September 29 – No Condemnation

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” – Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)

Our promise today is the endorsement we have that we have been set free from bondage to the law of sin and death. It helps immensely to first understand what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:13-25a which proceeds our promise verse today. The word “therefore” means the result or consequence of the truth just taught. Normally it marks the conclusion of the verses immediately preceding it. But here it introduces the staggering results of Paul’s teaching: that justification is by faith alone on the basis of God’s overwhelming grace. This is an amazing freedom-giving promise and it is all because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. To follow God, we have to be free from slavery to sin and its penalty—that was just the beginning. To build on this foundation, we must actively submit to the Holy Spirit’s ministry in our lives. God’s indwelling Spirit enables us to be “saved by His life” (Romans 5:10); His life is lived out through us as His instruments for righteousness. The word “condemnation” refers to a verdict of guilty and the penalty that verdict demands but Jesus promises that He has permanently removed that verdict from our account. 

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*John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible., (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ro 8:1.
*Steven E. Runge, High Definition Commentary: Romans, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), 138.

July 04 – Freedom – True and Permanent

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:6-7 (ESV)

Looking back over the past six years, we notice that when July 4 is the date on our calendar, each year we have considered the truth found in John 8:31. This year we focus on Romans 6:7. Freedom is a word dear to most of us. Nobody wants slavery. We want freedom and some have more than others. But here we learn a way to be free and it’s equally available to all people. Our circumstances can block our freedom. The country, or the political powers that rule us, can’t take this freedom from us. You see, we are slaves to sin because we are born that way. No matter how hard we try to be good, we fall short of being good enough. But when we in faith believe the promise of eternal life from God, our body of sin that has us in bondage is put to death and we are born into God’s family. We gain freedom from sin. We are no longer guilty but Christ has paid the wages for our sin. This freedom matters and makes an eternal difference. We can have it wherever we are whatever circumstances of our life. 

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September 14 – Free to be Free

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”  Romans 8:1-2  (NASB)

Don’t we feel trapped at times by our inability to do what is right?  Consequences hang over our head and affect how we choose to live. Trying to be successful, we end up time and again unsuccessful before God. We may question whether we, as believers in Jesus Christ are to spend our whole life on earth frustrated by defeats to our nature to sin.  We ask and seek for some way to achieve victory over this condition. The answer to the first question is NO, we do not have to live bound to the effects of our old sinful nature. The answer to the second question is YES, a way has been made possible by Christ Jesus, for us to be free from the law of sin and spiritual death. God did for us what we could never do. We are set free from our natural flesh which is weak and will never set us free. But God our Father will and did when He sent His own Son who lived a sinless life and paid our penalty for sin. This is our promise, our lesson.  Nothing can condemn us who are in Christ Jesus. 

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July 4 – The Truth is The Way to The Life

“ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:31–32 (ESV)

The last part of verse 32 has become a motto for many things in our world. It is used by organization that have nothing to do with Jesus of Nazareth who declared this as His truth.  It is used as a slogan on university buildings, government buildings and others. Many Jews who followed Jesus around during his ministry on earth and paid attention to Jesus’ words believed him without necessarily committing themselves to Him personally.  It is possible to believe in the message of repentance and a coming kingdom without being born again.  Churches and religions today may use this to support their belief that “every person is one with God and has an innate divine potential.” This was the message Jesus gave to Nicodemus who believed Jesus but did not yet understand that spiritual birth was required. Our freedom from sin comes from believing, and knowing saving truth and repenting of our sin. Jesus was telling the Jews that if they truly knew the truth He was teaching, and would abide in His word, then that truth would lead them to the point of faith believing and salvation. Knowing Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, is what gives us freedom. 

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May 25 – Paid For Us, Once For All

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  -Romans 6:22-23  (ESV)

Most of the time we understand what consequences we face for doing what we do.  We may not understand so well that we do what we do because we live in bondage to a nature that is sinful.  We are born into this world in that condition.  But God, who always planned to make a way for us to be redeemed, made this plan with His Son, Jesus.  Our verse gives us a law. There is only one payment for our sin of rebellion and our rejection of God.  The payment due by us is death.  It is through our Lord Jesus, who lived a perfect life, something none of us could manage, took our place in the payment-line.  By His death on the cross He collected and received the wages for our sin.  The wages that were due from each of us were laid upon the back of  perfect Jesus upon the criminal’s cross.  He suffered for us what we should have suffered.  By faith we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  By faith, we receive the free gift of God which is eternal life.  When God gives us eternal life, it is for eternity. 

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May 13 – No Distinction

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  - Galatians 3:28 (NASB)

Let us look back and consider the plan of God for the first people who were called Christians. On the day of Pentecost, perhaps fifteen or more different nationalities and languages were present in Jerusalem to hear Peter proclaim the Gospel of Jesus.  The Roman empire covered a massively large part of the known world.  In the region of Galatia Paul and others started churches.  Unlike the contrast and conflict that existed between people of the world, in the assemblies of believers were Jews, Greeks, those who were slaves and those who were free, men and women. The churches were made up of those who sought after Christ and had fellowship with one another. In these churches men and woman worshiped together (something very different from the tradition of Jewish synagogues of the time.) The lines of distinction which existed in the world in that day were not to exist within their assemblies. In the churches all were of one body through Christ Jesus as our promise tells us today. Divergent people can get along – especially in our churches and assemblies. In the heart of Christ followers God has put peace.   

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February 21 – Freed to Live Forever

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 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.”  - Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)

Honestly, even though we may not understanding this, Jesus Christ has made it possible for all who believe that He is their Lord and Savior, to have nothing that can condemn us.  That is not the status we started with in our lives.  Born with a sin nature, we are under the thumb and control of an oppressive power.  This power has enslaved us to sin and we are condemned to die rejecting God and separated from Him. This will be an eternal death for all who physically die while continuing to reject God’s offer of salvation.  But we who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, as Peter confessed, have been freed from the clutches of sin.  Free from the power of sin and no longer condemned to die as unbelievers.  This has been made possible by what is our promise today.  Another power, righteous and more powerful than the condemning power of sin has given us Life.  The life-giving Holy Spirit is He who dwells in us, frees us, and gives us eternal life with God.    

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November 16 – Freedom Through Truth

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  -  John 8:31b-32 (NASB)

It would be rare for anyone to never have heard the quote “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”  It can be found inscribed on university and government buildings, on sidewalks and used as a motto on printed material. But, knowledge from academia or government training or a mission statement will not successfully make us free in the way Jesus promised.  What did Jesus mean when he spoke these words to Jews who came to believe in Him.  John Piper with Desiring God, writes that there are four things needed to be experience being truly free. 1) desire;  2) desire and  ability;  3) desire, ability and opportunity; 4) survive by avoiding being destroyed in the end.  To be fully free, we must have the desire, ability, and the opportunity to do what will make us happy forever, with no regrets, and no second thought doubts.  This is being truly free.  Our promise from Jesus is Himself. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Only Jesus, the Son of God who died and rose again for us can make this freedom possible for us. 

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November 9 – Set Free and Promised

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”  Hebrews 9:15 (NIV)

God has made wonderful provision for those who belong to His family by faith in Jesus.  The Bible verse we have today reminds us of this provision.  What is it that God has promised? It is an inheritance for those who belong to His family. We know that inheritances are usually planned in advance and there is usually a document to specify what it will be.  Well, that is the case with the promise we are considering here.  This inheritance in our verse, which is the document, is an eternal inheritance.  It will never run out, never decay, and never be taken away from us.  It is an inheritance more precious than we are able to imagine.  Friends, if you have believed in Jesus, you are God's child.  You are free from any condemnation and He is preparing to bring you to heaven where you will forever enjoy what our verse tells us about.  

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