Romans 8:1 There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Oh, Hallelujah!
The work of the cross of Christ is so absolutely complete, the blood so
overwhelmingly efficacious that the believer who is following Christ walks scot
free!
The lawyerly
Apostle Paul lays out the case of the believer’s innocence out so efficiently,
elegantly and even dramatically that even OJ's Dream Team would be reduced to
admiring tears.
Chapter 7 closes
with utter frustration. The apostle finds himself crying out in desperation,
"Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?" He had just expressed the infighting of his dichotomous nature;
the flesh verses the spirit, the old nature battling the new. It almost hurts
to read aloud Romans 7:15-20. We take solace that if this inward battle ravaged
the greatest Christian life ever lived, then we know that we pusillanimous
believers are in good company.
However, the
final lines of chapter 7 introduce us to the majesty of the Bible’s Mount
Everest chapter, Romans 8.
Here is the
inkling: Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
A Savage war
exists within our members but Jesus Christ our Lord be thanked for dropping the
capital charges that were against us, allowing us to savor the free air of
complete exoneration.
Legalists will
do their best to draw you back into their guilt-ridden world of do's and don’ts,
thou shalts and thou shalt nots. Their extreme misery desires wretched company.
But those living
to please their Savior through loving relationship no longer take each step
with an eye on their past and wondering when the hammer is going to fall.
Clean, forgiven,
unshackled, uncondemned! That is how eternity, from the moment of salvation and
going forward, is meant to be for the blood-washed child of God.
Are you still
looking over your shoulder toward an ungodly past? Are you hopelessly
struggling against your ever-resurrecting flesh?
Stop warring and
start enjoying the winning that is already yours. As Jesus often said to those
He touched and healed, "Go and sin no more." Did they ever sin again?
Of course. But then, one must realize his/her error, the blood's power, complete
forgiveness and move on, uncondemned once again.
From Don Francisco:
Sittin' by my window on a rainy afternoon
Everything inside my head was playin' out of tune
I was thinkin' of the fool I'd made of me the night before
In front of God and everyone I'd sinned and sinned some more.
I thought of all the things I'd done, I winced at things I'd said
I wallowed in self-pity, I hung my worried head
Right when I was so far down that even up looked wrong
That's when Jesus gave to me the chorus of this song.
He said, "Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear"
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.
Now I could say that right away the sun burst through the clouds
And I just started singin' on the chorus right out loud
But actually I moped around and blew another day
Before I let myself accept the words I'd heard Him say.
He said, "Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear"
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.
Everything inside my head was playin' out of tune
I was thinkin' of the fool I'd made of me the night before
In front of God and everyone I'd sinned and sinned some more.
I thought of all the things I'd done, I winced at things I'd said
I wallowed in self-pity, I hung my worried head
Right when I was so far down that even up looked wrong
That's when Jesus gave to me the chorus of this song.
He said, "Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear"
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.
Now I could say that right away the sun burst through the clouds
And I just started singin' on the chorus right out loud
But actually I moped around and blew another day
Before I let myself accept the words I'd heard Him say.
He said, "Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear"
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.
So I can't criticize you now if you want to take your time
And cling to all your problems just the way I clung to mine
But now you've got the answer Jesus wanted you to know
He'll take your sin and guilt away if you'll just let them go.
And cling to all your problems just the way I clung to mine
But now you've got the answer Jesus wanted you to know
He'll take your sin and guilt away if you'll just let them go.
He said, "Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear"
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.
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