One of the most liberating verses in all of the New Testament has to be Romans 8:1 which says that that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Woohoo!!! That's a relief. No condemnation, talk about Good News. And to think I owe it all simply to my faith in what God has done for me through Jesus. Thank You God.
It's true that God is not about condemnation, but about reconciliation and restoration. To many, it's a surprise to their image of God. Yes, God is still just and that's the miracle of the cross and resurrection of Christ. But God is about giving life, abundant life, empowered life, not condemnation. Verse two of Romans 8 is verification of that truth. Through Jesus, the text says, the law of the Spirit of life has us free from the law of sin and death. More good news. God has not only freed me from my fate of eternal death, eternal separation from God, but He has also freed me from myself, my sinning nature.
It's true!!! I don't ever have to sin again. Will I? Probably, but you don't have to if you allow the Spirit of God, which He place inside you, to have complete control. Paul tells us in these verses that since I have the Holy Spirit living in me, I don't have to be controlled by my old nature anymore. Sure my physical body will eventually die, but my spirit is alive to God in Christ. And here's the kicker, if Christ is in me, if I've submitted myself to Him, God gives life to my human body through the Holy Spirit. In other words, I don't have to sin anymore.
I don't have to listen to the cravings of my sinful nature. I don't have to give in to their wants and desires. I can let the Spirit of God put to death those "misdeeds of the body" as Paul puts it. The news just keeps on getting better. And because of that same Spirit within me, I don't have to be a slave to my old nature anymore. I am a child of God.
It really comes down to a matter of choice. I hear people tell me all the time, "I can't help myself" or "I can't stop myself." To which I normally respond, "You're right. You're doomed." They always look at me like, "What?" I just confirm again, "Yep, You're right, you can't stop or help yourself, so you're doomed." At that point I normally get the "thanks a lot" look. After letting them squirm a little, I share with them this promise in Romans. You can't, but the Spirit God places within you can. I can choose to fight my sin or misdeeds on my own, or I can sic the Spirit of God on them by submitting to Him.
And to top off the promises God makes to us in these verses, God goes on to say that we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus if we surrender our lives to Him. Yes, it's all true. Not only does God save me from spiritual death for eternity, He gives me life and freedom NOW. And I have the promise of inheriting His riches forever. Somebody ought to spread this word.
God, thanks for the double relief; relief from my fate and punishment and relief from my ongoing sin problem. Help me to choose life through your Spirit. I'm tired of screwing up and trying to get out of things on my own. I need you. I want to grow in allowing your Spirit to control my life, my thoughts, my actions.
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