A Walkthrough of Romans 8: Verse 3

Condemnation has been removed for those who are in Christ, but condemnation has not been removed for sin.

“For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, n God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3, NIV).

I think if we were to design a god of our own choosing we might make one who just plain forgives his people. We probably wouldn’t make up one who demands something in order to forgive. That doesn’t seem very forgiving to us.

We might triumphantly say, “My god is one who just forgives without expecting anything in return!”

Thankfully this god of our design is not the one found in the Scriptures. The God of the Bible is one who forgives—that is a certainty—but his forgiveness is tied closely with his condemnation of sin. Without the condemnation of sin, forgiveness is nothing more than a nice thing to do that ends up having no lasting change.

The forgiveness we find in the Bible, however, is one that not only pardons the one who did wrong, but changes who they are from the inside out. The forgiveness offered to us by the God Paul worshipped is a forgiveness in which God himself has done something to enable him to forgive.

He hasn’t just brushed the offenses aside—whatever they may be for his people—he (the Father) has sent his Son (Jesus) as sin offering to clear the guilt. This God has done something about the sin. In fact, he has done to the sin what he has not done to us—condemned it.

The Father, Son, and Spirit has taken the condemnation rightly due us and placed it upon sin. Specifically, he has placed it upon Jesus. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV)

The triune God, in full agreement, has sentenced Jesus to be a sin offering in order to condemn sin instead of us.

A Walkthrough of Romans 8: Verse 1

Romans 8 begins like a bridge that connects a land of hopelessness to a land where only hope exists.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1, NIV).

As Paul states, however, this bridge to a land of hope can only be traveled by a certain person. A person who is found in someone greater than themselves. A person who is found in Jesus.

For this one who is found in Jesus, the condemning result of their past life as one defined by a separation from God—even a rejoicing in that separation—no longer exists. We must remember to think and process this statement based on what it says, not how we often feel or assume.

Note the language used by Paul. Put overly straight forward, it reads: “…now no condemnation in Christ Jesus.”

Paul did not say, just a little condemnation left. Nor did he say, no condemnation unless you mess up again. He didn’t even say, for right now there’s no condemnation. What he said was that condemnation no longer exists.

Accept that. Rest in it. Trust that Paul is telling you the truth with these words written almost 2,000 years ago.

The gospel that Paul believed in, and Jesus preached, is such that for the person and people who find themselves abiding in Jesus—living as he instructs, viewing the world through his eyes, and loving like he did—any penalty that was once due to them because of their sin and idolatry before God, has been done away with.

To talk of condemnation in relationship to the person found in Jesus is a nonsensical topic. Paul wouldn’t understand what you mean.

We must ground ourselves in what Paul has said, not what the world offers as acceptable. And grounding ourselves in what Paul has said is believing that the hopeless of condemnation has been put away for the hope of a real life in Jesus.