Romans 8:1-2 - No Longer Condemned, Part 1 (Conciliation Series, Part XLIV)

Part IV: God’s Conciliation, Confirmed

We have, at last, reached the final chapter on the topic of “conciliation” in Paul’s letter to Rome. The entire chapter builds to its own climax, but the remainder of “Part IV: God’s Conciliation, Confirmed,” will only take us to Rom. 8:30. There is indeed a climax at this verse, but the chapter’s end is a climax in and of itself, and the argument’s focus, while shifted, still overlaps in a few ways, which we will cover as we go.

On a personal note, before we really dive into the verse, I would say that at this point in Romans, you would do well to shift your perception of what the “truth” is. If you’ve been reading this study and somehow gotten this far while still holding doubts in your mind as to some of the critical topics such as justification, conciliation, free will, love, and others, then first: hi! I love you! Thank you for making it this far, and I hope you reach out and tell me about it! I’m supremely impressed by your dedication to understanding God’s word, as well as your ability to retain information. Most don’t do that anymore, and I deeply appreciate it.

Moreover, what I mean by shifting your perception here is this: when people (Christians or atheists alike) discuss something like The Bible, they tackle it in… a pretty shallow way, I think. The official, philosophical way that people split the Bible off from everything else is by performing a little trick with ‘truth.’ They divide ‘truth’ into two groups: “Modernism” and  “Postmodernism.” These words are big and scary, but really it’s just another way of saying “Objective” (Modernism) and “Subjective” (Postmodernism.) Another way would be “Provable” and “Unprovable.” Atheists may even turn the dichotomy into “Rational” and “Irrational.”

In essence: most make the Bible a matter of personal preference and interpretation, while sticking to the historical and scientific facts in college textbooks. They contextualize The Scriptures through man’s textbooks. No doubt you yourself are prone to doing this – the Bible loses credibility in man’s mind because God says He makes the impossible possible (Rom. 4:18.) So, by requesting at this point that you shift your perception, I am asking you to now try something that you may have never done before:

Flip the script.

Try contextualizing man’s textbooks (which oftentimes don’t agree,) with Scriptural statements (which, when translated properly and kept in context, does clearly agree.) Don’t treat the Bible as a matter of personal interpretation (because it’s not; it’s a Document in and of itself,) but as a blueprint that shapes your current worldview. Use the Bible as your foundation, as opposed to some outlying text. I request that you set to work on considering Scripture this way as we go into Romans 8, because this chapter is the zenith of conciliation in Romans. It brings everything we’ve discussed so far to a perfect climax, and the way to get the most out of it would be, simply: be shaped by it. It sets the stage for the beginning of your permanent life, and shows what this world as we know it is building to. Your personal conciliation will be displayed on a universal scale, and it is vital that you see the extent that Romans 8 goes to in order to affirm His love for you under grace.

With that, let’s get into it!

Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Not according to flesh are they walking, but according to spirit, for the spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death.

Wow. Just beautiful.

This verse has been the subject of controversy since it was written. It’s hard for many to grasp exactly what Paul means. On the one hand, Christian sects, such as Catholicism, Pentecostal, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, and more, simply don’t believe the verse. They won’t tell you they don’t believe the verse, but they don’t believe it due to their principle doctrines that place them under the Mosaic law (for example: ‘follow the law’ once you’re saved, or you are condemned in Christ Jesus and must repent again on Sunday.)

Now, this is a very difficult passage to Christendom and atheism, when you consider that, for all intents and purposes, our “justification by faith” has already taught us that we aren’t condemned in Christ. The thing is: we’re in the middle of the conciliation section, and ‘faith’ hasn’t been mentioned since chapter 5, so… why should you assume that it should be considered here? Thankfully, we’re not a part of Christendom anymore, but a part of the body of Christ. God has freed us from the doubts of our mortal frames.

This passage, to us, shouldn’t be surprising, considering everything we discussed in “Part III” of this study. We know that, irrespective of our action, we are justified in spirit. However, it can be confusing, because it can lead you to miss this piece of Paul’s revelation (and we don’t want to do that, I think.) If he already told us this, in the justification by faith, section, then why is this phrase suddenly a consequence of what came before?

This question is more important than you might initially think. So far, Paul has given us a perfect argument. Though his teaching is already presupposed, it is flawless in its logic and completely sensible in its revelation. It has thoroughly distinguished itself from the rest of Scripture. He speaks with revelations far beyond the Old Testament scriptures. Isaiah and the like were prophesying the coming of Christ. In some cases, like Daniel and John, the prophet could see far enough to prophesy of the coming beast system. Jeremiah and Ezekiel saw as far as the millennial kingdom, the one promised to the Jews. And of course, Christ Himself was a prophet (Acts 3:22,) and He unveiled more concerning the millennial kingdom than any other.

Paul? Paul stretches out beyond all of these. Paul has been sharing completely new information, unveiled to him by the ascended Christ (Acts 9:1-5.) As a result, Paul stretches beyond everyone else on earth in scope. He speaks of you as reigning the millennial kingdom with Christ (Rom. 5:17, Eph. 2:5-6.) He sees you celestially (1 Cor. 15:53.) He sees you as God sees you – as we are seeing now. It is the enemies of the cross that would like to twist these words, limiting them by creating errors in its argument, and Paul explains this in Phil. 3:18-21. Those disposed to the terrestrial seek to shred this argument to pieces, as it disposes of the terrestrial, and gets to the heart of a matter.

As such, Paul is criticized the most. Hardly any today apprehend his evangel, because it is the one that unlocks life’s innermost secrets. Paul’s critics point to this verse to disprove Paul, because the presuppositions Paul has been making have gone in a circle. It’s like saying, “You must obey the law, because it’s illegal to break the law.” It’s just using itself as its own reasoning, so the argument is never satisfied. These critics say, “Paul is saying you are justified by faith, because nothing is condemnation to you in Christ.”

This verse kicks off the chapter with the word “Consequently.” This is clearly a summarization of Paul’s argument concerning our exemption from the law, as well as our baptism into Christ’s death. That said, that entire argument really covers chapters 6 and 7 – not 3 and 4. What’s Paul’s glitch? Did hE fOrGet, as our critics say?

Well, no. See, the letter is super dense. Obviously, God is still teaching us – this is the first time in our study that He’s come out and directly given us a summary of a teaching. That said, He is still teaching, even in this summary (because He’s God, and He does cool shit like that.) The reason I included both 8:1 and 8:2 here, encompassing both verses, is because I wanted to show that it is not belief that is covered here; we are already justified in Christ Jesus in order to apprehend this verse (Rom. 5:1.) God would not employ circular reasoning on us this late in the letter (and this late in the Scriptures entirely.) In the words of A.E. Knoch, “There is justification for those who believe, and here there is no condemnation for those who walk.”

So! Let’s elaborate on what he (and Paul) means. First, the word ‘condemnation.’ We covered this word way earlier in Rom. 5:16, being kata-kri-ma (“DOWN-JUDGMENT.”) The word is not ‘judgment,’ nor is ‘judgment’ itself a negative concept. “Krima” is the actual decision of the judge, and the prefix “kata” is what indicates the negative result. Adam’s action in the garden of Eden brought everyone into this negative judgment (Rom. 5:18.)

Paul states that we are conclusively not brought into condemnation, because we’re in Christ Jesus. This compounds on His earlier statement, and highlights further the contrast between justification and conciliation. If you recall Rom. 5:9-10:

Much rather, then, being now justified in His blood, we shall be saved from indignation, through Him.

For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God through the death of His Son, much rather, being conciliated, we shall be saved in His life.

You are justified, sparing you from indignation. But it is through your conciliation you are brought into His life. This is the consequence of being rescued out of the law’s clutches, documented in Rom. 7:4-6. We aren’t under a law that can condemn us, so… how are we condemned?? Paul answers conclusively that we are not condemned anymore.

There’s another layer to this: condemnation is the opposite of justification. It’s one or the other. There’s no in-between (Rom. 1:32, 3:10, 3:21-23.) We have been justified from the Sin in our flesh (6:7) – which means that we are no longer condemned because of the Sin in our flesh.

Oh, you didn’t mean to sin? Well, guess what? Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to you, having been called out!

Oh, you meant to sin? Well, guess what? Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to you, having been called out!

Seriously – you can learn of your greatest faults later. You could realize some great evil sin you’re doing now. You could be wrestling with the guilt of something you did years ago. You could be anxious under the weight of future escapades thanks to sin dwelling in you. 

Guess what? It won’t condemn you.

Many people take this statement – that you are not condemned, in spite of whatever great evil you may currently be enacting – as though you should continue sinning. Not so. He doesn’t say this at all. This sentence by Paul is not written with active insubordination in mind. He says it so that you recognize that you are not condemned after you screw up (because, let’s face it – you will screw up, no matter how determined you are. It’s okay! You’re not condemned.)

Let’s begin tying everything together. If condemnation and justification are opposites, and you are justified, and you are baptized into Christ Jesus, then it follows that you are as uncondemnable as Christ is. The reason you receive your blessing is because of His faith in you. Your blessing is His blessing. Now, in order to fully appreciate this blessing, you must be made unimpeachable and flawless (1 Cor. 1:8, Eph. 1:4, Rom. 8:28-30.)

Do you see? This statement – that you are no longer condemnable in Christ Jesus – is crucial because it shows the true process of reversal of the curse of Sin. Adam brings death through Sin, and when you are at your worst, God plants the cure. The sin that poisons our spirit is being drawn out of us, now that we are in Christ Jesus. Your spirit is preparing for the celestial frame that it is about to receive (1 Cor. 15:51-53,) and when it does, the process of reversal (being salvation,) will be complete.

Now, this fact alone, that condemnation is justification’s opposite, is taught here, and thus fully justifies its contextual use in the passage (and, in my opinion, justifies this part of the argument as a whole.) However, critics will not be immediately satisfied, so let’s press on.

Condemnation is not judgment, as we covered. In Christ Jesus, you are not exempt from judgment. No one said this, though it is implied by our critics. Yet if we set them aside and consider the verses as they are, we find Paul state the exact opposite in 1 Cor. 11:28-34. For context’s sake, I’ll quote the whole passage here, but I really want to focus on verse 32:

Now let a man test himself first, and thus let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who is eating and drinking unworthily is eating and drinking judgment to himself, not discriminating the body of the Lord. Therefore many among you are infirm and ailing, and a considerable number are reposing. For if we adjudicated ourselves, we would not be judged.

Yet, being judged, we are being disciplined by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

So that, my brethren, when coming together to eat, be waiting for one another. Now if anyone may be hungry, let him eat at home, that you may not be coming together for judgment. Now the rest I shall be prescribing as soon as I should be coming.

The verses quoted show us affirmatively that we are being judged by the Lord, and through this judgment we are being disciplined. The point of this is so that we may not be condemned with the world. In essence, this verse clarifies exactly how we are not condemned in Christ Jesus; our flesh is disciplined now, so that later there is no fault in our celestial frames (1 Cor. 1:8.)

This leads to a whole host of other notes we must consider. No condemnation does not mean we are not being judged. It does not mean we are not being corrected. And, one of the most important (and controversial) points: it does not mean that our actions are always good. Yes, your works are still being judged. Your conduct is measured by fire (1 Cor. 3:10-15.) Yes, there is still a service that you commit, and a reward for said service. This is a very difficult concept to convey, because on one hand, Christians believe that part of that service is choosing to accept Christ as your Savior. That would be a logical fallacy, as that falls under the notion that you saved yourself by believing (which is pride, and goes against God’s evangel – Rom. 1:16-17, Eph. 2:8-9.)

On the other hand, those in the body of Christ find this concept arguably harder to convey, because it comes very close to feeling like a worker/Debtor dynamic between us and God, when Paul seemingly pointed out the flaw in such a belief over in Rom. 4:4-5. It’s at this point that I must clarify that “salvation” as a whole is, again, not being considered in this passage, but the effects of it. Paul may mention such a dynamic in 4:4-5, but it is in regards to your salvation, not your work. You, being justified by faith, are now able to work in Christ, having been justified (Rom. 5:1, 6:12-14.)

This is further elaborated on by the way Paul speaks of Christ. When speaking of Him as Christ Jesus, we are able to be considered as saints in Him, holy, flawless before God. When He is considered as Lord, the dynamic becomes that of one between a master and a slave (as ‘Lord’ means ‘Master.’) In being enslaved to God, you are conducting a service on His terms. There are ways to lose an allotment (1 Cor. 6,) be disqualified in your service (1 Cor. 9:27,) and your service is going to be measured (1 Cor. 3:10-15.) This is why, though actions do not save you, they do still matter. Of course, it’s impossible to forfeit the justification that Christ accomplished for you, but it’s entirely possible to forfeit your right to reign (1 Cor. 6:9-11.) This is why Paul doesn’t say “No condemnation in our Lord,” because service, that is, your actions, are not being considered here.

How to conclude all this… so in Romans 6:14, Paul said, “You are not under law, but under grace.” Chapter seven told us about our exemption from the law. In contrast, Romans 8 shows us our allotment under grace. This is why nothing is condemnation to you – not only are you justified, but you are also reconciled to God. The first two steps of your salvation are being considered here – both your justification and your deliverance from Sin. Both combined = no condemnation. It’s the full conclusion, because it considers the entirety of your walk. You can’t be condemned, because Christ wasn’t condemned. Simple as that.

- GerudoKing