The Verdict
The Verdict
Romans 8:1–11
From "Wretched Man" to God's Answer
In Romans chapter 7 we hear Paul's anguished cry:
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
It is a sentiment every Christian can understand. We know what it is like to struggle with sin, to desire what is right, and yet fall short.
Romans 8 does not begin a new subject. Instead, Paul begins unfolding God's answer.
After seven chapters describing humanity's sin, justification by faith, and the believer's continuing struggle with sin, Paul now announces God's verdict.
Like the conclusion of a courtroom trial that began in Romans 1, the Judge finally speaks.
The Verdict: No Condemnation
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1 ESV).
The word condemnation would have been immediately understood by those living in Rome. It referred to the sentence handed down by a court after judgment.
Imagine a judge striking the gavel and declaring someone guilty.
Paul, however, announces something astonishing:
"There is therefore now no condemnation."
The word therefore points back to everything Paul has argued throughout Romans 3–7. Because God has done what the Law could never accomplish through our own efforts, by sending His own Son, Jesus bore our sin, defeated its power, and rescued us.
The verdict is no condemnation.
Notice another important word:
Now.
Not someday.
Not after you become a better Christian.
Not after you've conquered every struggle.
Now.
Some people quietly believe that God will finally stop condemning them once they become "good enough."
Paul says exactly the opposite.
Because you are in Christ, now there is no condemnation.
Our church supports the local Safe Shelter, serving those who need immediate rescue from abusive situations. When someone needs rescue, "someday" isn't good news.
Now is.
That is exactly what Paul announces to those who belong to Christ.
Now—no condemnation.
When Guilt Still Lingers
Growing up near the foothills of Boise, Idaho, my friends and I found adventure almost everywhere—including around a neighbor's old abandoned cars.
To young boys, those cars looked like perfect targets.
More than once we threw rocks toward them. One day, we succeeded in breaking several windows.
Later that afternoon, the local police came to our house. Apparently, our operations weren't nearly as secret as we imagined.
We received a stern lecture, and that was enough. I felt terrible.
But Paul is not talking about feelings.
He does not say we feel uncondemned.
He says God's courtroom has already spoken.
Many of us carry regrets. Perhaps it's a divorce, an addiction, an uncontrolled temper, a betrayal, or another painful memory.
Sometimes we feel as though our lives are fields of broken windows.
But if you are in Christ, that guilty verdict has been removed.
You are united with Jesus Christ.
Everything believers possess flows from that union:
John Wesley understood Romans 8:1 as describing justifying grace—God's legal declaration that sinners are righteous because of Jesus Christ.
Even though Christians still struggle with sin, our standing before God rests entirely in Christ.
Justification becomes the beginning of sanctification.
A New Walk Through the Spirit
"...in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom 8:4 ESV).
Many of us remember eating at Bonanza Family Restaurant.
Breadsticks, potato skins, soups, salads, and the main course often left us completely full.
Paul is not talking about feeling full.
He is talking about God's purpose being fulfilled in us.
God's purpose is brought to completion—not because we earn righteousness—but through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Paul uses the word walk to describe the pattern of our lives.
Not isolated actions.
A lifestyle.
A new normal.
Walking according to the flesh means living according to fallen human nature apart from God's rule.
Walking according to the Spirit means living under the Spirit's direction.
This is not accomplished through greater effort.
It happens through God's Spirit.
I once decided to ride an exercise bike for eight straight hours. Several hours into that experiment, I realized neither the seat nor I had been designed for such endurance.
My solution?
Couch cushions.
If we try to live the Christian life by human effort alone, we'll discover that cushions are not enough.
We need divine empowerment.
Paul is showing that God forgives us so that He can transform us.
Not:
"We change ourselves, then God accepts us."
Rather:
"God accepts us, then God changes us."
As John Wesley taught, the Holy Spirit transforms our loves, desires, habits, and character over time.
Behavior follows direction.
Direction follows relationship.
That relationship is continually sustained by God's grace through Jesus Christ.
The Spirit Who Gives Life
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom 8:11 ESV).
Paul now explains why believers can live with confidence.
The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives within every believer.
The word dwells means "makes His home."
The Holy Spirit is not an occasional visitor.
He has taken up permanent residence within God's people.
Notice the beautiful work of the Trinity:
The Father raises the Son through the Holy Spirit.
Paul also points us beyond our present lives.
Our hope is not escaping our bodies.
Our hope is resurrection.
Recently my oldest daughter completed a marathon.
Like every long-distance runner, she began with energy but finished exhausted.
The Christian life is much the same.
It begins in grace.
It ends in resurrection.
And every mile in between is walked with the Holy Spirit.
Paul asks us to consider a better question than, "Do I have enough strength?"
Instead:
Whose strength lives within you?
Believers possess the indwelling Holy Spirit—the source of holy living and the guarantee of eternal life.
Living the Verdict
So where are you trying harder instead of trusting the Spirit?
Perhaps it's your temper.
Perhaps it's a private struggle with sin.
Perhaps it's a difficult family situation or a burden at work.
Bring that honestly before God.
Pray:
"Lord, here is where I am tired of trying harder. Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, meet me here. Live Your life in me."
You do not need to fix yourself before coming to Christ.
Come honestly.
The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in you and walks with you.
So today—and tomorrow—the invitation is not simply to try harder.
It is to live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit who already dwells within you.
Stay in the Word daily, it will save your life.
Romans 8:1–11
From "Wretched Man" to God's Answer
In Romans chapter 7 we hear Paul's anguished cry:
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
It is a sentiment every Christian can understand. We know what it is like to struggle with sin, to desire what is right, and yet fall short.
Romans 8 does not begin a new subject. Instead, Paul begins unfolding God's answer.
After seven chapters describing humanity's sin, justification by faith, and the believer's continuing struggle with sin, Paul now announces God's verdict.
Like the conclusion of a courtroom trial that began in Romans 1, the Judge finally speaks.
The Verdict: No Condemnation
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1 ESV).
The word condemnation would have been immediately understood by those living in Rome. It referred to the sentence handed down by a court after judgment.
Imagine a judge striking the gavel and declaring someone guilty.
Paul, however, announces something astonishing:
"There is therefore now no condemnation."
The word therefore points back to everything Paul has argued throughout Romans 3–7. Because God has done what the Law could never accomplish through our own efforts, by sending His own Son, Jesus bore our sin, defeated its power, and rescued us.
The verdict is no condemnation.
Notice another important word:
Now.
Not someday.
Not after you become a better Christian.
Not after you've conquered every struggle.
Now.
Some people quietly believe that God will finally stop condemning them once they become "good enough."
Paul says exactly the opposite.
Because you are in Christ, now there is no condemnation.
Our church supports the local Safe Shelter, serving those who need immediate rescue from abusive situations. When someone needs rescue, "someday" isn't good news.
Now is.
That is exactly what Paul announces to those who belong to Christ.
Now—no condemnation.
When Guilt Still Lingers
Growing up near the foothills of Boise, Idaho, my friends and I found adventure almost everywhere—including around a neighbor's old abandoned cars.
To young boys, those cars looked like perfect targets.
More than once we threw rocks toward them. One day, we succeeded in breaking several windows.
Later that afternoon, the local police came to our house. Apparently, our operations weren't nearly as secret as we imagined.
We received a stern lecture, and that was enough. I felt terrible.
But Paul is not talking about feelings.
He does not say we feel uncondemned.
He says God's courtroom has already spoken.
Many of us carry regrets. Perhaps it's a divorce, an addiction, an uncontrolled temper, a betrayal, or another painful memory.
Sometimes we feel as though our lives are fields of broken windows.
But if you are in Christ, that guilty verdict has been removed.
You are united with Jesus Christ.
Everything believers possess flows from that union:
- Forgiveness
- Righteousness
- Adoption
- Eternal life
John Wesley understood Romans 8:1 as describing justifying grace—God's legal declaration that sinners are righteous because of Jesus Christ.
Even though Christians still struggle with sin, our standing before God rests entirely in Christ.
Justification becomes the beginning of sanctification.
A New Walk Through the Spirit
"...in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom 8:4 ESV).
Many of us remember eating at Bonanza Family Restaurant.
Breadsticks, potato skins, soups, salads, and the main course often left us completely full.
Paul is not talking about feeling full.
He is talking about God's purpose being fulfilled in us.
God's purpose is brought to completion—not because we earn righteousness—but through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Paul uses the word walk to describe the pattern of our lives.
Not isolated actions.
A lifestyle.
A new normal.
Walking according to the flesh means living according to fallen human nature apart from God's rule.
Walking according to the Spirit means living under the Spirit's direction.
This is not accomplished through greater effort.
It happens through God's Spirit.
I once decided to ride an exercise bike for eight straight hours. Several hours into that experiment, I realized neither the seat nor I had been designed for such endurance.
My solution?
Couch cushions.
If we try to live the Christian life by human effort alone, we'll discover that cushions are not enough.
We need divine empowerment.
Paul is showing that God forgives us so that He can transform us.
Not:
"We change ourselves, then God accepts us."
Rather:
"God accepts us, then God changes us."
As John Wesley taught, the Holy Spirit transforms our loves, desires, habits, and character over time.
Behavior follows direction.
Direction follows relationship.
That relationship is continually sustained by God's grace through Jesus Christ.
The Spirit Who Gives Life
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom 8:11 ESV).
Paul now explains why believers can live with confidence.
The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives within every believer.
The word dwells means "makes His home."
The Holy Spirit is not an occasional visitor.
He has taken up permanent residence within God's people.
Notice the beautiful work of the Trinity:
The Father raises the Son through the Holy Spirit.
Paul also points us beyond our present lives.
Our hope is not escaping our bodies.
Our hope is resurrection.
Recently my oldest daughter completed a marathon.
Like every long-distance runner, she began with energy but finished exhausted.
The Christian life is much the same.
It begins in grace.
It ends in resurrection.
And every mile in between is walked with the Holy Spirit.
Paul asks us to consider a better question than, "Do I have enough strength?"
Instead:
Whose strength lives within you?
Believers possess the indwelling Holy Spirit—the source of holy living and the guarantee of eternal life.
Living the Verdict
So where are you trying harder instead of trusting the Spirit?
Perhaps it's your temper.
Perhaps it's a private struggle with sin.
Perhaps it's a difficult family situation or a burden at work.
Bring that honestly before God.
Pray:
"Lord, here is where I am tired of trying harder. Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, meet me here. Live Your life in me."
You do not need to fix yourself before coming to Christ.
Come honestly.
The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in you and walks with you.
So today—and tomorrow—the invitation is not simply to try harder.
It is to live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit who already dwells within you.
Stay in the Word daily, it will save your life.
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