Romans 8:1,2 *
Dear Friends in Christ,
Those familiar with the movie Braveheart may remember a stirring scene where the Scottish patriot and liberator, William Wallace, is preparing his countrymen for battle. Up against a better equipped and formally trained opponent, the troops seem to be a little skittish. So William Wallace (aka “Braveheart”) begins riding his horse up and down the line of soldiers. But he doesn’t talk about military technique or tactics. Nor does he use this moment to review battle plans one last time.
Instead, he talks about what he knew was the desire of every
man there; a desire which resonated so deeply within their hearts that they
were willing to put their very lives on the line. He incites them and excites them by talking
about freedom.
It is not an overstatement to say there is nothing that men and women cherish more than their political and personal freedom. Certainly that is true of us. By the grace of God, we are blessed to live in a country which highly prizes freedom – and has also made great sacrifices to attain and retain it. In fact we are involved in a war at this very moment that has as its root cause the preservation and protection of our political freedom.
But as highly as we treasure and cherish our personal and political freedom, the message of our text for today is that there exists
A GREATER FREEDOM
This freedom, Paul tells us, is spiritual in nature and continues to bless us even if all our personal and political freedoms were taken away. It is
1. Freedom from condemnation by
Christ
2. Freedom for service to Christ
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. These verses rank right up there in their clarity and proclamation of the Gospel message; so let’s take a closer look…
The word “therefore” points backwards to what has just been said and alerts us to some conclusion or application that is about to be made on the basis of it. In chapter seven of Romans Paul talks about how we still sin even though we are Christians who know better and have the desire not to. He then goes on to say that our salvation does not depend upon us never sinning (which would be impossible), but on the Savior, Jesus Christ, who forgives us our sins.
Therefore (in view of what has just been said about salvation through Jesus), there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. To be “in Christ Jesus” means to be connected to Him through the bond of faith. We entered this glorious relationship with Christ the moment we came to believe in Him as the Son of God and our Savior. For many of us in this congregation this took place at our baptism as infants. For others of us in this congregation this happened when as adults we came to understand Jesus as our Savior and then were baptized as a seal and confirmation of that faith.
Regardless of when it took place, the result of being in Christ Jesus is this: There is now no condemnation. In the original Greek language of the New Testament behind the word “condemnation” is the idea of punishment that follows a sentence. Another way of translating it would be “doom.” So there is no punishment or doom for those who are connected to Jesus Christ by faith.
In order to understand the sheer magnificence of this statement we need remember the cosmic rules under which we live. When God placed human beings on this earth as His creatures, He as Creator issued but one rule for us to follow. The rule was obedience; or more accurately, perfect obedience. Be perfect, says God, just as I am perfect. Fail, says God, and there are lasting and permanent consequences. As Paul tells us earlier in Romans, the wages of sin is both temporal and eternal death.
And we fail. That’s
what sin is. It is our failure to be
what God wants us to be and to do what God wants us to do. In the courtroom of God we are guilty and,
therefore, deserving of condemnation.
But here again is the good news: there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus.
Paul now goes on to tell us how this came about: Because through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. The reason we have been liberated from the law (think of law as being “control”) of sin and death is because of Jesus Christ.
And we know what was involved. During Lent more than any other time of the year we see clearly the high price paid for our redemption. Gazing upon Jesus on the cross in our mind’s eye is not a pleasant sight. But it is a necessary reality. Because Christ-for-us is God’s plan for our eternal salvation.
His sinless life as mankind’s substitute; His sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross for our sins; His glorious resurrection which proves it all was done satisfactorily – that has set us free. Sin still exists and still plagues us, but it can no longer damn us. Death will happen for each of us, but now it is merely the gateway to eternal life.
Paul also mentions the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is the One who controls us now. He is the One who has worked within us so that we understand Jesus Christ to be not just some mythical or historical figure, but our personal Savior, our Liberator. Knowing Jesus is the greatest freedom of all.
And because Christ has given us this greater freedom from sin and death, we have also been liberated from all kinds of lesser other things that enslave us – or at least try to enslave us – as well. Things like fear of the future. Or disabling worry. Or a worldly way of thinking that falsely suggests bigger equals better and more equals happier; a secular way of thinking that in reality reduces life to an endless series of striving and stressing and joylessness.
Knowing Jesus Christ and the greater freedom we have in Him shatters the control those things have over our lives.
That being said, we must also admit this curiosity (it’s the same struggle Paul admits to in Romans 7): in our weakness we often voluntarily impose these defeated “masters” upon ourselves. And so too often we find ourselves weighed down with fear of the future, or worry, or cares, or ambitions that wish to dictate to God rather than be led by Him…
But that’s not the way it has to be. We do this to ourselves. And when we find ourselves beginning to be enslaved, then we need to take a mental trip back to the cross. Because at the cross and the empty tomb we find liberation from “the law of sin and death” in all its various forms and manifestations in our lives.
But there is more.
Knowing Christ is not just freedom from
something. It is also freedom for something. And that something is service. Living for Christ is what gives our lives
meaning and purpose.
Allow me to expand on this and perhaps crystallize our entire discussion of this text with a modern day interactive parable...
Imagine yourself in an orange jumpsuit. You’re sitting on death row. You’ve exhausted all appeals and worked through all the legal machinery available, but now your time is up. Really, if the system works, that’s the way it should be. Because in your heart of hearts you know you are guilty as charged.
In a matter of moments a couple of guards and a chaplain come to get you. They lead you into a room which has within it a smaller room. It’s the death chamber. You see a man in a white coat. You also see a gurney with a table next to it on which are laid a series of needles. The first one will relax you, you’ve been told. The second one will collapse your lungs. The third one will stop your heart. Should take about 7 minutes. You’re told to lie down.
On the wall near the door you’ve come through is a telephone, which you think looks out of place in the otherwise stark surroundings. Then it begins to ring. The warden picks it up, listens intently, and puts down the receiver. He seems a bit startled, but then dutifully informs you that it was the governor. The governor said he’d been following your case from the very beginning and although he knows that you are guilty as charged, he’s chosen to exercise his privilege as the highest authority in the land and pardon you. Not only that; he’s also made arrangements to comfortably set you up for the rest of your life.
Before you can process what’s just happened, the warden says there is more to report. The governor said that despite your pardon, the crime you committed would still need to be paid for. It’s just that he has someone else in mind.
So as you get off the gurney a door on the other side of the room opens us. A young man walks through it. He’s clean-cut. Looks all American. No criminal record. Very much out of place. But there he is, with a combination of sadness and fear, yet firm resolve in his eyes. And without hesitation and without coercion he voluntarily lays down on the gurney you’ve just vacated. Balling his fist a couple of times to ensure a good entry into his vein, he places his arm before the doctor and waits for the needles.
You don’t what to make of this. It’s so not what you expected. And you’re absolutely baffled when you learn the young man is the governor’s only son.
How do you think you’d feel toward the governor? How do you think you’d feel toward the son? Do you think there are words in the English language that could describe your emotions? Probably not. But this much you do know. Your goal in life has just changed. As a pardoned person, your desire is to consciously live the rest of your days in honor of your benefactor. Your freedom has now taken on a whole new meaning.
Process that modern day parable and we can begin to
understand what Paul means with the words of our text. 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 world values freedom and rightly so, but the spiritual
freedom provided by Jesus Christ is far greater. It is freedom from condemnation and freedom for
living Christ-centered lives of meaning and purpose.
For this greater freedom, we thank and praise Christ. Amen.