288 of 365 - No Condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
 
Paul has eloquently pointed out our sinful nature and need for a Savior. A Savior that could only be the Son of God in the flesh nailing our sins between His bloody hands and the cross; a cross meant for condemnation and humiliation and a statement. And then Paul opens Romans 8 with this powerful truth, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” No. Condemnation. Forgiveness. Freedom.

Where we set our minds and actions matters a lot. In the world, there is only death and an inability to please God. But in the Spirit, there is LIFE and PEACE. We are CHILDREN of God. We are ADOPTED as FAMILY. We are HEIRS. We have HELP when we are weak and INTERCESSION when we are at a loss for words. All things are worked together for GOOD; for God’s perfect will. God is for us…who can be against us? NOTHING can separate us from His LOVE. Nothing. We are more than CONQUERORS.

Yes, and Amen! Until… you still don’t feel at peace. You still feel conquered more often than a conqueror. You sometimes don’t feel close to God. You still feel weak. You still fight temptation. You still cry your eyes out at all the suffering.

Because it is finished, but not yet final. The work of Jesus to fully satisfy the debt of sin is FINISHED. But the final battle has yet to be waged. For a time, sin and suffering still exist. Victory has been declared, but we don’t yet fully see it. We groan. The creation groans. Because things are not the way they should be. We are not yet home, and things are not yet fully restored.  But even in the suffering, God is there and working all things for good. Nothing can separate us from His love. And there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Not on our best days and not on our very worst days. While we are still here, there is still work to do. He’s a good Father, that’s who He is. And we are loved by Him, that’s who we are.
 
Challenge: Listen to the dramatized reading of Romans 8 by John Piper below. Write out all of Romans 8 in your journal and consider memorizing it.