No Condemnation (Romans 8:1)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

One of the most wonderful verses in the Bible is Romans 8:1. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The context of this verse must be observed to understand its significance. Romans 7 describes a great struggle in the lives of believers. Paul wants to keep God’s law but finds himself doing what he hates. At the same time, Romans 7 isn’t the end of the story, and it isn’t the whole story. The great declaration that there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus fills us with hope. Now, in this new period of salvation history, God has accomplished salvation for those who belong to Jesus.

Romans 8:1 is one of the most amazing sentences in the Bible. If we truly understand how important it is, we would be willing to face any suffering in this life to stand in the right before God on the last day. And I mean any suffering. One of the most chilling stories I ever heard was told by J. Christy Wilson. He told about an Afghani believer who was a zealous evangelist, and he had his tongue cut off for his faith in Christ. They let him live for a little while after cutting out his tongue and then they killed him. None of us wants to have our tongue cut out. It makes me wince and shrink back to even think about it. But it is much better to have your tongue removed and to enjoy eternal life than it is to keep your tongue and go to hell. Please don’t misunderstand this story. We aren’t free of condemnation because we have earned God’s favor or done great things for Him. The only requirement is that we are in Christ, that we belong to Christ. And we are in Christ if we trust in Him for the forgiveness of our sins. 

I went through a period in my life where I struggled with feelings of condemnation before God. When I was going through this time, I would think of my sins, and feelings of guilt and dread and defilement would wash over me. This went on for a long time. It was like living in Salem, Oregon during the winter with day after day of clouds and rain. In fact, I lived in Salem, Oregon during those days. But my problem wasn’t because of the weather. My days were cloudy for spiritual reasons. 

Thanks be to God He gave me a great weapon to fend off the attacks of Satan. He gave me the Word of God. One of the verses I would meditate on and say to myself over and over was, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I would preach to myself saying, “The truth isn’t what I feel. The truth is what God says about me.” And gradually and slowly the sun began to shine through the clouds. Little by little, as I proclaimed the truth to myself, I began not only to believe in my mind but to feel in my heart that what God’s Word said was true. This verse not only reminds us to trust God instead of our feelings, it has the power to move us to rejoice in God’s grace in Christ.

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For Reflection

1. Do you wrestle with feelings of condemnation for past sins? Confess those sins to God and give Him thanks and praise for forgiving you in Christ Jesus. 

2. Whenever Satan accuses you of forgiven sins, turn your eyes to Jesus and confess with your mouth, like John Newton did, that though you are a great sinner, Christ is your great Savior.

3. Ask God to help you believe that you really are free from condemnation, and to increase your hope of heaven.

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Thomas R. Schreiner is the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and associate dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A Pauline scholar, Schreiner is the author or editor of several books including Romans, in the Baker Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament.