No Condemnation
Scripture: Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus. 2 For
the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of
sin and death.
Devotion:
Today’s scripture announces freedom
for the believer in Christ Jesus. For thousands of years, the Jewish people had
labored under the yoke of the Mosaic law. This law burdened the people with its
demands of offerings and sacrifices for sins. Not only did they have to
sacrifice repeatedly because of the ineffective nature of their offerings to
take away their guilt and shame. They had to tithe to support the priesthood.
Paul announces that in Christ is the
end of the old covenant system and its replacement with the new covenant
system. One would think that the Jewish people would be grateful, but they were
so used to the old system that they clung tightly to it—preferring the
certitude of the old over the new, untried, and untested new way of doing
things.
Surely, we can appreciate the way
that they felt. Just change the color of the carpeting in the sanctuary or make
some other cosmetic change in the worship space. See the reaction you get.
Therefore, it is no wonder that the Jews of Jesus' Day fought this new system.
It was a threat to thousands of years of tradition and practice. However, the
new day had come, and there was no stopping it.
As Paul writes in verse 2, the old
system has been permanently cast aside in favor of the new. Instead of having
to live in constant fear of committing the slightest sin, they could live in
the power of the righteousness of God, who is greater than all our sins. The
people could not see how the death of one man on a cross could eliminate an eternity's
worth of sin. Indeed, that is the true mystery of the cross. One man died so
that all might live. One man rose to new life again, and no person needs to die
again.
A new system was now in place. We,
2,000 years later, still have not made much progress in understanding how this
is possible, but we know it’s true because it has saved millions of people from
condemnation and hell. The power of the Holy Spirit has been unleashed upon
those who will believe in this new system, bringing a fullness of life that the
Old Testament Jews never dreamed was possible. Praise be to God, Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
We who have sinned so much look astonished
at the act of redemption obtained on the Calvary Cross. All our sins are
forgiven, and our slavery to besetting sin is broken. Our hearts rejoice in the
new freedom we enjoy. We seek to dedicate our lives to living for Jesus because
of what He has done for us. The blood of the one who died on the cross has
washed away the stain of sin from our lives. Glory be to God, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Amen
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