Verse of the day: Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the
flesh, but according to the Spirit.
In a
day and age when more and more Christians are trying to walk along the “Christian
fence” or that line where one foot is in the world and the other in Christianity,
this verse is often used to excuse worldly living, and justify sinful behavior.
This ought not to be so with the child of God. Sadly, too many Christians only
learn a portion of verses or learn a verse, then quote it out of context so that
it fits their theology, not God’s. The fact that there is no condemnation for
us who have called upon and trusted Jesus for eternal life has nothing to do
with us going out and continuing to live in sin without consequences. As a
matter of fact, if we, as people who profess to have a relationship with Jesus,
do not feel any conviction about sinning or have no desire to live godly, I
would say that we have to stop and reexamine our profession of faith. Our
relationship with Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us is never to be taken
lightly. In Romans 6:1-3 the Apostle Paul makes it clear that as Christians we
are not to take God’s grace for granted, and he questions how we can continue
in sin when we are dead to it in Christ. The truth is that this verse in
chapter eight is speaking of the fact that there is no condemnation for those
of us who are born again because Jesus, by His sacrifice on Calvary and His resurrection,
has made us free from the law of sin and death. In other words, the Law could
not save us, but condemned us because it made us aware of just how sinful we
are, and how impossible it is for us to attain eternal life of our own accord
and works. Only the Blood of Christ could cleanse us and make us clean from sin
and unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:9). In cleansing us He did not then give us
permission to turn back to rolling around in the muck of sin and wickedness,
but as this verse clearly points out we are no longer to walk in the flesh, but
walk according to the Spirit. The fact that we are free from condemnation means
that we are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit who cannot sin (1 Jn 3:5-9; 1 Jn
5:18), and because of the righteousness of Jesus, we are declared not guilty
(of justified) by our Heavenly Father. This does not mean that we will never
stumble in our pursuit of righteousness; if that were so there would be no need
for the Apostle to write the Words that were inspired by the Holy Spirit in
Galatians 6:1-3 in teaching us how to deal with those of us who do occasionally
stumble. Our propensity to stumble should be the exception and not the rule in
our lives. The Apostle was led to point out, as he was writing this portion of
Scripture, that we are not, as born again believers, to live according to the
flesh, as directed in Galatians 5:19-21; committing adultery, fornication,
idolatry, witchcraft, and drunkenness, just to name a few. Instead, we are to
allow the Spirit to produce His fruit of love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, as written in Galatians 5:22-23, in our
lives. In verse 7 of this chapter the Apostle makes it clear that to be
carnally minded is to be as an enemy to God. James 4:4 tells us that to be a
friend to the world is to be an enemy of God. The bottom line is that as
followers of Jesus we can no longer operate in the flesh, as we cannot please
God when we do (v. 8). We are to instead follow the example of Jesus who did
everything that pleased His Father (Jn 8:29). If we are going to claim that we
are not condemned, it can only be possible if Christ is in us; and if Christ be
in us, then we are dead to sin and no longer have a desire to live a life of
unrighteousness (v. 10). Let us thank and praise God today for such a wonderful
salvation that has sealed us and secured eternal life for us. Whatever it is
that we are struggling with today, let us not make excuses for it; let us bring
it to the Lord knowing that in Him we have forgiveness and another opportunity
to get it right. Although we have an enemy and world system that will persecute
us and try to make us stumble because we have a desire to live godly (2 Tim
3:12); we also have the Holy Spirit indwelling us who is greater than our enemy
(1 Jn 4:4). So, rather than use this verse as an excuse and justification for
sinful behavior, let us use it as an encouragement and motivation to continue
to tread forward in our walk with the Lord knowing that the victory is already
ours because Jesus is victorious, and in Him we too have overcome and are
heaven-bound, with nothing and no one who can stop us (Jn 16:33).
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