Free from Condemnation || Romans 8:1-2 || Manna for the Mind #53

Welcome to Day 53 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series is about taking scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses) and building our understanding of their teachings through their context and connecting scripture. I believe that doing this helps us understand how to be the type of human that God created us to be.

Our passage today is Romans 8:1-2. We will talk about the lack of condemnation with Jesus and the power within that allows us to be free from sin.

Romans 8:1-2

1            So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

2            And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Imagine yourself sitting in a courtroom. You are being charged with committing sinful actions that went against you. Your punishment for committing these acts is death. The judge is getting ready to drop the gavel, but Jesus walks. He’s taking over as your lawyer. Jesus advocates your case that you shouldn’t pay this price and that he already paid the price for your sinful actions. After hearing Jesus’ plea, the judge says, “Not guilty. Let this person go free.” How do you feel?

In reality, the entirety of humanity is on death row. Not physically, but spiritually. All of humanity is justly condemned for repeatedly breaking God’s holy law. What is God’s holy law? Love him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as Jesus loved you. Without Jesus, we would have no hope at all. Thank God, for he declared us not guilty and has offered us freedom from sin and supernatural power to do his will.

The Holy Spirit gives us the power needed to live a Christian life. The struggle comes with the willingness to follow through with what God has nudged us. When we do struggle, God doesn’t condemn us. God doesn’t judge us. God wants the best for us. God saves us from the eternal punishment of sin. Yet, we struggle daily with doing what God calls us to do. Because we belong to God, regardless, we are free from the power of sin. There’s no condemnation in freedom.

Romans 8:34

34          Who then will condemn us? No one – for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading.

As briefly mentioned earlier, Paul says that Jesus is pleading for us in heaven. God has acquitted us and removed our sins and guilt. Satan is the one who still accuses. Jesus sits on our side of the cost to advocate for us. God set us free from our sin and guilt. God doesn’t do the accusing, the guilting, or the shaming of it. That is the Devil himself. Satan wants those things fresh in our minds so that we defect from our relationship with God. It’s easy to cave into those lies. It’s easy to hang on to the shame and say, “God wouldn’t love me.” Yet, Jesus says the opposite. God loves you despite your imperfections. God doesn’t create junk but images representing the true nature of who he is. We have eternal life gifted to us as his representatives here on Earth.

Romans 8:11

11          The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of eternal life for all believers. The Spirits live within us by faith; by faith, we are confident to live with Christ forever. We live out our faith through the new covenant.

2 Corinthians 3:6

6            He has enabled us to be ministers of his covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

The end part of this verse means that trying to be saved by keeping the Old Testament laws will end in death. Only through believing that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior can a person receive eternal life via the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus has ever fulfilled the law perfectly. It’s why we hear that the whole world is condemned to death. The law makes people realize their sins. The law can’t give life. Eternal life comes only through the relationship with Jesus. The law exists to see how the teachings of Jesus align with how we live our lives. Jesus came to fulfill the law, meaning he came to show us the true and proper way to become a follower of God. We’re free from the bondage of sin, and Galatian 5:1 closes out with a crucial rule to follow.

Galatians 5:1

1            So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free and don’t get tied up again in slavery.

Jesus died to set us free from sin and the long list of laws and regulations. He didn’t free us so that we can do whatever we want. That’s an open door to get us right back into our bondage with slavery. Thanks to Jesus, we are free to do what was impossible. To live unselfishly. To live in a way that cares for our communities without fear of running out. To live in a way that shares what Jesus has done for you with those around you without fear or judgment. Those who want to use their freedom to live their own way or indulge in their own desires are falling back into sin.

It’s also wrong to place the heavy burden of law on Christians. It’s wrong to hold Christians accountable for following all the 613+ laws and commandments shared in the Torah. It’s an impossible feat. Yet, we’re not tied to that covenant anymore. Those laws are used as guideposts through Jesus’s teaching. We’re tied to the new covenant: to love God with all of who we are and to love each other as Jesus loved us. We must stand against those who want to enslave us with the rules, methods, or special conditions for being saved or growing in Christ. Remember, we are not bound to the laws of the Torah. We are bound to the love of Jesus.

Father God, thank you for the love and freedom in our relationship. Thank you for not shaming or condemning us for our past and for being willing to forgive and forget. Help us remember that you do not bring us shame, but Satan does. You do not accuse us of our past, but Satan does. We know who’s in our court, and it’s our Almighty Father! It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.