You can watch the sermon here.
SERMON TITLE: No Condemnation
TEXT: Romans 8:1 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 5/31/20
It’s great to be back with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And one thing I always want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
And it’s this amazing love that God has for his people that we’re going to explore together over the next few weeks as we turn to one of my favorite chapters in all of the Bible. If you’re wondering what chapter I’m talking about, it’s Romans chapter 8 — and I hope that our time in it will be life changing for you. So if you have your Bible, please turn with me to Romans chapter 8. We’ll be looking at one verse today — and that is verse 1.
And while you’re finding our text, let me just say — publicly — thank you to Matt and Jon for preaching faithfully to us the last two weeks. It was good for me to have a break, good for you to hear from someone other than me, and — I’m glad to say — it’s good to be back.
Though I will say — ha ha — to those funny guys. Matt lobbed the old “play a harp” dare to Jon. And Jon lobbed the old “play the saxophone” dare to me. But it ain’t gonna happen people. First, because I don’t own a saxophone. Second, apparently someone forgot to count how many comments came in last week. And — three — pastor Ben Borsay will be the next guy preaching — after I’ve had a few weeks back in the saddle — and I’d feel really bad about daring Ben to show us his musical talent — apparently it’s something to do with whistling through his nose — who wants to hear that? But we’ll get back to me and the saxophone in a bit.
But — for now — let’s turn to the words found in Romans chapter 8 — verse 1.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 ESV)
So I thought we’d do something fun together. Since we only have one verse, let’s see if we can memorize this verse together. It’s pretty simple. It’s short. And I bet you can do it. So I’ll say part of the verse and then you go ahead and repeat after me. You can repeat it out loud or — if you want — you can type it in the comment section.
Here we go. Me first.
There is therefore. (REPEAT)
Now no condemnation. (REPEAT)
For those who are in Christ Jesus. (REPEAT)
Let’s do that again.
There is therefore. (REPEAT)
Now no condemnation. (REPEAT)
For those who are in Christ Jesus. (REPEAT)
Let’s put more of it together. I’ll go — you repeat.
There is therefore now no condemnation. (REPEAT)
For those who are in Christ Jesus. (REPEAT)
Are you ready to put it all together? Me first.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (REPEAT)
Look at how easy that was. Who says you can’t memorize — you just proved that you can.
So back to the saxophone — here’s what I’ll do. If 100 of you, post a video of yourself quoting Romans 8 verse 1 from memory — no cheating — but if 100 of you quote our verse from memory, post your video, and tag Gateway Church in it — next week, I’ll show you a clip of me playing the saxophone from my college days. So there’s my challenge to all of you. One hundred of you showing us that you’ve memorized our verse and you’ll get to see a younger version of me playing the saxophone.
But back to more important matters — our verse. What sticks out to you in the words you just memorized? I think — for many of us — it may be the word condemnation. That’s a word we don’t really like, do we? We live in a “you can’t condemn me” kind of society. Because “I’ve got the right to believe what I want, do what I want, think how I want, and so on and — as long as I’m not hurting anyone — who are you to judge me?” And many would even go so far as to say, “And who is God to judge me?” We have an aversion to condemnation because we have an aversion to the idea that we’re guilty before God and that he will judge us.
One person has said, “There are all kinds of ways we can try to overcome our guilt. There are intellectual ways: [Where we say things like…] “Well, I’m just human. I don’t need to feel guilty for this. This is what everybody would do.” Maybe we intellectually try to redefine [what’s] right and wrong to make ourselves feel better for what we find ourselves doing. Then, there are physical ways, when people turn to alcohol, or all kinds of different drugs to try to cover up guilt or deal with [their] guilt. Or maybe, it’s not that extreme. Maybe the busyness of our lives is an attempt to cover up guilt. As long as we can stay busy enough, we won’t have to come face to face with what we’re not doing with our lives, or with the reality of what we are doing...Intellectual ways, physical ways…[then] there are religious ways to deal with guilt, maybe the most deceptive of all. “Maybe, if I do this or that, if my routine was this or that, if I lead my family in this way, then it makes up for this or that over here.” There are all kinds of ways the world would say to deal with guilt.” (David Platt, God’s Story in a Guilt-Based Culture) Now the reason why we’re all trying to figure out what to do with our guilt is because we all want freedom from it.
Now — freedom is important. That’s what — not only Romans 8 — but what the whole Bible tells us — freedom is important. Freedom from sin. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from shame. Freedom from fear. Freedom is one of the great themes of the Bible.
But something unique to the Christian faith is how a person finds freedom. For the Christian faith teaches us that true freedom comes from the liberating work of the Holy Spirit. And this work of the Spirit — this work of freedom — even includes setting people free from God’s condemnation.
Now — it’s been awhile since we were in the book of Romans — so you need to know that this is quite the shift in the letter — this focus on the Holy Spirit. In the first seven chapters of the letter, Paul mentions the Holy Spirit four times — four times in seven chapters. But here — in chapter 8 — Paul mentions the Holy Spirit 19 times. So if we want to talk about freedom — especially freedom from God’s condemnation — we can’t ignore the Spirit’s work in setting us free.
But — before we go any further — and because you may be thinking — “Josh, what do you even mean by the Holy Spirit — I don't even know what that means — Holy Spirit.” So — first — let me introduce you to the Holy Spirit — and I’ll do so — by means of two questions and answers that I use with my kids. (From the New City Catechism)
Here’s the first question and answer.
What do we believe about the Holy Spirit?
[We believe] that he is God, coeternal with the Father and the Son, and that God grants him irrevocably to all who believe.
So the Holy Spirit is a person — not an it. He is God. And he’s always existed — that’s the coeternal part. And the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Jesus — and he’s given to us in such a way — that there’s a no return policy — that’s the irrevocable part.
Question two.
How does the Holy Spirit help us?
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and the desire to obey God; and he enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word.
So that’s who the Holy Spirit is and some of the things that he does. (If you want to learn more about the Holy Spirit, I’d encourage you to read chapter 34 of Modern English Version of the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapters 14 and 30 of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, or RC Sproul’s short book titled Who is the Holy Spirit?) But today — and for the entire time we’re in Romans chapter 8 — we’re going to discover deep, life-changing, hope-giving, joy-inducing truths of the Spirit’s work in the lives of God’s people.
So back to our verse — our one verse — for the day. I want us to focus on three parts of the verse. And we’re going to focus on words — here — because these words change everything. And I hope that you’ll be changed by these words.
And the first word — that I want us to focus on — is the word therefore. It’s a bit of a cliche — which is why it’s probably as helpful as it is — but whenever you’re reading the Bible and you come across a “therefore” ask yourself, “What’s this there for?” Because the word therefore is a connecting word. It’s a word that means — because of what’s just been stated — this is the result — the truth — the implication of what was just said.
So therefore is a word meant to make us look back at what’s come before our verse. Why? Because whatever comes before this therefore is the reason for the hope that comes after this therefore. So what comes before? Seven chapters of material
Now — at this point — I’m going to cheat a bit. Because many of us have gone through the first seven chapters in Romans together. But if you weren’t here with us — my “cheating” — is to encourage you to go to our website — gatewayepc.org — and go listen to the sermons from those chapters.
But — since you don’t have time to do that right now — another pastor has summed up the first seven chapters of Romans this way. “...holy God, sinful man, coming wrath, perfect Savior, Jesus Christ crucified and risen, justification by faith, sanctification by faith. And now Paul sums up the message of Christianity in the great conclusion of Romans 8:1, “Therefore — in view of all that — there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” That’s the essence of Christianity. That’s the central, foundational message of God to the world. This is what we announce. This is what we plead. This is what we lay down our lives to communicate to the nations and the neighborhoods: No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (John Piper, No Condemnation in Christ Jesus, Part 1)
So that’s the big picture view of what our therefore is there for. But if we narrow our focus — if we go from using a telescope looking at the big picture and — instead — get out a microscope and look at the surrounding verses of our therefore — we see a direct connection between our verse and the end of chapter 7.
Now chapter and verse numbers aren’t inspired by God. The authors of the Bible didn’t have some strange way of writing — where they put these random numbers throughout their letters — cause — that would’ve been weird! Later in history — in an effort to help us all know where each other was in the Bible — chapter numbers were added and then verse numbers. Making it easy for all of us to find Romans chapter 8 verse 1. Super helpful.
But chapter and verse numbers sometimes disrupt the train of thought that Paul — or the other authors of the Bible — have. Overall, chapter and verse numbers are helpful — but we have to remember that this was a letter — meant to be read — or heard read — in one sitting. And the verses that may be on a different page — in your physical Bible — or not on your screen — if you’re using a digital Bible — verses from Romans chapter 7 need to be at the forefront of our minds as we come to this therefore in Romans chapter 8.
Here’s why. In chapter 7 — Paul argues that our situation — the situation we’re in because of sin — is not good. He calls us slaves to sin. He describes us as prisoners of war needing to be rescued. And chapter 7 ends with these words.
I have discovered this principle of life — that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Romans 7:21-25 NLT)
Last year — when we looked at these verses — we titled the series “Fight” because we’re in a fight — a war against sin — and it’s with these words in mind that we’re to hear the wonderful word — THEREFORE! Because there is a victor in our fight — there is a winner of the war — and the victor is Jesus. THEREFORE — because he has won the victory — secured his people’s freedom — liberated captives from their enslavement to sin — THEREFORE — sweet words to our ears — comforting words to our souls — THEREFORE — there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So — now — understanding the significance of the word therefore — let’s focus on the phrase “now no condemnation.” This is a positive declaration though it may be off putting to our ears because of the word condemnation. This phrase has a courtroom-like declaration to it. (Leander E. Keck, Romans, Abingdon New Testament Commentaries, ed. Victor Paul Furnish (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005), 195.) “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” — that’s a judicial statement.
Now we need to understand what this statement means — now no condemnation — because we can confuse the conflict — the war — the fight against sin that we’re in — we can confuse the conflict with condemnation. As one pastor has said, “Our apostle, after having said, “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin,” goes on to say, without any break [remember the chapter break wasn’t Paul’s idea — so without any break Paul says...], “There is therefore now no condemnation [for those who] are in Christ Jesus.” The fact is, that believers are in a state of conflict, but not in a state of condemnation; and that at the very time when the conflict is hottest the believer is still justified. When the believer has to do his utmost even to hold his ground, when he feels that he cannot advance an inch without fighting for it, when he has to cry out in the agony of his spirit because of the vehemence of temptation, he may still lay his hand upon the word of God, and say, “And yet there is no condemnation [for] me, for I am in Christ Jesus.”; [the] man who feels a daily striving after deliverance from evil, who is panting, and pining, and longing, and agonizing to become holy even as God is holy, he is the justified man. The man to whom every sin is a misery, to whom even the thought of iniquity is intolerable, he is the man who may with confidence declare, “There is therefore now no condemnation [for those who] are in Christ Jesus.””(Charles Spurgeon, In Christ No Condemnation)
Now notice — in our verse — that this state of being — this being not condemned — isn’t something that will happen some day in the future — or in eternity — or forever in Heaven. According to Paul, when is the believer given this “no condemnation” status? Now! Present tense. And now means right now. So — if you believe in Jesus — right now — at this moment — you are not condemned. You’re forgiven. Do you believe that?
I ask this because many believers live as if they're still under the condemnation of God. They don’t live in the freedom that Jesus has given them. They live like they’re still a prisoner of war — a slave of sin — living in fear that maybe God will take back his offer of salvation to them. AND THAT IS NOT WHO GOD IS!
Here’s how wonderful this news is. If you believe in Jesus — as someone’s said — “all of God’s action toward you is almighty mercy and omnipotent [that means all of God’s infinite power...So all of God’s action toward you is almighty mercy and omnipotent] assistance. It’s not mixed. It’s not as though some days [God] is against you with wrath — and those days are bad days — while other days [God] is for you with love — and those days are good days. That is emphatically not the case and not the way to think about it. It may seem that way. But that is precisely why we need the truth of God’s revelation in his word. Most of the time in this world of pleasure and pain things are not what they seem. To understand what things are really like and what is really happening we need to put on the lens of God’s Word. So I say it again: what God wants us to understand from Romans 8:1 when he says through the apostle Paul, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” is that all of God’s condemning wrath and all of his omnipotent opposition against us in our sin has been entirely replaced by almighty mercy and omnipotent assistance. In Christ Jesus God is always for you. Always!...Now this is breathtaking. If we could believe it, practically, morning till night deep in our souls — if this truth that God is only for us and not against us, and that he is for us with almighty mercy and omnipotent assistance all day and all night, waking and sleeping, Oh how differently we would live and sleep! What freedom! What a joy! What a peace! What a risk-taking boldness! What a fearlessness! What a sacrificial life-style of love and service and mercy! What a patience!…we would have.” (John Piper, No Condemnation in Christ Jesus, Part 2)
If you believe in Jesus, can you feel the freedom of this truth in God’s Word to you? You are — now — and forever — not condemned by God. If you believe in Jesus — God is for you — now — and he will be for you — not against you — but God will be for you...forever.
But as exhilarating and encouraging as this truth is — I don’t want to be misleading. For this news — this truth of no condemnation — isn’t for everyone. It’s only for those who are in Christ Jesus. You’re either “in Christ” — and not condemned — or not in Christ — and thus — still under the condemnation of God. There’s no other alternative.
The same preacher — who earlier — emphasized the true Christian’s state of no condemnation also said, “The man who never strives against the sin which dwelleth in him, who indeed is not conscious of any sin to strive against, that is the man who may begin to question whether he knows anything at all about the spiritual life. He who has no inward pain may well suspect that he is abiding in death, abiding therefore under constant condemnation.” (Charles Spurgeon, In Christ No Condemnation)
Remember, the unbeliever doesn’t feel the conflict against their sin. They may regret the consequences of their sin, but they don’t hate their sin. They also don't find delight and joy in God.
However, it is those who experience the war — who know the conflict — who are familiar with the fight — they are the ones who are in Christ Jesus.
Are you in Christ or are you under the condemnation of God? Though you can say — and even sincerely believe — “there’s no condemnation over my life” — that’s only true for you if you are in Christ. Paul makes it clear that some are in Christ and others are not. In fact, Paul uses a phrase to indicate the opposite of being in Christ. The phrase he uses is “separated from Christ.” You’re either in Christ or separated from him — which are you?
One pastor knew that this truth would be revulsive to some who listened to him. He anticipated their objection as he said, “If you say, “Ah, but [Jesus] died for the whole world. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” [The pastor responded with…] Yes, indeed. And what that means is that there is infinite room in Jesus. Christ is not a small hotel. There is room for everyone. And everyone is invited and commanded, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden...Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost...The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out (Matthew 11:28; Revelation 22:17; John 6:37).” (John Piper, No Condemnation in Christ Jesus, Part 1)
But you must come to Christ — you must believe in him — if you want no condemnation over your life. In fact, if you want to know the difference between the gospel of Jesus Christ and the gospel that Satan wants us to believe — well — here’s the difference. Satan’s gospel says, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation” and stops right there. Similar to how he deceived our first parents — Adam and Eve — with, “Did God really say” — and “surely you won’t die” — the same words of deception he used with Adam and Eve he still uses to deceive billions of people today. “There is, therefore now no condemnation” says the Serpent. “It doesn’t matter how you live. Or what you believe. Or what you do. No condemnation for everyone!” That’s the gospel of Satan.
Satan’s gospel gets you brownie points in our culture. In a society that loves tolerance — the gospel of Satan makes you as tolerant as they come. But it disgraces the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because the gospel of Jesus Christ says, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Similar and yet infinitely different gospels. One leads to eternal death and condemnation. The other leads to eternal life and no condemnation. Which gospel are you believing in?
Now — to be “in Christ” — should have “the highest degree of importance”(John Calvin said this in his Institutes.) in the life of a Christian because to be “in Christ” means to be united with him. But what does that mean — being “in — or united to — Christ”?
Now to close in a way that I hope is encouraging to you — but also helpful — as we’re all in the thick of the war — the fight — the conflict — so to close with encouragement and help — first — I want to encourage those who are now separated from Christ and under God’s condemnation. Please know that you don’t have to stay where you are. As was said earlier, “There’s room in Christ. Plenty of room.” So believe in Jesus — right now — and today — this very day — will be the day of your salvation and the first day of your “now no condemnation” life.
But for those who are in Christ, how does “now no condemnation” help you in the thick of this conflict we’re in?
Say you’re suffering from physical pain (From John Piper, No Condemnation in Christ Jesus, Part 1.) — here’s practical help from our verse. Even if your pain gets worse — not better — and if it seems as if your pain will lead to death instead of healing — in those moments when Satan — the Accuser comes and tells you, “See, God’s punishing you. He can’t be trusted. You must not have really believed in Jesus because this seems like God’s condemnation to me.” You quote Romans 8:1 to that snake and say, “I am not under condemnation for I am in Christ. Get outta here you snake.”
Say your marriage isn’t going well. You’re disappointed by it. Your spouse is disappointed by it. And the Enemy shows up and starts accusing you, telling you to give up, that a better Christian wouldn’t have such troubles in their marriage. Quote Romans 8:1 to that snake and say, “I am not under condemnation for I am in Christ. Get outta here you snake.”
Or your feeling like a failure as a parent — and the stay at home orders haven’t helped any. Maybe you’ve lost your temper. Maybe you’ve given up on trying to plan things throughout the day and your kids are looking at a screen more than you ever thought they would in a day. And the Accuser has shown up and is tickling your ears with lies, “You’re a lousy parent. What have you done to deserve this kind of punishment from God? Everyone else has this figured out — what’s your problem?” Quote Romans 8:1 to that snake and say, “I am not under condemnation for I am in Christ. Get outta here you snake.”
For the believer in Jesus Christ, there is, therefore, now no condemnation. Why? Because you’ve earned it? NO! Because you’re awesome! NO! Why? Because you are in Jesus Christ.
In Christ — no condemnation. In Christ — freedom. In Christ — joy. In Christ — the infinite tender mercy of your Heavenly Father.
Come to Christ today — if you haven’t done so. There’s room for you in him. Come to him and discover what it means to be free from guilt — to know what it means to live a “now no condemnation” life. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for making a “now no condemnation” life possible for us. We don’t deserve this life. We could never earn it. Yet you sent your Son to be condemned in our place — on the cross — so we could reap the rewards of the victory he’s won on our behalf.
Jesus, the words “thank you” don’t seem to be enough when we fathom the “now no condemnation” life that you’ve given us. When we think of what this life cost you — your life — may we respond in humble thankfulness and a commitment to living for your glory.
Spirit, you are the one who empowers us to live in this “now no condemnation” freedom that is ours. Giving us the confidence — and power — we need to tell our Enemy, “Get outta here you snake; I am not condemned.” Help us to listen to your truth and to silence the lies of our Enemy. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you have something you would like us to pray for, please submit it in the chat or use the Request Prayer button if you’re joining us on the app. We have people who would love to pray for your requests today and throughout the week. And don’t forget that you can always call the church office to talk to someone directly.
May you go knowing — with certainty — that in being united to Christ — you are living a “now no condemnation” life.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
You can find the notes for the sermon here.
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