IaLP

I have noticed that going through multiple verses especially whole chapters is a bit too much information to take in and process. One of the main reasons I have started this Bible Study is to see disciples of Christ raised up. Part of doing so is hopefully having the inerrant, all sufficient Word of God sink and nestle within your heart so that we would experience Psalm 119:11 (ESV) I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. In doing so, you can boldly speak about not just the generic contents of each of the books of the Bible but know how each of the chapters and verses are structured in the Bible.

For example. We talk about sin in Romans 1 to 3, salvation in Romans 4 to 5, sanctification in Romans 6 to 7 and now finally in Romans 8, we are going to speak of completion in the end, future glory in Christ Jesus and what does this all mean.

Being mindful of trying to know God’s Word, we are going to go a bit slower and a bit faster. Slower as in taking in smaller chunks like Chicken McNuggets but in my opinion, a million times more tasty as in again in Psalm 119:103 (ESV) How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (My son would call that a push.) Faster as in we will spend less time as far as quantity but my hope and prayer would be we will take more quality time just to chew on it.

Pray to Father for His sovereign grace, to Christ for His teaching of His Word and to the Spirit for His wisdom and understanding.

Romans 8:1-4 (ESV) 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. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

I. Romans 8:1 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Look at the definition for the word ‘condemn’:
1. to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on
2. to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment
3. to give grounds or reason for convicting or censuring
4. to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service
6. to force into a specific state or activity
7. to declare incurable.

Drive this point home, lets play “What if…”

1. What if Charles Mason repented of his sins and believed upon Christ Jesus as his Lord and Savior, then there is no condemnation for his sins.

2. What if Adolf Hitler repented of his sins and believed upon Christ Jesus as his Lord and Savior, then there is no condemnation for his sins.

3. What if Mother Teresa repented of her sins and believed upon Christ Jesus as her Lord and Savior, then there is no condemnation for her sins.

I like to pick on dead people… obviously

4. Ted Bundy. Killed and raped 22 women and girls. Believe it or not, Ted Bundy grew up in a nice Christian family home. Family life was great. It was an introduction to softcore pornography while him and his friends dug through discarded magazines from behind a convenient store that turned his life for the worst. Being that he grew up a Christian, maybe he went to church once and maybe he went to Sunday School a couple of times. Can we say that there is a really, really good chance that he knows the gospel? Is there a chance that Ted Bundy confessed of his sins and believed upon Christ Jesus as his Lord and Savior?

What if he did? Would he be with Lord Jesus forever and ever in heaven?

Turn this around. What if Mother Theresa never repented of her sins and never believe Jesus Christ as Her God, Her Lord and Her Savior. Despite all the good works she has done, there will be condemnation for her sins and she will be judged according to her sins.

No matter how bad you think you are and no matter how good you think you have done, all have fallen short of the glory of God.

Likewise, no matter how bad you think you are and no matter how much religion you have done in your life, there is hope for all of us. Believe in Jesus Christ as King of kings, Lord of lords and God of every square inch of creation and that means all of your body, mind and soul, and there is no condemnation for any of your sins in the past and even better news, any sins that you will do in the future.

II. Not condemning the whole world and especially the guiltless
Matthew 12:7 (ESV) And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

Hosea 6:6 (ESV) For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

John 3:17-18 (ESV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

III. Justification equals no condemnation

Matthew 12:33-37 (ESV) “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

V. Jesus Christ was already condemned for you and me and all of those who believed

Matthew 20:17-19 (ESV) And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

2 Corinithians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Hebrews 9:28 (ESV) so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 10:10 (ESV) And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Counter-argument:

Perseverance of the Saints:
Psalm 37:28 (ESV)
For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

Hebrews 6:4-6 (ESV) For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.