Do you ever lie awake at night and think of all the bad things you did in your life along with all the undone things you had good intentions of doing but never did? Nighttime wakefulness can easily become the devil’s playground for me. My mind becomes free game for all sorts of regret and self-condemnation, some real and some imaginary.
The Bible speaks of condemnation. We have all been declared guilty: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The truth is without Christ we are all condemned—condemned to a life of sin and an eternity of separation from God. If this were the end of the story, life would be hopeless.
Romans 8 gives the believer such encouragement. The splendor of this glorious chapter speaks of the provision for our fallenness and fosters hope in knowing that Christ is sufficient for our past (Romans 8:1-11), our present (Romans 8:12-30), and our future (Romans 8:31-38). “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” (Romans 8:1).
There is “no condemnation” for our past transgressions. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). Jesus took my condemnation on Himself: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This work of Christ enables me to be seen by God as Christ is seen by God. I am reconciled to God through Christ and can stand before God marked not guilty. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10). Christ is sufficient for my sin and shame.
There is “no condemnation” for our present challenges. A battle has raged between the flesh and the spirit since the garden of Eden when the serpent tempted Adam and Eve. Abraham and Sarah battled the flesh and the spirit waiting on their son of promise: “But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise” (Galatians 4:23). We can mortify the flesh (Romans 8:13) and live a life pleasing to God (Galatians 5:22-23) through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. As we are transformed by the Spirit of God, we learn to obey out of delight and not just duty. Christ is sufficient for my life challenges.
There is “no condemnation” for our future fears. One day our sufferings and struggles will be over. When we are “in Christ,” absolutely nothing can keep us from intimacy with Him: “Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 39). No matter our circumstances or fears of what is to come, our future is secure in Christ. One day all the wrongs will be made right. Christ dispels my fears and is sufficient for my eternity.
What hope we have for today and for our future. Praise God for “no condemnation.” May our hearts and minds be attuned to the truths of God’s Word that we may live as “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
