The Believers Freedom in Christ

The Announcement of No Condemnation

At the beginning of Romans 8  Paul makes a very dogmatic announcement:  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

There are actually 2 ways to look at what Paul means by "no condemnation here." Based on how you interpret the function of the connecting conjunction that opens the verse and is translated "therefore." (a;ra) its retrospective  that is it indicates logical sequence, therefore, consequently; 

 The question we must ask,  is based on what?   If you take it to refer back to Rom 3:21-5:21, the whole section dealing with justification by faith; then we could say its referring to our justification from the penalty and guilt of sin. That is, No condemnation, no fear based on the fact we're in Christ!

But if we take the retrospective aspect to go back to the more immediate context, that of Rom 7, which is the more normal, then the focus of 8:1  is vastly different and I believe actually fits better with the flow of the context of 8:1-4.  [sometimes the subject points to farther back, but not often, Rom 12:1 being an example of the long retrospective look]

As you begin to examine Romans 8 two questions should naturally arise, based on the ongoing struggle that is noted in ch-7:   #1  Must we as believers spend our whole life on earth frustrated by ongoing defeats at the hand of the indwelling sin nature?   #2 Is there not a power and provision provided to achieve victory?   

The answer to the first question is no and to the second, yes.   So then Paul is saying here that the believer is not condemned to a life of servitude or enslavement to the sin nature.

F.F.Bruce is convinced that the term "condemnation" refers to  "penal servitude" and that Paul is teaching that "there is no reason why those who are 'in Christ Jesus' should go on doing penal servitude as though they had never been pardoned and never been liberated from the prison house of sin."  And he is right. We can choose to do so, but it is not in our best interest.  The word for condemnation is katakrima (kata,krima) a legal term; to judge down; to bring a judgment down on someone. The word was used to refer to the punishment following a sentence; a charge was made, a trial held, the charge was proved, and a judge ruled and handed down a sentence.

I believe that the primary emphasis here must go with the thrust of the closer context. Nothing incorrect about the truth taught by the longer look but it is interpreting theologically not based on context.  We're justified by faith; we're in Christ; therefore No condemnation, true no question!  We as believers should have great confidence and assurance of this truth.  That is because we're in Christ there is no condemnation now or ever before God the Father. We have been declared justified.

Reasons for a shorter look back to the immediate context!  

1st Romans 6-8 deals mainly with the subject of sanctification, not justification.  Therefore a stronger emphasis on the immediate context.  Both have their foundation or basis in the Cross,   but a different emphasis or impact in the life.   Question we need to ask is the primary focus of the immediate context here our positional standing or is it what's going on now in our life as a believer?

2nd  The next verse (Rom. 8:2),  presents the reason why believers are under no condemnation, deals with freedom from domination or enslavement by the sin nature, not with freedom from guilt and penalty of sin.   Context clearly is not justification.

3rd  The sentence in which the words "no condemnation" appear is joined to the immediately preceding context by the word "therefore,"  the conjunction a;ra.

With the shorter look back it makes the emphasis of Romans 8:1 a conclusion drawn from what Paul has just covered in Romans 7.

Paul has just dealt with the problem of the believer being overpowered by the sin nature and then spoke of God's provision of deliverance from the power of that nature in (7:24-25).  

Paul's dogmatic statement here in Romans 8:1 must be primarily referring to no condemnation with regard to the power of the sin nature, not to no condemnation with regard to guilt.  Paul is saying that, since God has provided the believer with  deliverance from the power of the sinful nature, and enslavement to it,  the believer is not condemned to a life of servitude to that nature. Point is that the believer is provided in Grace all the resources so that no longer does he/she have to be enslaved to the sin nature.

Paul's use of the word "now"  [adv nun]  in his announcement of no condemnation indicates that the believer is free from this condemnation now, at this time, during this present lifetime.  He does not have to wait until death or future glorification to have this freedom from servitude to the sin nature.

Paul then expands on our new freedom in 8:2.  He begins Rom. 8:2 with the word "for " (ga.r).  This indicates that he is giving the reason for the believer not being condemned to a life of servitude to the sin nature:  "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."

In other words, God has provided a means of deliverance.  The means for that deliverance,  he calls here,  the law of the Spirit of life.  This prepositional phrase of life is a functional title in that it tells us something about the noun it is related to, that is the Holy Spirit;  it describes what the Holy Spirit does or is; here what He does. Another title we have seen is the Spirit of truth with an emphasis on what He is!

What's the first thing done for us at the point of faith?  The Holy Spirit regenerates and gives us a new life in Christ!  (Titus 3:5)  When the Holy Spirit regenerates the new believer what does He do?   He gives them life, spiritual life, eternal life!  He has also done something else for us when we believed, and that is what Paul is emphasizing here, "has set us free from the law of sin and of death." [which leads to death]  The verb set us free  evleuqero,w   means to be set free, liberated; speaks of a completed action. 

The aorist tense of the verb takes us back to the cross,  "to the time and act of  regeneration, when the freedom began and was established."   This being set free becomes actualized or real for each of us the point that we believe in Christ, from that moment the Holy Spirit set us free from the ruling power of the sin nature.

What Paul is leading up to here is that we as believers have a whole new way of living, a whole new means of enablement for living, having completely new resources available to us. Part of the uniqueness of being a church age saint in union with the King!

Several significant things should be noted concerning Paul's statement in Romans 8:2. First Paul refers to two distinct laws: The law of the Spirit of life and the law of sin and death. Law, no matter what kind it may be, is established for the purpose of governing or controlling, or influencing a course of action. In light of this, the law of the Spirit of life is the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, which enabling power is related to newness of life (Romans 6:4; 7:6 whole new framework for the believer in Christ).

In 7:23, the law of sin speaks of the ruling power of the sin nature, which ruling power always results in death, separation.

The reason that the believer is not condemned to a life of servitude to the sin nature is that the enabling power of the Holy Spirit has set him free from the ruling power of the sin nature.

Second the freedom from the sin nature to which Paul refers to here is different from the freedom from that same nature to which he refers in Romans 6:7. Two things in the original text indicate this.   #1 Paul uses two distinct words for freedom in these passages. The word in 6:7 is a legal term. [dikaio,w]  freed from, justified. The word in 8:2 is not a legal term. [in a spiritual or moral sense  evleuqero,w]  #2 The freedoms of these two Passages are obtained through two different means. The freedom of 6:7 is obtained through our identification with the death of Christ at salvation.  The freedom of 8:2 is obtained through the indwelling Holy Spirit and His enabling power.

In Romans 8:2 Paul is saying that someone much more powerful than the sin nature has intervened on behalf of the believer and has set him free from the ruling power of his former master. That someone is the Holy Spirit. The law of the Spirit is a higher law than the law of sin. 

If we continue to choose to live under the law of sin and death we will eventually fail; crash and burn; that's Rom 7's message! But if we come to that realization of 7:24 Wretched man that I am! I'm incapable on my own; believe the facts of our position in Christ and choose to live under the law of the Spirit of life.  Because we have a new life, we're in Christ, we're separated from the law of sin the sin nature and its power then we will be able to soar and fly as a believer.

Because He is the power source for the new life! We now are able to serve a new master!

In the next 2 verses Rom. 8:3-4  Paul lays out the provision of our freedom/liberation  [the how]. What he is really saying is that grace succeeds where the law fails.  Grace motivates to holy living,  while the law is unable to do so!