In Christ No Condemnation
(No. 1917)
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 29, 1886,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1.
You are well aware, dear Friends, that the division into chapters has
only been made for convenience sake and is not a matter of Inspired
arrangement. I may add that it has been clumsily made and not with
careful thoughtfulness, but as roughly as if a woodman had taken an axe
and chopped the book to pieces in a hurry! It was a very unfortunate
thing that the axe dropped down just here, so as to divide a passage
which ought to have been kept entire. We once heard a friend say, "I
have got out of the seventh of Romans into the eighth." Nonsense! There
is no getting out of one into the other, for they are one. The field is
not divided by hedge or ditch. I thank God with all my heart that since
my conversion I have never known what it is to be out of the seventh of
Romans, nor out of the eighth of Romans, either–the whole passage has
been solid Truth of God to my experience. I have struggled against
inward sin and rejoiced in complete justification at the same time.
Our Apostle, after having said, "So then, with the mind I myself serve
the Law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin," goes on to say,
without any break, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus." The fact is, that Believers are in a state of
conflict, but not in a state of condemnation and at the very time when
the conflict is hottest, the Believer is still justified! When the
Believer has to do his utmost even to hold his ground. When he feels
that he cannot advance an inch without fighting for it. When he has to
cry out in the agony of his spirit because of the vehemence of
temptation, he may still lay his hand upon the Word of God and say,
"And yet there is no condemnation to me, for I am in Christ Jesus!"
The man who never strives against the sin which dwells in him, who,
indeed, is not conscious of any sin to strive against–that is the man
who may begin to question whether he knows anything at all about the
spiritual life. He who has no inward pain may well suspect that he is
abiding in death–abiding, therefore, under constant condemnation. But
that man who feels a daily striving after deliverance from evil, who is
panting, pining, longing and agonizing to become holy even as God is
holy, he is the justified man! The man to whom every sin is a misery,
to whom even the thought of iniquity is intolerable, he is the man who
may with confidence declare, "There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus." Souls that sigh for holiness are not
condemned to eternal death, for their sighing proves that they are in
Christ Jesus!
Observe that the text is written in the present tense. You will lose
much of its force and beauty if you leave out that word, "now," or
regard it as a mere term of argument. This, "now," shows how distinctly
the statement of non-condemnation is consistent with that mingled
experience of the seventh chapter which certain good people do not
appear to understand. The passage describes a conflict which the
unregenerate cannot feel, for they neither delight in God after the
inward man, nor do they agonize to be set free from the presence of
sin. Every child of God must know this conflict if he knows himself. If
it had not been for the fierce debates of former ages, this passage
would have been accepted as an accurate picture of the inner life of
the struggling Believer–and it would have been held up to admiration
as a sure proof of the Divine Inspiration of the Epistle–that with
such amazing accuracy it records the secret experiences of a soul
struggling after purity–an experience which often puzzles the very
people who are the subjects of it.
Reading my text in that connection, with an emphasis upon the, "now,"
my heart sings for joy! With all my watching and warring–yes, with all
my fears and trembling–yet will I rejoice in the Lord even now, for,
"there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus."
I would have you carefully observe our Apostle's change of expression.
When he is speaking about the inward contention he writes in the first
person and speaks of himself–"I find then a law, that, when I would do
good, evil is present with me." That which might seem humiliating and
derogatory, he imputes to himself most distinctly, crying out, "O
wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?" But when he comes to write upon the privileges of the children
of God, he does not write in the first person, but he speaks of them in
general terms–"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are
in Christ Jesus." His deep humility thus displayed itself. His very
self-remembrance is a self-annihilation–he uses himself as lead sinker
with which to sink his nets, but his Brethren he puts into the place of
honor and esteem. His is the confession and theirs is the
confidence–he extols the glorious company of Believers, but he lowers
himself!
This is the style of his language and the style often reveals the man.
He might have said, "There is therefore now no condemnation to me, for
I am in Christ Jesus," and it would have been true. But it would not
have been after the manner of the lowly Apostle. After these wanderings
upon the shores of the text, let us now plunge into its depths and may
the Holy Spirit, from whom it proceeded, bless it to our hearts!
I. I would say, first of all, that this verse contains A REFUTATION OF
THE OLD SERPENT'S GOSPEL. "The serpent's gospel," you ask, "what is
that?" It is another name for the gospel of modern thought–that gospel
which casts a doubt upon the threats of the Law and even denies them
altogether. Quote the first few words of the text and stop there, and
this false gospel is before you–"There is therefore now no
condemnation." The serpent promulgated this gospel in the Garden of
Eden when he said, "You shall not surely die." With what greediness,
our first parents received that highly advanced teaching which
contradicted the declaration of God–"You shall surely die!" The
doctrine of no punishment for any man is popular at this day and
threatens to have even greater sway in the future. Generally it comes
in the serpent's favorite form of, "honest doubt"–"Yes, has God said?"
Can it be so? Is He not far too merciful? Is it possible that a God of
Love should condemn and punish His creatures?"
The denial of the penalty attached to sin comes out in different ways,
but when put into a nutshell, it amounts to this–"There is therefore
now no condemnation to any man, however he may live." Some teach that
you may live in sin and die impenitent, but it will not matter, for at
death that is the end of you–the soul is not immortal, men are only
cooking animals. Others tell us that if you die unforgiven, it will be
a pity, but you will come round, in due time, after a purgatorial
period–you may take a little longer road, but you will come to the
same end in the course of time. In other words, it does not matter how
you live, or what you do, you will become perfectly happy in the long
run–therefore trouble not yourselves with the exploded notion that
there is a Heaven to be lost or a Hell to be feared! The wrath of God
and the Judgment to come are mere bugbears according to the teaching of
our new apostles. This is the gospel according to Satan–a Gospel which
has already ruined thousands of souls and is now sealing up millions in
a stony-hearted unbelief which enables them to sin without fear! Though
these evil doctrines have done incalculable mischief in many places so
as to almost paralyze the energies of the Church, yet some professed
Christians, boastful of their "culture," would move Heaven and earth to
spread these delusions!
Here is Paul's refutation of this doctrine of a general amnesty–"There
is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus."
They would be condemned, every one of them, if it had not been that
they are in Christ Jesus! And there is now no condemnation to them
solely because they are in Christ Jesus. Their being in Christ Jesus is
the great method by which, alone, they have escaped condemnation. If
Paul had only stopped when he had got as far as "there is now no
condemnation," every drunk, swearer and whoremonger would have cried,
"Bravo, Apostle! That is the gospel for us! Now you speak like a man of
thought! You have broken loose from the horrible old doctrine of Jesus
of Nazareth and have found for us a 'larger hope.' Hurrah for Paul! He
is in advance of his age–he is the man for the times!" But Paul was
too honest to court popularity by pandering to man's desire of immunity
in sin. He believed the terrible Truth of God that the impenitent
sinner is under condemnation and, believing that Truth, he spoke it
plainly. He did not deal out comfort head over heels, catch it who can,
but he put it thus–"There is therefore now no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus."
It is a work of Almighty and Sovereign Grace to put men into Christ
Jesus–by this method they escape condemnation, but by no other. I
understand Paul tacitly to tell us that those who are not in Christ
Jesus are under condemna-tion–and this is a terrible Truth of God. "He
that believes not shall be damned" is as much the declaration of our
Lord Jesus as that other Divine sentence, "He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved." As many as believe not in Christ Jesus and
repent not of sin have, before them, at this moment, "a fearful looking
for judgment and of fiery indignation."
It is no pleasant task to us to have to speak of this matter, but who
are we that we should ask for pleasant tasks? What God has witnessed in
Scripture is the sum and substance of what the Lord's servants are to
testify to the people. If you are not in Christ Jesus and are walking
after the flesh, you have not escaped from condemnation!
One alarming fact I must not fail to mention here–the word, "now," is
as applicable to these condemned ones as to those who are freed from
condemnation. It would be true if I were to say, "There is therefore
now condemnation to all them that are not in Christ Jesus." Hear these
words, they are the words of John the Tender, who leaned his head on
the gentle bosom of his Master–"He that believes not is condemned
already, because he has not believed upon the Son of God." We are said,
by common talk, to be in a state ofprobation, but that is not true–we
are, all of us, in a state of present condemnation if we are not in
Christ Jesus. If you felt the true force of words, some of you would
fall off your seats at the sound of that sentence–"He that believes
not is condemned already." The sentence has gone out against you if you
have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ! "Condemned already!" Think
of it, I pray you. You have called God a liar because you have not
believed His testimony concerning His Son and He, on the other hand,
has already judged you and condemned you! This is the most conclusive
of all evidence as to the blackness of your hearts–that you have not
believed upon the Son of God! There is condemnation for unbelievers and
that condemnation is now.
I must also add that to as many as believe not in the Lord Jesus
Christ, who walk after the flesh and not after the Spirit, there is
nothing but condemnation so long as they remain in that state. It is
written, "He that believes not shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abides on him." That is a terrible text! It is not as though wrath
flashed upon you now and then, with the glare of momentary
lightning–but a black cloud charged with destruction and tempest
continues over your guilty heads till you fly away to Christ! O Sirs, I
must tell you these things! It is as much as my soul is worth to be
silent about them! If you think that I find any pleasure in them, you
misjudge me. I appeal to those who know me– am I morose? Am I without
tenderness? No, it is because I love you that I warn you! You shall not
perish through any flattering words of mine. I will be clear of your
blood!
It is idle for me to sew without a needle. There are many new sewing
machines, but none that can dispense with the needle! You cannot take
silk and sew with that, alone–you must have a sharp needle to pierce
the fabric so that the soft silk may follow afterwards. These words of
warning are meant to be my needle. May God the Holy Spirit use them as
such–to go right through your hearts with the sharp prick of
conviction–and so prepare you for the thread of the Gospel! "There is
now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus!" But if sin is
not forgiven, you are under its condemnation, and if you die in your
sins, you will die forever that death which brings with it everlasting
woe! If you are not reconciled to God by the death of His Son, you are
His enemies! And to be at enmity with God is to be miserable–it cannot
be otherwise. How I wish you would feel this Truth of God and be led by
it to escape from the wrath to come before yonder sun shall again go
down! God grant you may! I entreat those of you who know the Lord to
pray silently at this moment, in your hearts, that God will awaken the
careless so that under a sense of well-deserved condemnation they may
fly to Jesus and be reconciled to God!
So much for Paul's refutation of the serpent's Gospel.
II. And now, secondly, we have in the text A DESCRIPTION OF THE
BELIEVER'S POSITION–he is "in Christ Jesus." What does that mean?
I am not going into any deep theological discussions–I speak very
simply and with a view to practical results. He that believes in the
Lord Jesus Christ is in Christ. By an act of simple dependence upon
Jesus, he realizes his position as being in Christ. By nature I am in
myself and in sin and I am, therefore, condemned. But when the Grace of
God awakens me to know my ruined state, then I fly to Christ. I trust,
alone, in His blood and righteousness, and He becomes to me the cleft
of the rock wherein I hide myself from the storm of vengeance justly
due to me for my many offenses. The Lord Jesus is typified by the City
of Refuge. You and I are like the manslayer who was pursued by the
avenger–and we are never safe till we pass through the gate of the
City of Refuge–I mean, till we are completely enclosed by the Lord
Jesus! Inside
the walls of the city, the manslayer was secure–and within our
Savior's wounds, we are safe. By a humble, simple, undivided dependence
upon Him, we are placed where we are covered by His merits and so,
saved!
Noah's dove out yonder, flying over the waste of waters, is outside the
ark–she will never rest the soles of her feet till Noah puts out his
hand and pulls her in to him. Then is she secure and restful, but not
till then. Judge, then, my Hearer, whether you are in Christ. Do you
stand before God on your own footing, or do you rest upon Christ and
find your all in Him? This is not a baffling problem, but a plain
question. Say, is your righteousness one which you have worked out
yourself, or is the righteousness of Christ imputed to you? Do you look
for salvation by self, or for salvation by Christ? If you can truly
say, "I hide in Christ," then this text plays sweeter music than ever
fell from angel lips– "There is therefore now no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus." Inasmuch as you have believed in Him, you are
in Him. "He that believes on Him has everlasting life and, "shall not
come into condemnation"–these are our Lord's own dear words–treasure
them up in your spirits and rejoice in them forevermore!
Let us go a little deeper. That which faith thus realizes by coming
unto Christ for shelter was true before, in a blessed sense. I
understand my text, when it says, "therefore," to refer to all that the
Apostle had argued before in the previous part of his Epistle. But even
if I did not think so, I could understand his, "therefore," for I
believe that the text carries its own argument within itself. "There is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Why,
"therefore"? Because they are in Christ Jesus! Therefore there is no
condemnation to them because they are in Him who can never be
condemned. Though it is quite correct to fetch your argument from the
preceding part of the Epistle, yet it seems to me it is a
self-contained verse and carries its argument within itself. If you are
in Christ, there is, for that very reason, no condemnation in you.
Still, there are other arguments near at hand. Will you, at home,
kindly read the fifth chapter? There you will perceive that Believers
are in Christ as their federal Head. By one transgression, Adam
introduced death into the race, "and so death passed upon all men, for
that all had sinned." But Jesus came to bring life by His obedience.
"As by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation,
even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men
unto justification of life." By Christ's righteous life and
substitutionary death, justification has come upon all who are in Him.
As you were in Adam you sinned and, therefore, you fell and were
condemned. And as you were in Christ through the Divine Covenant of
Grace and Christ fulfilled the Law for you, you are justified in Him.
His righteousness and Sacrifice have been of use for you–"There is
therefore now no condemnation." Because we are viewed by Divine Justice
as under the Headship of the perfect Man, who, on our behalf, has
magnified the Law and made it honorable, therefore we are well-pleasing
unto God. We are accepted in the Beloved. It is written, "By the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous"–and we enjoy the
fulfillment of that promise! Will the Lord condemn those whom He has
made righteous? Will He do despite to the righteousness of His own Son
with which we are covered?
But Paul goes on to show, in the sixth chapter, that the saints of God
are united to Christ by a living and vital union. He says of us,
"Therefore we are buried with Him by Baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the Father, even so
we, also, should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted
together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness
of His Resurrection." We are actually one with Christ by living
experience! Beloved, if it is so, that we died in Christ, then we shall
not be put to death, again, for the sin for which we have already died
in Him! If we have received a new life in Christ's Resurrection, then
that promise is true, "Because I live, you shall live also." And for
that reason we cannot be condemned, for condemnation involves death.
We, Beloved, who are in Christ, are justified because Christ is
justified by His rising from the dead and by His taking the position of
honor and Glory at the right hand of God! He is our Representative and
we are one with Him–what He is, that are we. Our union is inseparable
and, therefore, our condemnation is impossible!
In the seventh chapter the Apostle mentions our mystical union with
Christ under the figure of a marriage union– "Therefore, my Brethren,
you also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ; that you
should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead,
that we should bring forth fruit unto God." Shall the spouse of Christ
be condemned with the world? "Christ loved His Church and gave Himself
for it"–shall she be condemned despite His death? This union with
Christ is often mentioned in Scripture under the form of a marriage,
but it is also described under other symbols–we are one with Christ as
a branch is one with the vine; as a stone is one with the foundation
and especially as a member of the body is one with the head. Now it is
not possible, if I am a member of Christ, that I should be
under condemnation until He is condemned. Is my Head acquitted? Then my
hand is acquitted! So long as a man's head is above water you cannot
drown his feet and as long as Christ, the Head of the mystical body,
rises above the torrent of condemnation, there is no condemning even
the least and feeblest member of His body!
It has been my joy to preach to you, for many years, the blessed
Doctrine of Substitution. Now, if Jesus became our Surety and our
Substitute and suffered in our place, it is an inevitable consequence
that we cannot suffer punishment– and that the sin laid upon our
Surety cannot now be laid upon us. If our debt was paid, it was
paid–and that is the end of it–a second payment cannot be demanded.
You know the story, the very excellent story, which I think was first
told by Mr. Moody, of the man, who in the French war, was drawn in the
draft, for a soldier, but a friend stepped in and was accepted as his
substitute. That substitute served in the war till he was slain in
battle. The man for whom he served was drawn a second time, but he
declined to serve. He appeared before the court and pleaded that he had
been drawn once, had served in the war by his substitute and must now
be regarded as dead because his representative had been killed. He
pleaded that his substitute's service was, practically, his
service–and it is said that the law allowed his plea. Assuredly it is
according to Divine equity even if it is not according to human law! No
criminal can be hanged a second time. One death is all the law
requires! Believers died in Christ unto sin, once, and now they penally
can die no more.
Our condemnation has spent itself upon our gracious Representative. The
full vials of Divine Wrath against sin have been poured upon the head
of the Great Shepherd, that His sheep might go free and in it is our
joy, our comfort, our security. "There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus." Bow your heads in worship, you that
are in Him. Render an ascription of blessing and praise and glory unto
Him who took you unto Himself and then bore your sins in His own body
on the tree, so that you might be delivered from condemnation through
His sufferings and death!
Thus, by faith, we are in Christ Jesus and the assurance of our safety
is enlarged by a consideration of His federal Headship, our vital
oneness with Him, our mystical marriage to Him and His finished work on
our behalf.
III. Now we come to the third point, upon which we shall speak briefly,
because this part of my text is not a true portion of Holy Scripture.
We have before us in this verse A DESCRIPTION OF THE BELIEVER'S
WALK–"who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." You who
have the Revised New Testament will kindly look at it. Do you see this
sentence there? To your surprise it is omitted and very rightly so. The
most learned men assure us that it is no part of the original text. I
cannot, just now, go into the reasons for this conclusion, but they are
very good and solid. The oldest copies are without it–the versions do
not sustain it and the fathers who quoted abundance of Scripture do not
quote this sentence! We must admit that it is an opinion inserted in
later copies by some penman who was wise enough, in his own conceit, to
think that he could mend the Bible!
Do you ask me, "How did it get into the text?" Remember that there
always have been many divines who have been afraid of the Doctrine of
free Justification. They have been half afraid that sinners should get
comfort by faith and should not see the necessity of a change of life.
They have questioned the wisdom of ascribing salvation wholly to a
man's being in Christ and so they have guarded the more open passages
whenever they have seen a chance of so doing. In so doing they stated
Truth, but they stated it out of season and from motives which were
unsound. Probably the sentence now before us was put in and allowed to
remain, by general consent, in order that the great Truth of the
non-condemnation of those who are in Christ Jesus might be guarded from
that Antinomian tendency which would separate faith from good works.
But the fear was groundless and the tampering with Scripture was
unjustifiable.
We are greatly obliged to our revisers for leaving out the sentence,
since it should not be there and, without it, the Doctrine of
Justification in Christ is made more clear than in the Authorized
Version. In the last chapter of the Book of Revelation, service of the
same kind is most properly rendered, for instead of, "Blessed are they
that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of
Life," the Revisers have given us a more accurate text–"Blessed are
they that wash their robes." In these two cases we have proof that the
more nearly the text of Scripture is restored to its original purity,
the more clearly will the doctrines of Grace be set forth in it. The
more we get back to true Scripture, the more shall we escape all
interference with the complete and perfect salvation which comes of our
being in Christ. We are not justified by the manner of our walk, but by
our being in Christ Jesus!
Again, you ask me, "From where did the man who added this opinion get
his words? The words are so good and true that they read like
Inspiration." Just so. The words are borrowed from the fourth verse.
The Holy Spirit meant to say this very thing a little further on, in
its proper place, but the good men who felt it right to tamper a little
with the document made Him say it sooner and, therefore, they copied
the last sentence of the fourth verse and placed it here–"who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Truly, there was not much hurt
done, for the words are true, but no man has a right to add to Holy
Scripture or take from it, and I fear that many may have been brought
into needless bondage by this sentence being inserted where the Holy
Spirit did not place it. Beloved, when you desire to know your state,
be content with this question–"Am I in Christ?" And if you can answer
it from your heart, let it satisfy you–"There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Others may better judge
your walk than you can judge it yourself, but your union with Christ is
best known to yourself!
Still, the interpolated sentence is true–the man who is in Christ
Jesus does not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. I will now,
for a little while, preach upon verse four.
We notice that such a man in Christ has received the Holy Spirit, for
he walks according to His guidance. All honor and worship be unto the
third most blessed Person of the Divine Trinity, that He should deign
to dwell in our poor hearts and sanctify our spirits to Himself! Every
Believer has the Holy Spirit!
Secondly, every Believer has been quickened into the possession of a
new nature called the spirit. He has a right spirit within him, a new
spirit, a holy spirit–the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. He is a new
creature. He is no longer in the flesh, but in the spirit and so he has
become a spiritual man.
Observe carefully that the flesh is there–he does not walk after it,
but it is there. It is there striving and warring, vexing and grieving,
and it will be there till he is taken up into Heaven! It is there as an
alien and detested force, but not there so as to have dominion over
him. He does not walk after it, nor practically obey it. He does not
accept it as his guide, nor allow it to drive him into rebellion. The
man who is in Christ Jesus commits himself to the guidance of the Holy
Spirit.
What a wonderful power is that which dwells in every Believer, checking
him when he would do wrong, encouraging him to do right, leading him in
the paths of righteousness for Christ's name's sake! Happy men to have
such a Conductor!
Judge yourselves in which way you are walking. Are you walking
according to the flesh? Do you do whatever you like to do? Do you
believe whatever you like to believe? Do you say to yourself, "I am not
going to be limited by Scripture, nor by rules of holiness–these are
too old-fashioned and strait-laced for me"? Then, you walk after the
flesh–you are your own guide, your own wisdom and righteousness–and
vain desires conduct you where they will. You are blind and your guide
is blind–and you will soon fall into the Pit. You may no think so, but
time will prove my words.
Blessed is that man who no longer follows the devices and desires of
his own heart and no longer trusts to his own understanding! Blessed is
he who bows his mind to the mind of God! My own desire is not to
believe what I may imagine, or invent, or think out, but I would
believe what the Lord God has taught us in the Inspired Scriptures. I
submit myself to the guidance of the Spirit of God in connection with
the written Word of God. This is safe walking.
Combine the two descriptive clauses of my text. On the one hand look to
Christ alone and abide in Him. And then, on the other hand, look for
the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is to be in you. By faith we are in
Christ and the Holy Spirit is in us. All who can go with me in this are
delivered from condemnation, for how shall he be condemned that is in
Christ? And how shall he be condemned that has the Holy Spirit within
him? "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
IV. And so I come, in closing, to notice THE ABSOLUTION OF THE
BELIEVER–"There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." What a grand sentence!
I call upon you to notice it. You may have seen a well-painted picture
called, "Waiting for the Verdict." What interest is displayed on every
face! What fear and trembling upon the countenance of the prisoner! In
his wife and the friends around him, what anxiety is seen! "Waiting for
the Verdict" is a sad picture, but what another might be drawn of, "The
Favorable Verdict Received." The prisoner is acquitted! Oh what joy! It
is not possible to bring in a verdict of, "Not Guilty," for you and for
me, for we are undoubtedly guilty, but yet it is possible, by the
processes of Substitution and Divine Grace to bring in a just verdict
by which it is witnessed that, "There is now no condemnation."
Notice, first, that this is a bold speech. "There is no condemnation."
"But you said just now that the thing you would not, you did." Yes, but
there is no condemnation! The same lips which made such a humble
confession and revealed such a troublesome experience now assert
positively and joyfully, "There is no condemnation!" Free Grace makes
men speak bravely when their faith has a clear view of Jesus! Though it
is a bold assertion, it is proven. Whenever a man has a, "therefore,"
at the back of what he has to say, he may say it without stammering.
"There is therefore now no condemnation." Paul is always a reasoner and
a great logician. Here he seems to declare his certainty. "What I say I
can prove. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus
and I can prove it to a demonstration." Brothers and Sisters, the
demonstrations of mathematics are not more clear and certain than the
inference that if we are in Christ and Christ died in our place, there
can be no condemnation for us! Cool calculation may be used here. This
is no raving of fanaticism, but the unquestionable deduction of fair
argument–if Jesus was condemned in my place, there can be no
condemnation for me!
What a broad assertion it is!–"There is no condemnation." No
condemnation on account of original sin, though the Believer was an
heir of wrath even as others. No condemnation for actual sin, though he
greatly transgressed and came far short of the Glory of God. He is in
Christ and there is no condemnation of any sort possible to him! No
condemnation, no, though he humbles himself and weeps and groans before
God because in thought and word and deed he still offends. No
condemnation, though he feels that he has not yet attained to the
excellence which he labors after.
The devil says there is condemnation and, therefore, he accuses us day
and night. He was a liar from the beginning and the father of lies!
Conscience sometimes censures us, for even conscience, itself, needs to
be enlightened and to be purged from dead works. But when conscience
understands the plan of Free Grace and sees things in the light of the
Truth of God, it, also, bears witness and the Spirit of God bears
witness with it, that we are the children of God! "No," says the
Apostle, "there is no condemnation." What a broad sweep these words
take! If you read to the end of the chapter you see how unreserved Paul
was in his statement, for there he mounts the high horse and cries,
"Who shall say anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather,
that is risen again." Paul makes all Heaven and earth and Hell to ring
with his daring challenge, "Who is he that condemns?" In the broadest
imaginable terms he declares that there is no condemnation to them that
are in Christ Jesus! Where there is no condemnation there is no wrath,
no guilt, no punishment! On the contrary, there is acceptance, favor,
and bliss!
This, Beloved, is an abiding statement, a standing assertion. It was
true of me, 30 years ago, as a Believer, and it is just as true of me
now. It was true in Paul's day and though centuries have passed away,
it is just as true at this moment. If you are in Christ Jesus, there is
now no condemnation. That living "now" goes singing down the
centuries–in life, in death, in time, in eternity–there is no
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus!
What a joyful statement it is! It makes one laugh for joy of heart. If
you have ever been burdened with a sense of sin, you will know the
sweetness of the text. You that are not sinners–you good respectable
people who are sailing to Heaven in your own ship–there is nothing in
it for you! Gospel assurances are not for you–you would not prize them
and, therefore, you have neither part nor lot in them. For Jesus Christ
came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
But you that have been whipped of the devil and dragged at the heels of
your sins–you that have been broken and crushed as in a mortar, with a
pestle, till you are ground fine under the hand of conviction–you are
the people that will leap for joy as you hear the silver trumpet ring
out the note of "no condemnation!" Come, let us be glad! Let us rejoice
together because there is now no condemnation to us! When Giant
Despair's head was cut off, Mr. Bunyan says that the pilgrims
danced–and well they might! Mr. Despondency and Miss Much-Afraid took
a turn and even Ready-to-Halt, with his crutches, joined in! I
guarantee you he footed it well! When he saw the monster's head upon
the pole, he could not help being merry!
This text sticks the giant's head up on the pole for us. "There is
therefore now no condemnation." Oh for the loud sounding cymbals! Now
for the maidens and their timbrels! Let us have holy merriment over
this! Poor prodigal sinners have fled to Jesus and hidden in Him and
there is now no condemnation to them! Poverty? Yes, but no
condemnation. Depression of spirit? Yes, sometimes, but no
condemnation. Infirmities and weaknesses and things to grieve over?
Yes, plenty of them, but no condemnation! "O come, let us sing unto the
Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!"
"All very well," says one, "but we would like something practical."
Practical? This is the most practical thing that ever was because the
moment a man receives this assurance into his soul, his heart is won to
his loving Lord and the neck of his sinfulness is broken with a blow!
There never was, no, never can be, a man that has realized, by the
witness of the Holy Spirit that he is free from condemnation, who will
ever go to love sin and live in it. While I am condemned I say, "Well,
if I am to be sent to Hell for my sins, I may as well be hung for a
sheep as a lamb and, therefore, I will continue in sins and get what
pleasure I can out of them." Do you not know how the guilty man often
feels, that since there is no hope for him, he may as well harden his
heart and enjoy himself? A mouse was caught in a trap, the other day,
by its tail, and the poor creature went on eating the cheese. Many men
are doing the same–they know that they are guilty and they dread their
punishment–but they go on nibbling at their beloved sins!
They remind me of the soldier in the old classic story. The army
marched through a certain country and the commander-in-chief ordered
that there should be no plundering. Not a man must touch a bunch of
grapes in going through the vineyards, or he should die for his
disobedience. One soldier, tempted by a bunch of grapes, plucked it and
begin to eat it. He was brought before the captain who declared that
the law must be carried out and the thief must die. He was taken out to
die and though he knew his head would be cut off, he went on eating the
grapes as he walked along. A comrade wondered that he should do this,
but the condemned man answered that no one ought to grudge him his
grapes, for they cost him dearly.
Such are the bravados of sinners. The breasts of wicked men are steeled
rather than softened by a sense of condemnation, but once let the Holy
Spirit remove the burden of their guilt and they will be dissolved by
love! Free pardon is a great conqueror. The love of Jesus soon makes
men turn from sin with burning hatred. Forgiving love is a main
instrument in transforming men from rebels into friends. You may preach
the demands of the Law as long as you like and tell men that they must
merit salvation–and you will only make them worse and worse. But go
and proclaim the dying love of Jesus! Tell them that Free Grace reigns
and that undeserved mercy saves the sinner through faith in Christ–and
that the moment he believes in Jesus there is no condemnation to
him–and you shall see miracles accomplished!
In the experience of Free Grace you have something to work upon. You
have put a new affection into the man and it will drive out his base
affections. A life force is communicated to him which will cause him to
forsake his old ways and turn unto the Lord. "How do you know?" asks
one. I know by experience and by observation. I could point you out
many specimens of the power of Divine Grace in this assembly, but I
will not do so. If I were to say, "Brothers and Sisters, you who once
lived in sin but have escaped from it through Free Grace and dying
love, stand up!"–What an exceedingly great army would start to their
feet!
Yes, we know it is true, for the lips of many witnesses declare it!
They say, "Jesus saved us from the worst of sins and made us His
friends by His Free Grace, and now we rejoice to love and serve Him."
So shall it be with you, dear Hearer, if you, also, believe in Jesus.
The text shall be true of you, also–"There is therefore now no
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." God bless you! Amen.