Romans 8:1-2: No Condemnation.

Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Just a short one today, but dwell on these two verses for a moment. In Christ (and in him alone), there is No Condemnation. There is complete forgiveness, our sins are completely washed away, completely done away with. We deserve condemnation because we disobey God. He is perfect and his standard is perfect obedience. He is just and must therefore punish sin, but in Jesus there is God's mercy and grace and faithfulness shown - there is no condemnation. Jesus is God, he is perfect. He came into the world as a man, he suffered and died in our place, took our sin and God's wrath for it, and because of that we are forgiven. He then rose again, proving that he truly did conquer sin, since he rose from death which is the result of sin (Romans 6:23). We have the sure hope of heaven, of eternal life - Jesus rose again, so shall we. We are completely saved. Jesus has dealt with our sin - we need not fear death, we don't have to be guilty, we don't have to worry - just trust in him! Repent and Believe! God saves all who turn to him (Romans 10:9, Joel 2:32). Once (genuinely) saved, the Holy Spirit ("the Spirit that gives life") is in us. He gives us life, he sustains and grow us, he teaches us - it is him who convicts us and brings us to our knees before God in repentance in the first place. We are set free from sin and death, from God's wrath, from condemnation.

Based on the above, even if our lives are falling apart, even if everything is going wrong, we can be, and should be joyful. We always have this sure and eternal hope, and we know that d promises eternal life in heaven where there will be no hardship (if we are christians). We have reason to be joyful, even if we are not happy. Reason to praise God, reason to trust him. Don;t be discouraged - fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, he saves, he has saved us if we are christians, and we have reason to be joyful!

I was struggling through this late yesterday, and as I prayed my ipod dinged with an email from bible gateway. Heres the verse which came up:

Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

We serve an awesome, loving, caring, kind, merciful, gracious and faithful God. A just God, who will punish sin, and a perfect God who cannot stand anything imperfect, but yet a God who was willing to send his son/come himself to die for us, to take our place so that we can be forgiven and see his mercy and grace though we deserve only wrath, though we hated, despised, rejected and mocked him.

Soli Deo Gloria!