No Condemnation: Living Free While Following Jesus - Romans 8:1 (NLT)
Introduction: A Verdict That Changes Everything
Church, there are words that alter the course of a life. “You’re fired.” “It’s malignant.” “I do.”
But Romans 8:1 may be the most life-altering sentence ever written for a human soul.
Paul writes these thunderclap words not to perfect people, not to spiritual elites, but to struggling, tempted, imperfect believers learning to follow Jesus:
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 8:1, NLT)
If we truly grasp this verse, it will change how we pray, how we fight sin, how we view ourselves, and how we follow Jesus in a guilt-saturated, performance-driven world.
Tonight, we are not just studying a verse. We are stepping into freedom.
I. The Context: From Wretchedness to Freedom
Romans was written by the Apostle Paul around AD 57 to believers in Rome—both Jews and Gentiles—who were navigating faith in a hostile, pluralistic culture. Sound familiar?
Romans 7 ends with Paul’s raw confession: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”
(Romans 7:24, NLT)
This is not a new believer speaking. This is a mature apostle describing the ongoing struggle with indwelling sin.
Then comes the turning point:
“Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:25a, NLT)
Romans 8:1 is therefore not a random encouragement. It is the verdict that follows the struggle.
“Condemnation”
The Greek word Paul uses is katakrima (?at????µa).
It does not mean feeling bad. It means a judicial sentence of guilt, a legal declaration of punishment.
Paul is saying:
There is no guilty verdict left for those who are in Christ.
Not reduced condemnation.
Not delayed condemnation.
No condemnation. Period.
Tim Keller: “The gospel is this: we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
That’s Romans 7 and Romans 8 in one breath. Honest about sin, overwhelming about grace. Discipleship collapses when we lose either truth.
II. “In Christ Jesus”: The Secret Place of Freedom
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, NLT)
Key Phrase: “In Christ”
Paul’s favourite description of a believer is not “church member” or “disciple” but “in Christ.”
To be in Christ means:
His righteousness is credited to you
His death counts as your death
His resurrection becomes your future
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT): “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
This is substitutionary atonement. Jesus stands where we should stand.
“Made right” translates dikaiosyne—legal righteousness, not moral achievement.
Stop trying to feel forgiven. Start believing you are forgiven.
Imagine standing in court, guilty beyond doubt. Evidence stacked high. Sentence looming.
Then the judge steps down, removes his robe, and says, “I’ll take the punishment.”
That is not a metaphor. That is the Gospel.
R.T. Kendall: “The biggest hindrance to holiness is a bad conscience.”
Condemnation paralyses discipleship. Grace fuels obedience. The enemy wants you forgiven but ineffective—Jesus wants you free and fruitful.
III. The Cross Ends Condemnation Forever
Colossians 2:13–14 (NLT): “You were dead because of your sins… Then God made you alive with Christ… He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
The “record of charges” refers to a handwritten list of debts—an IOU nailed publicly when paid.
Stop un-nailing what Jesus nailed.
John Piper: “The blood of Christ is sufficient not only to cover all your sins, but also to silence every accusation against you.”
If God has silenced the courtroom, why are you still listening to the accuser?
IV. No Condemnation Does Not Mean No Transformation
Paul anticipates the objection: “Does grace mean we can live how we like?”
Absolutely not.
Romans 8:3–4 (NLT): “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son… He condemned sin in the flesh so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us…”
Grace doesn’t excuse sin—it destroys sin’s authority.
“Sinful nature” is sarx—the fallen human tendency, not the physical body itself.
You fight sin best not by self-hatred but by Spirit-filled identity.
Charles Stanley: “Grace is not the freedom to sin; it is the power not to.”
True discipleship flows from identity, not intimidation.
V. Living Free in a Condemning Culture
We live in a world of:
Cancel culture
Performance metrics
Online shaming
Internal comparison
John 8:10–11 (NLT): “Where are your accusers?… Neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more.”
Jesus removes condemnation before calling for transformation.
Many believers follow Jesus carrying a backpack filled with stones labelled failure, shame, regret.
Romans 8:1 says: Put it down. Walk free.
Max Lucado: “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way.”
That’s grace with direction. Acceptance with purpose.
VI. The Gospel Invitation: From Condemnation to Christ
The Gospel is not self-improvement. It is divine rescue.
Christ died for our sins.
Christ was buried.
Christ rose again.
(cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, NLT)
You are not saved by turning over a new leaf but by trusting a risen Lord.
Call to Repentance and Faith
Repentance is not self-loathing—it is turning direction.
Faith is not intellectual agreement—it is surrender.
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, NLT)
Application and Call to Action
For Believers
Stop rehearsing forgiven sins
Walk daily “in Christ,” not in shame
Obey from gratitude, not fear
For Seekers
Today can be the day condemnation ends and life begins.
Invitation to Salvation
If you are ready to trust Jesus—right now, where you are—pray from your heart:
“Jesus, I turn from my sin. I trust You as my Saviour. I surrender to You as my Lord. Thank You that there is now no condemnation. Fill me with Your Spirit. I choose to follow You. Amen.”
Conclusion and Benediction:
Walk out today not bowed by shame but lifted by grace.
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
May you follow Jesus freely, boldly, and joyfully—In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
