No Condemnation:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.-Romans 8:1

I don’t know of a more supercharged verse than Romans 8:1. Let this one stay in repeat-mode in your heart. We struggle, flounder, disappoint others (and ourselves), and end up thinking we are losers-or worse, that we are in trouble with God. Maybe doesn’t love us as much, especially if we did that sin again- right? Wrong. Way wrong. The gospel is now the banner over your life, and it reads NOT CONDEMNED!

Today there are all kinds of gluten-free products. Even some makers of bottled water want to assure you that their water contains no gluten. But gluten-free doesn’t mean “zero gluten present.” The FDA says a food can be classified gluten-free as long as it contains less than twenty-two parts per million of gluten. (That’s a very small amount. It’s the lowest amount that can be detected with our twenty-first century gadgets and gizmos).

But while such not-quite-pure purity standards may fly in the world, they don’t in the kingdom of Christ. The good news of the gospel is that not even a trace of condemnation towards you remains. Your identity is in Christ, and you are therefore labeled “condemnation-free”- declared so by God, whose all-seeing eye detects even the minutest impurities. You are fully forgiven of all your cosmic crimes. Your treason against the King of kings has been wiped from your record because the King himself took all of the charges and was punished in your place. The sins you are most ashamed of, the ones that knot your stomach as you think of them-Jesus died for them all, and now God says, “Don’t you dare feel condemned any longer. I love you. My Son has cleansed you. Forever.” You are justified, legally righteous, because of Jesus-and not only that, but you are also adopted. Justification is a great grace, and to be adopted into God’s family is a grace upon grace. Yet that’s all he ever gives his children-matchless, infinite, marvelous grace.

You need Romans 8:1 in your back pocket, because condemnation will read it’s ugly face at any given moment. Satan’s forces prowl the earth, and they will try to smother your joy and hem you in to a guilt-driven existence. But Romans 8:1 can serve as Kevlar against the devil’s fiery potshots.

God loves you so much! He wants you to feel it. He cares for you. All he gives you is grace. He didn’t save you so you could hang your head and feel guilty-that’s not what he wants for you. He wants you to experience freedom, joy, and a life centered on the gospel.