In Romans 8, Paul gave us encouraging answers raised in the previous article. However, he did not promise freedom from the struggle nor uninterrupted victory. He assured all of his readers, all those who are in Christ, that they would not lose their salvation nor lose all the battles along the way. We can be winners far more often than we will be losers.

 

QUESTION: If we keep failing, will God keep forgiving us?
ANSWER: Yes, because He doesn’t see us as we see ourselves.

Paul began chapter 8 by assuring those who believe in Christ that they stand before God forgiven and accepted:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit (8:1-4).

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

The “therefore” points back to the exclamation of Romans 7:25, “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Because of what Jesus Christ did in paying the full price for all our sins on the cross, we who have placed our trust in Him are free from the possibility of condemnation. So much for the fear of losing our salvation because of our failures! The term “in Christ,” the statement about freedom from “the law of sin and death,” and the declaration that “God sent His Son” contain the keys to understanding this wonderful Bible passage.

 

He sees us as “in Christ.” Those who believe in Christ no longer stand before God as guilty sinners. Instead, we stand before Him as “in Christ.” This is an awesome truth! Jesus offered His sinless self to die on the cross, and in the process He took the death we deserve. We who believe are now so united with Him that we are described as being “in Christ.” He is now in the heavenly realms exalted at God’s right hand “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given” (Eph. 1:20-21). God has taken us who were spiritually dead, made us alive, and “raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). We are now inseparably united with Him.

Those who believe in Christ no longer stand before God as guilty sinners. Instead, we stand before Him as “in Christ.”

The fact that God sees us as being in Christ is one of the most inspiring truths of the Bible. To be “in Him” is to be accepted by God on the merits of Christ alone. In bookkeeping terms, this means that all our sin has been put into Christ’s account, and all His goodness has been placed into our account. God’s only requirement is that we trust in Christ. Our salvation is not found in good works, church attendance, an excellent reputation, or sacrificial religious acts of devotion—not even in making the Ten Commandments our standard of conduct! We are right with God only because we have received Jesus as Savior. When we did, God placed us in Christ.

 

He sees us as “free from the law”. Now let’s look at the statement, “the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (8:2). What is this law of sin and death from which we have been set free? It is the good law of God, His rules for conduct, even the Ten Commandments. This answer shocks many religious people. They are trying to please God by keeping His laws, and here Paul said that we are free from these rules! Does this mean that we can now violate God’s standards with impunity? Not at all!

What is this law of sin and death from which we have been set free? It is the good law of God, His rules for conduct, even the Ten Commandments.

What Paul was saying is that because of what Christ did for us, we have been freed from trying to keep the law to earn favor with God. The problem with trying to earn favor with God by following His rules is that we keep breaking them no matter how hard we try not to. The law, you see, tells us what to do but does not give us the power to do what it says. Even Paul had this problem. He said that the “law of sin” within him kept making him a lawbreaker (7:23). The law of God is good, but it can’t help us because of our inclination toward sin. Trying to gain favor with God by keeping the law is an exercise in futility. It just keeps piling up our sins and increasing our guilt. Therefore, the law can do nothing except condemn us.

 

He sees us as people who have been rescued. God did not give up on us. He provided a way to make us right with Him. Paul explained:

What the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering (8:3).

What could not be accomplished by the law, God did by coming to live among us. He came to earth in the person of Jesus. He came in the likeness of sinful man, not as a sinful man. He was like us in that He came in a body like ours, one that could get tired and suffer pain—not as a superman. Yet He was without sin. He was completely human, only sinless. Paul continued:

So He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit (8:3-4).

Jesus Christ, in our humanity, met the devil and sin on their own ground and defeated them. He died, never having sinned, to atone for our sins. He conquered death by His resurrection. Sin is now a dethroned tyrant whom we can overcome “through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life” (8:2), who has set us free from the please-God-by-works routine.