Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is an incredibly freeing verse that gives hope to all believers. But what exactly does it mean that there is “no condemnation” for those who are in Christ?
We deserve condemnation because of sin
To understand why there is no condemnation, we first have to understand why we deserve condemnation in the first place. The Bible teaches that all people are sinners (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Because of our sin and rebellion against God, we rightly deserve God’s condemnation and judgment.
God is perfect and holy, and He cannot simply overlook sin. His justice and righteousness demand that sin be punished. As sinners, we are condemned already because of our guilt before God (John 3:18). Unless something intervenes, we stand condemned before a holy God.
Jesus took our condemnation on the cross
The amazing truth of the gospel is that Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, took all of our condemnation and sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. Although He was innocent, He willingly took our guilt and shame and allowed Himself to be punished in our place (Isaiah 53:5). God poured out His righteous anger against sin on Jesus so that those who trust in Christ no longer have to bear that condemnation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” When Jesus died on the cross, all of our sin and guilt was credited to Him, and He fully absorbed the penalty of that sin on our behalf. God’s justice was satisfied by Jesus’ sacrifice. There is no more condemnation left for those who have trusted in Christ!
We are new creations in Christ
Not only did Jesus pay the penalty for our sins, but when we place our faith in Him, we are given new life! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” God doesn’t just wipe the slate clean of past sins; He makes those who are in Christ into completely new creations.
The power of sin is broken, and we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6-7). Our old sinful nature has been crucified with Christ, and we now have new desires to follow after righteousness. The Holy Spirit begins to dwell in us and change us from within (Ezekiel 36:26-27). The result is that condemnation has no place in the lives of those who are new creations in Christ!
We are declared righteous
Not only do we have new natures in Christ, but we also have a new legal standing before God. Whereas we were once condemned and guilty before God’s law, we are now clothed in Jesus’ perfect righteousness (Philippians 3:9). His absolute moral perfection is credited to our account, so that when God looks at those who are in Christ, He declares us to be righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are justified and declared not guilty because of what Jesus did on the cross.
The Bible says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation and the old has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). As new creations, with the righteousness of Christ credited to us, there is now no possibility of condemnation. The penalty has been paid, and we have been made holy and blameless in His sight (Colossians 1:22). What amazing grace!
We have been rescued from the dominion of darkness
Colossians 1:13 tells us that God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” Before Christ, we were trapped in darkness, slaves to our sin and to Satan’s dominion. But now, those who are in Christ have been “brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). We have been transferred into God’s kingdom of light.
Sin and unbelief still attempt to exert influence in our lives, but their absolute dominion has been broken. As believers, we have been freed from condemnation, liberated by the power of the cross from the mastery of the enemy. The condemnation once directed at us was absorbed by Christ at the cross. There is now no condemnation for those who are clothed in His righteousness.
We are no longer under the law’s condemnation
One reason there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ is that we are no longer under the law’s demands. The law can only condemn and pronounce someone guilty before God. But Romans 8:2 tells us that in Christ Jesus, “the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Those who are in Christ are no longer under the Old Testament law as a means of justification. Instead, we have died to the law through the body of Christ (Romans 7:4). His death fulfilled its demands, and in Christ we have fulfilled the law too (Romans 8:3-4). The law’s condemnation has no hold on those who are under grace (Romans 6:14).
Nothing can separate us from God’s love
At the end of Romans 8, Paul declares with triumph that nothing in all creation can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). Absolutely nothing, including sin, trouble, persecution, or hardship, can undo the justification and freedom from condemnation that we have through faith in Christ.
As Paul says earlier in Romans: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were in the midst of condemnation and rebellion against Him, He sent His Son to take our condemnation and die in our place. And now that love guarantees that nothing can reverse our freedom. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ!
We must walk according to the Spirit
This does not mean that believers can just passively enjoy this freedom while continuing to walk in sin and unbelief. Romans 8 emphasizes that although we have been freed from condemnation, we must actively put to death the remaining deeds of the flesh by the empowering of the Spirit (Romans 8:12-13). We must set our minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5-6).
As believers, we are expected to walk and live differently – in holiness and obedience to God. Sin can still hinder our relationship with God even though it cannot undo our justification. But the Spirit empowers us to overcome sin and condemnation as we humbly submit our lives to following after Christ.
The promise of “no condemnation” is not a license to sin without consequence, but it is a precious promise of God’s love and grace to motivate our obedience and freedom from slavery to sin.
It is a promise to encourage and comfort us
Most importantly, this promise of “no condemnation” is meant to give hope and encouragement to believers. Though we still stumble into sin, as Christians we do not have to live in constant fear of judgment. We do not have to mentally punish ourselves when Satan accuses us. We can rest confidently in our new identity and status as new creations in Christ.
This truth protects our hearts from unnecessary shame and allows us to draw near to God with boldness (Hebrews 4:16). We are fully accepted by God because of what Jesus did, not because we are perfectly sinless. This is incredibly comforting and liberating. There truly is no condemnation remaining for those who are trusting fully in Christ’s finished work on the cross.
In summary, “no condemnation” is a promise of freedom, hope, and security in God’s love for all who are united to Christ by faith. Thanks be to God for this amazing grace!