A New Reality For Disciples of Christ Romans 8:1-4
8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b] from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.[c] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
The Great Gift of Position
We learn from the Letter to the Roman Church that we are all sinners, that no one is good, that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God, that we will never be free from the struggle within us and that there is hope for all who Trust The sacrifice and life of Jesus Christ.
We arrive at chapter 8 greeted by an awesome declaration. “8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (NLT) From the King James Version, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” Chapter 7 wrestles with the internal chaos swirling in each because of Sin. The chapter concludes that there is no hope in us to remedy our situation, but it does not leave us in that potentially perpetual state of hopelessness.
Romans 7:25 breaks into spontaneous praise saying, “ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord…” in response to Paul’s plea “who can save me from this body of death.” In Christ Jesus we have hope, safety and security for our lives today and eternity tomorrow. It is a very sad thing to fail to remember what was done to secure our eternal salvation. Our position “in” Christ Jesus is a place of undeserved privilege that we received because or our faith and trust in God through Jesus Christ. Read again the words of Romans 8:2, when God says through The Apostle “2 And because you belong to him, the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b] from the power of sin that leads to death. It is important for every follower of Jesus Christ to hear these words. You are free. We are free from some things and freed to do some things.
Allow me to interject another scripture that speaks to the Gospel of Christ and why we who are saved must live in the joy God’s Salvation. Hebrews 2:
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had[g] the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters,[h] so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
Salvation Should Make Us Bold Not Boastful!
Hebrews 4:14-16 Instructs us saying,
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
The unsaved need to hear the Gospel, and we who are saved need to remember the Gospel. It is imperative for us to remember that our position in Christ offers the benefits of peace, safety and access to the Throne of God in Christ. We shall see that later in Chapter 8 that The Father has enriched us in ways that most believers never learn and therefore do not know and can not remember. This makes so many of us poorer in Faith, slow to trust and quick to doubt. Our ignorance leaves us living below the Gift of Life given in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.