible beating which left him with permanent damage. During the trial of the men who caused this driver such physical and mental pain, this driver approached the families of the men responsible, hugged the mothers and told them that he forgave their young sons for what they had done to him.
Jesus did the same thing for each one of us when he went to the Cross for us. When Jesus was nailed to the Cross, his words were: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
When one the thieves said to him, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
He has stamped us: “Free – Not Guilty!”
Amen.
