The Amazing Gift Of No Condemnation: An Explanation of Romans 8:1-3

(Rom 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.

(Rom 8:2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

(Rom 8:3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh

Romans chapter 8 is actually a continuation of Paul’s revelational exposition in chapter 7, how the Son of God Jesus, has redeemed us from the Old Covenant and placed us in the New which is a far more better covenant.

Althrough Romans chapter 7, we find him taking his time to highlight the struggles the man under the Law of Moses go through on daily basis. This struggle is the one to live up to the commandments of the Law, establish and maintain a relationship with God by one’s efforts in keeping that same Law.

The problem with that kind of relationship that is based on one’s ability to keep the Law is that it just doesn’t work out. That is because the Law would have you keep 612 out of it’s 613 commandments and still judge you disqualified for missing that 1.

Again, being an external influence and not something that is naturally embed in your human spirit like the New Covenant, you will always struggle to remember them all let alone keep them. So the Law that was meant to “help” those under it turned out killing by condemning them every single time they miss it.

(Rom 7:9)  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

(Rom 7:10)  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

(Rom 7:11)  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

In his epistle to the Corinthian church, Paul directly called this Law which is the Old Covenant, the ministration of condemnation and death. (2 Corinthians 3:7-9)

After highlighting these struggles of the man under the Law to do good always, Paul also expressed their agony and heart-cry which is:

(Rom 7:24)  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

But he didn’t stop there. He then went on to say:

(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.

That is, Jesus has come on board to be that man to deliver such fellows. God through Jesus has delivered man from that endless struggle of trying to relate and please Him through the keeping of the laws of Moses. Something no man, including Moses himself, can successfully boast of keeping.

Then in chapter 8 of that Romans, Paul then switched to addressing the state of the man in Christ who had been freed from the Law.

(Rom 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.

(Rom 8:2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

(Rom 8:3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh

For this man in Christ who has received the Spirit of God in him, there is no more any form of condemnation (eternal separation from the Father, spiritual death being the punishment for guilt) against him.

This is because Christ through His death, burial and resurrection has made us one with the Father and empowered us to walk in the Spirit always. Something the Law set out to but couldn’t do.

So the man in Christ is not bound by the laws of Moses to have a relationship with God. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus has already done this for him, granting him direct access to the Father as son. And being His sons, we have been saved from all forms of condemnation that would have been against us.

I hope this blesses you. Glory to God.

Jesus did it all for us. Rejoice and be glad!