[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, September 15, 2024 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
No Condemnation (Romans 8:1-4)
2024. 9. 25. 주일예배 설교- 로마서 강해 12
본문: 로마서 8:1-4
제목: 결코 정죄함이 없나니
설교자: 손진국 목사
We are continuing to share the Gospel through the book of Romans. While understanding the Gospel is important, what is even more crucial is living out the Gospel. If we only hear and understand the Gospel as doctrine without relating it to our daily lives, we will not experience the true power of the Gospel. When the Gospel is applied concretely to our lives, our lives will be amazingly transformed.
However, in many cases, even though we practice our faith, we fail to enjoy the wonderful grace and blessings that God has given us through Jesus Christ if we do not fully understand the Gospel.
There is a story about a poor widow living in a rural village with her son. Her son, having grown up and wanting to escape their impoverished life, left for a foreign country to earn money. The elderly mother, now alone, went to church and constantly prayed with tears, thinking about her son. Whenever the townspeople met her, they asked, "Do you hear from your son often? Does he send money?" Each time, the mother would reply, "Yes, only news that he is well." Even the pastor asked her if her son was sending money, and she responded, "It seems he can’t earn money abroad. He keeps sending only letters and no money." As time passed, the mother became weaker and thinner, struggling with hunger, and she felt disappointed with her son. Seeing her plight, one day the pastor visited her with a sack of rice. While sitting on the porch and talking, he noticed something unusual inside the room. There were square pieces of paper stuck where the wallpaper and window paper were torn. When the pastor asked, "What are those papers?" the mother replied, "They are the papers that came with the letters from my son." The pastor then went inside and realized that those papers were foreign checks.
The mother, not knowing these were checks, had been using them as wallpaper and window coverings. Despite having a significant amount of money from her son, she was living in poverty, almost dying from starvation, and feeling disappointed in her son.
This story may seem absurd, but it can reflect our own situation. There are many cases where we do not enjoy the amazing grace and blessings that God has given us because we do not fully understand them.
One significant example is the sense of condemnation. Let me ask you a question: For someone who has believed in Jesus and received forgiveness of sins, how long are they free from condemnation? If they sin again and die without repenting, will they be condemned for their unrepented sins? Surprisingly, many Christians answer yes to this question and continue to live with the fear of condemnation.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul makes a tremendous declaration at the beginning of Romans 8: Those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned.
If a person who has received forgiveness of sins through Jesus is still condemned for new sins, they would be tormented daily by a tremendous sense of guilt and would lose freedom and peace. It would be like the Old Testament practice of coming before God every year on the Day of Atonement to repent for sins committed and seeking forgiveness, always living in fear of sins that might have been overlooked. Such a life would be fraught with anxiety and fear of condemnation, and it would not be a blessed message of joy.The phrase "no condemnation" means a state of being free from debts or penalties. In other words, no one can accuse you, a believer in Jesus, of anything.
Today, let us discuss why Christians in Christ Jesus are free from condemnation.
1. Because We Are in Christ Jesus
Why is there no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus? Is it because we live righteously? No, the only reason is that we are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God does not see me, who should be condemned for my sins, but rather sees Jesus, who is without sin, covering me. Jesus Christ is our refuge. But for those outside of Christ, there is a verdict of guilt, and they cannot escape God's judgment.
(The Passover Story) In the Exodus, when the angel of death passed over Egypt, there was death and great mourning in the houses of the Egyptians. However, in the houses of the Israelites, there was no such event. The angel of death passed over because the blood of the lamb was painted on their doorposts (Exodus 12:23, 30). Similarly, if we are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation.
The same applies to the destruction of Jericho. Everyone in Jericho died, but those in Rahab's house survived because there was a scarlet cord hanging from her window (Joshua 2:18-21, 6:25). The scarlet cord meant that the house would not be destroyed.
In the same way, Jesus is our refuge. For those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. We have already been transferred from judgment to life.
Even if we die now, Christians go to heaven, not hell. It is not because of our own merit or many good deeds. Paul, through this passage, tells us that because we are in Christ Jesus, we are free from condemnation and should live joyfully and happily in the Lord.
If after believing in Jesus you still have a sense of guilt and fear of condemnation, it is not from God but from the devil deceiving us and preventing us from experiencing true freedom and peace. Accept and proclaim this message in faith today. Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. “Amen”? May all God's people here believe in the fact that they are not condemned in Christ Jesus and truly enjoy true freedom and peace in the Lord, fulfilling His will.
[Application] Am I experiencing true freedom and peace in Christ? If there is guilt and fear within me, what do I think is the reason?
2. Because We Are Freed from the Law of Sin and Death
Romans 8:2 Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Here, two laws are mentioned: the law of the Spirit of life and the law of sin and death. The law of the Spirit of life, which gives us freedom from the law of sin and death, now guides us. This is contrasted with Romans 6:14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
When we were outside of Christ Jesus, we lived under the law, serving out of fear of punishment, and struggling under the law.
We were bound by the law of sin and death because we could not keep all the provisions of the law perfectly. But now it is different. Now, we are in Christ Jesus. We no longer live under the law but under grace. To be freed means a change in status.
Romans 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Here, too, there is a contrast between the new way of the Spirit and the old way of the written code. We used to serve out of obligation, bound by the letter of the law, and as a result, could only experience condemnation. But now, we serve with a new heart given by the Spirit, filled with joy, and serve the Lord from the heart.
We are liberated from the law of sin and death. We now live according to the law of the Spirit of life. We have been transferred from judgment to life under grace, following the guidance of the Spirit, living in the joy that flows like a river, and experiencing true peace given by the Lord.
In Luke 15, we have the story of the prodigal son. The son left home and squandered all his wealth in a distant country. Then he repented and returned home. What was the son’s heart like when he returned? Luke 15:18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. This is a legalistic way of thinking. But the father had already forgiven his son and was eagerly waiting for him. When the son returned, even while still a distance away, the father recognized him and ran to him, embraced him, kissed him, dressed him in the best robe, and killed the fattened calf to celebrate.
This is grace. Consider this: Did the father forgive the son only after he returned? No, the father had already forgiven him and was waiting eagerly for him. This is grace.
Soon after, the elder son came in from the field and was displeased when he saw the celebration for his brother. Luke 15:29-30 But he answered his father, Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him. This is also a legalistic way of thinking. Those under the law might think, "I have served so much, but this person has received more. I feel slighted or even angry because I am not receiving the respect or treatment I deserve."
How did the father respond? Luke 15:31-32 My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.
This is grace. The law seeks to condemn us. However, God's grace forgives all our sins. It cleanses us completely and even forgets them entirely. The evil one is cunning and tries to push us into a state of guilt. He seeks to bring us down and prevent us from doing God's work by making us shrink back in shame over our sins. This is the devil's scheme. In such moments, we must boldly overcome these trials with the Word of God.
[Application] Are you still bound by the law and have a condemning mindset? Is this attitude directed towards yourself or others?
3. Because the Law's Demands Have Been Fulfilled
Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, 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.
The law has a limitation. It cannot make us righteous. The law strives to make us righteous but cannot do so because of the weakness of the flesh. The law itself is not faulty. Romans 7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. The problem is not with the law but with our flesh, which is too weak to fulfill the law's demands. However, God did what the law could not do. Knowing our flesh's weakness, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of sinful flesh to bear our sins and was crucified. Through this sacrifice, He fulfilled the law’s requirements and made us righteous.
Romans 8:4 In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus accomplished everything the law demanded. On the cross, Jesus declared, John 19:30 It is finished ("Tetelestai" in Greek, meaning "paid in full"). He paid all that was required by the law, thus making us righteous.
The law demands, "The wages of sin is death," but instead of condemning us, God gave His Son to bear our sins. This is God's love. The law was astonished because, instead of demanding our punishment, God provided His Son. The heavens and all creation were amazed by this profound love. No human language can fully express such great love. Even if we used the sky as a scroll and the sea as ink, we could not capture the extent of God’s love. We cannot love someone to the extent of sacrificing our own child, but God did just that.
God loved us so much that He gave His only Son to make us righteous in Christ Jesus and declared that there is no condemnation for us. He has freed us from the law of sin and death and fulfilled all the law's requirements. If you are still struggling with guilt and fear of condemnation, remember this truth. When sharing the Gospel, it's disheartening to see some believers struggle to fully grasp and believe this message. They might ask, "So, if I sin and don't repent, will I still go to heaven just because I believe in Jesus?" or express doubt, saying, "It sounds good, but it still feels uncomfortable."
Let me share one final thought. There is a significant difference between a believer and a non-believer when they sin. Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones used a fitting analogy: "For an unbeliever to sin is like breaking the law of the land, but for a believer, it is like harming a relationship with a loved one."
For a believer, sin is more about hurting a relationship with God than just breaking a law. Even if the law is not violated, the relational hurt is profound. Lloyd-Jones emphasized that hurting someone we love is far worse than breaking a law we don’t care about.
Reflecting on God’s grace, let us not struggle with guilt but live by the Spirit, doing God's will. Let the Spirit produce beautiful fruit in our lives. Since God has made us righteous, let us live righteously.
May our bodies and minds not be used for unrighteousness but as instruments of righteousness to please God. May our lives overflow with joy, gratitude, and peace as we experience the blessings of forgiveness.
[Application] Does my spiritual life have more guilt and responsibility, or joy and gratitude?
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.