Glorification 120624

Romans 8:18-23, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

As we go through Romans we need to look back and remind ourselves of the truths we have seen so far. Paul has introduced the theme of salvation and the importance of the gospel at the very beginning. Then he introduced the theme of certainty and assurance. In fact, beginning with the fifth chapter the theme of glorification comes in. The ultimate object of salvation is our glorification. Everything that happens to a Christian is "in Christ", and because we are united to the Lord Jesus Christ. Glorification is the ultimate goal of salvation; and we must never stop short of it. We were not saved in order to be observers in heaven.

Instead, we are to be glorified. Glorification is the final step in our redemption and it will not happen until our spirit and soul is reunited with our resurrection body. Our text for today talks about this process and the glory that is to be revealed in us. This is a glory beyond our imagination and is usually not included in Christian teaching, or thinking. John tells us that when Jesus appears we will be like him! We have some examples in the Bible of what it means to be "like him". On the Mount of Transfiguration the three apostles saw Jesus in his glory along with Moses and Elijah. When this happened Jesus glowed whiter than anything they had ever seen. They were so awestruck that they wanted to set up three Tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah! The disciples saw him several times after his resurrection. He seemed to be much the same person except for his scars.

Later on, Stephen saw the risen Jesus standing at the right hand of the glory of God. Then, of course, Paul had his vision of the risen Lord. He was on the road to Damascus to arrest and kill Christians when Jesus appeared to him. The story is found in Acts chapter 9. As they were proceeding on their way a bright light suddenly surrounded them and they heard a voice speaking to Saul of Tarsus. The voice said, "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?" Saul, later to be called Paul, answered the voice, "Who are you Lord?". Then he heard, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…". Then Saul found that, having looked at the glorified Jesus, he could no longer see! The glory of the Lord was so great that it blinded him. In Revelation chapter 5 we see one example of the glorified Jesus, “I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." And then in chapter 19, we see another example of the glorified Jesus. Let me read it for you, "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." Of these examples we see something that to me is amazing. The risen Lord Jesus appears in many different shapes and forms all of which are awestriking. And we shall be like him!

So, for us, what does suffering have to do with it?

Suffering and future glory. Our text tells us that our present sufferings is not worthy of the glory that is to be revealed in us. Some modern translations, including the ESV, translates the end of verse eighteen, "revealed to us." I believe this is an incorrect translation. Instead it should be, "revealed in us". If we are to be like him then we are not just to observe the glory, we are to experience the glory.

But again, what does suffering have to do with it?

Jesus said we would endure persecution. Let's read, John 15:18-21, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me."

Paul had counted everything worthless that he may come to know Jesus Christ. He gave up privilege and position. He knew that his righteousness was worthless and only the righteousness of Christ could count for him. He knew this would cause suffering and it certainly did! But he was perfectly willing to do anything to be like Jesus even if it meant sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death.

Every generation of believers have suffered. Beginning with Stephen, and the other disciples in Jerusalem, persecution followed the Christian faith wherever it went. Paul describes his life this way, turn with me to, 2 Corinthians 11:23b-28 "… far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches."

Throughout history, Christians have been persecuted for no other reason than the fact of their faith. And it continues today. I could read you story, after story, of those who've given their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel. Today there are many countries where the only kind of worship is in secret. Sometimes I wonder why there is so little suffering for the gospel in the United States. Is it because we have "freedom of religion"? Or is it simply because we have been brought into the culture and are not distinctly separate from society? We think we are being persecuted when the code enforcement officers won't let us break the rules. Well, in most of the rest of the world persecution is very real. Churches are burned, pastors are killed, people are forced out of their jobs, families shun Christian believers and so on and so forth. But, it's really worth it. We should do everything possible to help those who suffer and be prepared for a time when it may come here.

Glory will be revealed in us — it's worth it! Let's read, 1 Peter 1:3-9, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." Peter describes the suffering of the church as being like a refiners furnace. Going through the fire tests the genuineness of the faith of the church and its individual members. But it's worth it because we have stored up for us in heaven an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. We are to rejoice in this. It serves the purpose of God. In Romans 5, Paul says much the same thing, "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

Suffering produces endurance, which gives us character, which gives us hope. As a result we are not put to shame. Paul was ready to lay down his life for his Lord. And he did not expect that he would fail when it came time to face his death in Rome. He had certainly suffered enough to have plenty of endurance; plenty of character; and plenty of Christian hope.

But what does our suffering and his glory revealed in us have to do with the creation?

The creation and Christians.

The sin of man put the creation in bondage. Read with me, Genesis 3:17-19, "And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” As Paul said to the Romans, "the creation was subjected to futility". "Futility" is not used very often today. But we might say, "It would be futile to try that." "Vanity" is very much the same. It might be that being subject to futility could be translated as "brought to hopelessness". The whole creation lost its sense of hope when Adam subjected it. You see, it was the sin of Adam, that brought the hopelessness into the world.

We don't know what that world of Adam looked like exactly but it was very likely much more magical place than it is now.

The creation waits for our glorification. See what Isaiah had to say in, Isaiah 55:12-13, For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

I have a vivid imagination and every time I read this passage I begin to visualize the thorns going away and the briars disappearing and beautiful trees and flowers replacing them. I begin to imagine the creation that has been groaning, and travailing, waiting for the appearing of the sons of God, suddenly breaking out in singing and applause. Because finally the creation will be set free!

It will be set free. Look with me at two passages, Revelation 21:1 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." and, 2 Peter 3:11-13, Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Both John and Peter describe a new heaven and new earth. You see we will have bodies! Our resurrected body will not be a "ghost" or a disembodied spirit. It will be real, and glorified, in order to live in a real glorified world.

In order to overcome suffering and to be "more than conquerors", we need to be certain about the glory which is coming to us. We need to always, as the writer of Hebrews says, "…run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus, the founder perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set for him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand the throne of God." Jesus could endure the pain and suffering because he knew without a doubt what the result would be. If we're going to follow Jesus, we too will suffer. We can endure it because we see the glory that will be revealed in us. We walk by faith not by sight. We will look at more of this next week.

All Scripture quotes are from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Debtors? No and Yes 120610

Romans 8:12-13, "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

For much of man's history, debt, that could not be paid, could lead to imprisonment or even death! Paul is speaking to us from a world where that was true. Remember the story that Jesus told? It is found in Matthew, chapter 18. A man owed his master a vast amount of money. His master ordered him to be sold with his wife and children along with all that he had. He begged for forgiveness and was forgiven. That man went on to demand payment from a fellow servant and was unforgiving in his heart toward his fellow servant. The master then put him in prison until he could pay his debt! Well, in a way we owe a debt we cannot pay. Yet it was paid for us! Jesus came to set us free. So do we now owe a debt? No, at least not to the flesh, but we do owe a debt of obligation.

We are really big on being saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves it is the gift of God. That's found in Ephesians 2:8-9. Yet we seem to forget that powerful statement in verse ten. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." I think it's wonderful that God prepared, before we were saved, work for us to do — a path for us to walk in. I know sometimes we feel like we're all on our own. We feel as though we have a job to do but were given no details and directions as to how to do it. That feeling is wrong — we have a lot of instruction and a lot of details that we need to follow. The instruction and the details are found in the Bible. We should be familiar with that book so that we can follow instructions. And yes we are debtors. We are debtors to grace and we are children of the King and as such we have lots of "family responsibilities". Instead, we seem to accept the ingrained responsibilities to the flesh that we are declared to be dead to.

Our debt is not to the flesh.

We are born of the flesh. Turn to, John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" Jesus, of course, was talking to Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews, a teacher of Israel. This is a man who knew the Scriptures. In a similar manner, Jesus confronted another group of religious leaders, and said to them, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me," (John 5:39) You see, you can know the Scriptures and even search the Scriptures and still miss the point. As long as we walk in the flesh we will fail again and again. Later, Jesus said, "… the flesh is no help at all." (John 6:63) It is possible to know a lot about Scripture and little about the God who is presented in that great book. We have a problem, and that problem is that we were born of the flesh and need to be born of the spirit. Even after we were born of the spirit we fall back into our old habits. Sometimes we refer to the "comfort zone" of a person. That is what we are very familiar with but it's not necessarily good. In fact, if our "comfort zone" is not controlled by the Lord Jesus Christ, guided by His Spirit, it's for sure that it's not right.

We spent our lives developing our flesh. Look at Philippians 3:4 and read through verse 9, "I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ,"

Saul had spent his life developing a biblically-based lifestyle in his own strength and ability. When most of us talk about our old ways we're talking about some pretty bad stuff! But not Saul of Tarsus! He could begin with his birth and show that he had met all the standards of his age and race. Then, on the road to Damascus, he met Jesus and that really messed up his worldview. You can read about it in Acts chapter 9. Saul of Tarsus died that day because he had been crucified with Christ. He was buried with Christ and raised up with him to walk a new life. At some point he realized how much it changed him and he even changed his name from Saul, the Pharisee and persecutor the church, to Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ. In his religious world he had been the cream of the crop. At the same time he was the "chief of sinners". Let me explain that. In writing to Timothy Paul stated that he was the star sinner. He wasn't talking about his ongoing condition he was talking about his past record. Before he was born again he set a record that no one else had met. Like a star athlete in high school whose record is posted on the gym wall Paul could look back to the time when he had been the "star" among sinners. A Christian is declared repeatedly in the New Testament to be a saint. The Christian is not a sinner saved by grace, he or she is a saint who sins. If we'll keep our terminology right we can keep focused on our true identity.

Others of us had a much poorer version of the flesh reflected in Paul's words in Galatians 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Don't despair when you read that list and remember your past or your present thoughts and temptations. Paul is not talking about some kind of works salvation. "Those who do such things" represents a pattern of life that is consistent not temptations that are stumbled into. Remember the words of our text and I paraphrase, "We are not a debtor to the flesh". Remember also, "The law of the spirit of life has set us free, in Christ Jesus, from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2) We have spent a long time developing our flesh patterns. In fact…

Having spent our life developing our flesh it remains with us. Years after his salvation Paul still agonized over what he had been and how it still clung to his body. Read with me Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" This passage is often used to show how hopeless our life is but it shouldn't be used for that purpose of all. A quick scan of Romans 7 show us that the word "sin" often refers to an evil power that the Christian struggles against. There is real hope in the fact that we struggle against this evil force. Those who walk according to the flesh don't struggle against it they just try to make it socially acceptable. Also it's not that we have two natures as some would teach. When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior they become a new creature and have a new nature. Literally, in the eyes of God, a Christian dies to their old life and begins a new one at salvation. However, at the same time the flesh patterns developed throughout their life, and often reinforced even in their Christian life, provides a place (probably in our brain) where this evil force can move in alongside and mess us up. The habits of the old life are left with us. We don't have to rehearse them just because they come into our mind. We don't have to live under obligation to the old way of living. Remember, we have been set free from the law of sin and death.

We are not under obligation to live according the flesh.

We do struggle against the power of sin. Turn with me to: Galatians 5:17, "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." The fact that you want to do the right thing proves that you have spiritual life given from God. One sure sign of Christian conversion is the change in the conscience. What before was simply a "personality trait" or, "that's just the way I am", changes to a sense of guilt and a sense of wrongdoing. But we struggle on, often using our old habits and walking in the flesh, even though we have been set free from it. We do improve in the world's eyes but as long as we are operating in our own flesh we cannot be pleasing to God. The spirit that's been placed in us has a jealous desire to shape us more completely into the image of Christ. That will happen but it will be slow as long as we continue to follow our old habits and ways.

Satan uses the habits of the past. Read with me Romans 7:9-11, "I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me." Paul's old flesh patterns were stirred up by the commandment not to covet, and the more he struggled the more he coveted. Sin deceived him by coming in alongside the commandment and showed him how hopeless it was to fight in his own strength against the power of sin. It killed him spiritually. In the sermon on the Mount Jesus talked about sin being in the mind before the action. To hate one's brother was the seed of murder. To look and lust is the seed of adultery. The more we struggle to overcome the evil the more in bondage we are. If you ever heard the stories of Uncle Remus, you will remember the story of the Tar Baby. Br'er Rabbit was always being chased by the Fox but never caught. One day Br'er Fox had a great idea. He would fashion a doll out of a lump of tar and he would dress it up like a little boy and put it by the road. When Br'er Rabbit approached, since he was very good mannered, he spoke to the tar baby but he got no response. He was offended by this lack of manners so he punched the tar baby and found himself stuck. The more he struggled the "stuckter" he got. Now, Br'er Fox had captured Br'er Rabbit! Immediately Br'er Rabbit begged not to be thrown into the briar patch. He told the Fox to do anything he wanted to do with him but not to throw him into the briar patch. Of course, that's exactly what the Fox did and Br'er Rabbit was able to run away. Well, fighting the flesh with the habits of the past is like fighting the tar baby. The more we struggle the more we are in bondage. We need to remember who we really are and what has really happened to us. Our true biblical identity is what we need to live up to. As we struggle with the flesh we need to remember that…

Christ has set us free. Turn with me to, Romans 7:25a, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" In Romans seven Paul clearly states again and again that his desires have been changed and he has to struggle against "Sin" that lived in his body! His desire was to do right, to do good. He said he delighted in the law of God in his inner being but the law of sin that lived in his body waged war against his choices. So that he asked the question, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" And immediately answers it with, "thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" We cannot free ourselves. If we could then God is very unjust and we know that's not true. If man can save himself them Jesus' prayer in the garden would've been answered with by legions of angels who would have delivered him. You remember he prayed "Let this cup pass from me". But he went on to say that he only wanted the will of the Father. Only Jesus' death on the cross would satisfy the righteous anger of God at the sin of mankind. The debt had to be paid. Remember, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and wages of sin is death. But thanks be to God, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! So that, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." (Romans 10:9-10) and the result is that…

We are a debtor to grace. 

By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone is our only hope.

We need to put to death the old way. Turn with me to, Colossians 3:5-6, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming" This concept is taught many different ways in the New Testament. In Ephesians 4:22 Paul says we are to put off the old man. The ESV and many other modern translations uses "self" rather than "man". That is a poor translation. The "old man" is the Adamic nature we are all born with. We need to consciously put that off. To the Colossians Paul said we are to put off the "body of flesh" by the circumcision of Christ. And again, he told the Colossians, "seeing that you have put off the old man with its practices." We should apply ourselves to the process of putting aside the old. It is identified only with our old life before we met Christ. We may have set some real flesh records in the past but they are just garbage compared to knowing Christ and the power of his resurrection. Jesus used the term "born again" to identify the relationship we have with God. John wrote about it in his gospel at the very beginning…

We have a new identity set by birth. Turn with me to, John 1:12-13, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." Born of God! What a wonderful phrase that is! We once were part of a family known for its rebellion against God. We were born into a family of sinners. Upon our confession of faith in him we are born again into a family of Saints. Saints that sin for sure but Saints nonetheless. We need to research our new identity by studying the word of God. We need to practice our new "family values". Many times in my childhood I remember hearing my mother or father say to me, "We don't do that (whatever it was I wanted to do) in this family." Or, "They may do that in your friend's family but we don't do it in ours." Being a Bray was a very serious business and how we acted was an important part of it. I thank God for that upbringing. But mostly I thank God that my parents came to know Christ and made sure that we kids were exposed to the gospel every week. One of our "family values" was seen on Sunday morning. We went to church and I never remember a time when I would've questioned that. If I had asked, "Are we going to church?" The answer probably would've been, "Is it Sunday?"

Since we have a new identity we need to live like who we are. Turn with me to, Ephesians 5:8-10, "at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." You are not a sorry sinner just doing what comes naturally. It’s important that you understand this. What you believe about your identity is going to make a huge difference because you will “life out” whatever you believe is your true self, your true identity. We are the holy sons of God in Christ Jesus. We don't get holier, more accepted, more justified, or more forgiven. We are to simply experientially “life out” who and what we already are. We are a holy people. Now let's get on with living like who we are.

This passage, Romans 8:12 & 13, sets forth very clearly who we are and how we need to respond to the world around us. If you get nothing else out of this message, I hope you get the statement, clearly stated in the Bible, that we are not in debt to the flesh. When we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead we are: saved, born again, crucified with Christ, raised with Christ, seated with him in heaven, a Temple of the Holy Spirit, a new creature, a child of God… etc, etc.. In short, we now have a new identity but we still have all the old habits and memories and wrong thoughts and decisions ingrained in our lives. We do have a responsibility — a debt — to fulfill if we are to live the Christian life the way it was intended by God. We cannot earn our salvation but we can, should, must, live lives that honor our new identity. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do the works that he has prepared us to do. 

All Scripture quotes are from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

No Condemnation 120520

Romans 8:1-4, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Romans chapter eight begins with, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." And ends with, "(nothing) will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." This chapter should be a great source of encouragement for those who live by faith. You need to remember that faith is living like God tells the truth. The old saying, "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" sounds right but it is wrong. If God said it that settles it. If I believe it I can enjoy it. Our belief, or unbelief, neither adds to nor takes away from the validity of what God says. God said, "… no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". Yet many Christians live out their lives in condemnation of one form or another. What can we do about it?

Jesus intended us to be free from condemnation. Satan intends that we live under a load of condemnation. Jesus said it himself in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly."

You see, we are Free from the Law.

The Law is a ministry of condemnation. 2 Corinthians 3:7-9, “Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?" Here Scripture refers to the Old Testament law, even the Ten Commandments, carved by the hand of God, as, "the ministry of death"! Imagine that, when God met with his people, whom he had just set free from slavery in Egypt, he set before them an impossible standard. Some may claim to keep the law but the Scriptures teach that we cannot keep the law. Even for those who do not have the written law there is a moral law recognized by all people. Again, it's not possible to keep it perfectly. However, it is further evidence of the existence of God. All people everywhere recognize that there are certain things wrong and other things that are right. They also recognize that they fail to keep that moral law.

The purpose of the law is to reveal sin. Romans 3:20, "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." Our conscience comes alive when we confront the law. It brings condemnation. Romans chapter five talks to us about how sin entered the world. There was one negative law: No fruit may be from the tree in the middle of the garden. Pretty simple and easy to keep. That law was broken, not by backslidden sinners who were far away from God, but by two people who walked and talked with God everyday. Adam and Eve had the closest possible relationship to God yet Satan came in deceived Eve into breaking the only law they had to break! God had a plan from the very beginning that included giving the law to show man how exceedingly sinful Sin is.

But we are not under law we are under grace. Romans 6:14, "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." If we are in bondage under the law we have no hope. The law reveals our sin and then tells us that the payoff of sin is death. What a great condemnation this heaps on all of us! But praise God, we are free from the law. As the great hymn writer, P. P. Bliss put it:

Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus hath bled, and there is remission; cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, grace hath redeemed us once for all.


Once for all, O sinner receive it; once for all, O brother, believe it;


cling to the cross, the burden will fall, Christ hath redeemed us once for all.


Now we are free there's no condemnation, Jesus provides a perfect salvation; "Come unto me," O hear his sweet call, come, and he saves us once for all.

Christ hath redeemed us! O, How I love the old hymns because by and large they have excellent theology teaching truth we can hang onto. Not only are we free from the law living under grace but it is once for all. Justification by faith alone changes us into children of God. Our sins are forgiven and Christ's righteousness is given to us. It cannot be earned and it cannot be taken away. Indeed, it is Once for All!

I pray that each of you enjoy the comfort of knowing that you have received Jesus Christ as Lord by faith and his grace rules in your life.

A new law takes precedence.

The law of the Spirit of life. John 5:21, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” Jesus gives life to whom he will! Remember when he stood at the grave of Lazarus? There he gave back physical life as an evidence that he could give spiritual life. When Martha rebuked him for not being there to heal her brother, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:25-27) Jesus, as God in the flesh, could give life where he wished. Not just life on earth but life eternal. He promised his disciples that when he went away he would send the Holy Spirit and, in that Spirit, he would never leave us or forsake us. Many years later John wrote three little letters. In the first letter he said, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—" (1 John 1:1-2) in chapter 5 John added, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:11-12)

This law is the Spirit of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:45, "Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit." Adam is the federal head of the human race and as such sold us into Sin. Jesus, by virtue of his death, burial and resurrection, became the federal head of a new people. A people who were once dead in trespasses and sins and who are now made alive by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! The law of the spirit of life is none other than Jesus Christ himself. The overcame the law of sin and death. We find in the book of Hebrews 2:14-15, "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." When a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ that person is no longer in bondage. The law of the Spirit of life takes precedence over the law of sin and death. The believer is justified by grace as a gift of God. I know, some of these theological terms seem difficult, but justification is not too hard to understand. Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology gives this definition, "Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight." We know that in our flesh there is no good thing. God does not declare us righteous on the basis of our goodness he declares us righteous on the basis Jesus' goodness.

Being justified we have his Spirit. In Galatians 4:6, Paul wrote "And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' " There are those who teach that receiving the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace. We need to remember that God is one. He doesn't come in pieces. We don't receive the Father then later receive the Son and then, if you're really good, you receive the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, we find these words, "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." The body we are baptized into is the body of Christ, the Church. The Spirit that baptizes us and of which we are made to drink is the Holy Spirit. If you are born again it was the work of the Spirit not of your own will.

We need to remember, this is God's work not ours.


We cannot save ourselves. Many people seem to believe that somehow their goodness can make them right with God. Paul wrote the following words to Titus, speaking of God, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior," (Titus 3:5-6) We have nothing that we can do to save ourselves. People either don't know, or seem to forget, that we were born spiritually dead as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. A dead person can do nothing to help themselves. That's equally true of the spiritual as the physical. Any person, sensitive to the call of God, is drawn by God into life so that he or she can accept Jesus Christ as Lord and be born again.

God sent his son for sin. John the apostle wrote, "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him." 1 John 4:9 The only hope of life and escaping condemnation is found in Jesus Christ. As John the Baptist was baptizing repentant people in the Jordan River he saw Jesus and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world", John 1:29. Takes away the sin of the world. Not just pays for our sins but takes them away from us. Sin is a natural part of mankind and through the flesh, or our old habits, continues to cause us to struggle — even to feel condemned. But remember, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". The truth is God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. This reconciliation brings all believers into the body Christ.

God condemned Sin to set us free. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." What an amazing truth is found in this passage. "For our sake" should fill us with grateful admiration for the living God who found us in our sin, condemned our sin, made the Lord Jesus to be sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in HIM! Our greatest need involves the problem of sin. So, God took our sin, not just our sins, but the sin nature itself and placed it on our sacrifice, the Lord Jesus himself. In doing that he justified us. You cannot be justified without being placed in Christ. And the moment we are placed in Christ sanctification has already begun in us! We are wholly justified but we are just beginning sanctification. As Peter put it in 1 Peter 2:24, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness". God has arranged things so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Living to righteousness is a process that will continue as long as we live on this earth. At our death, or Christ's return, our sanctification will flow into glorification. Sanctification is a process that makes us more and more free from sin and more and more like Christ in our life on earth. It is not a progress towards "sainthood" since we are made Saints at salvation. Repeatedly throughout the New Testament believers are called Saints. In Romans 1:7 Paul refers to his recipients as those who are "called to be saints". In 1 Corinthians 1:2 he adds that he is writing "to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…". In 2 Corinthians chapter 1 he refers to "all the Saints who are in the whole of (Greece)". Etc. etc.… Saints are not perfect and we have plenty of evidence in our own lives. Since we are Saints and we still have the old habits of the flesh our imperfections stand out. But nonetheless according to the Bible — and that's all we can base our lives on — all Christians are Saints and as such are in Christ Jesus. For those who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation! I pray that that is the condition of every person reading this.

The whole message of Romans could be summed up in chapter 1 verse sixteen that says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,…". The law came in alongside the flesh to bring condemnation to all people. The law was never intended to "cure" sin but simply to reveal sinfulness of sin. But Praise God! We are not under law but under grace. Jesus has come into the life of every believer in the power of the spirit and justified us by grace through faith. We were born dead in sin and unable to save ourselves. So God sent his son, Jesus Christ, for sin so that he could condemn sin in the flesh and set us free. I hope you have received him as Lord and Savior so you can enjoy the benefits of abundant life.

All Scripture quotes are fromThe Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.