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“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1 KJV)
Let us look at what the Word of God says. The central theme of this song is one of the most decisive and liberating truths in the New Testament: no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The lyrics are almost a direct paraphrase of Romans 8:1–3:
> “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
> For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
> For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.”
> (Romans 8:1–3 NASB)
Here we have three great themes:
1. No condemnation – a legal, judicial statement.
2. A new law – “the law of the Spirit of life.”
3. A different plan to save us – what the law of Moses could not do, God did in Christ.
The song simply restates these truths:
This is not sentimental comfort. It is legal reality in the court of heaven. If you understand and appropriate it, it is the end of satan’s most effective weapon against you: condemnation.
Romans is Paul’s most systematic and legal treatment of the gospel. In chapters 1–3, Paul proves that all humanity—Jew and Gentile—are under sin and under judgment. In chapter 4, he shows that righteousness has always been by faith, using Abraham as the chief example. In chapter 5, he unfolds the contrast between Adam and Christ. In chapter 6, he explains our death to sin. In chapter 7, he describes the agonizing struggle of a man confronted with God’s holy law, yet still operating in his own strength.
Romans 7 ends with this desperate cry:
> “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
> I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24–25 KJV)
Then, without pause, comes Romans 8:1. The chapter division is later; in Paul’s original writing this is a connected argument. He has described the failure of human effort, even when it is sincerely religious and even when it recognizes the goodness of God’s law. Then, at the peak of this inner conflict, he turns to Christ.
So we must picture Paul as a former Pharisee, thoroughly trained in the Law of Moses, describing his personal and theological journey:
Romans 7 shows a man who agrees with the law but cannot fulfill it. Romans 8 shows the answer: the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
The believers in Rome were a mixed community of Jews and Gentiles. Some were tempted to rely on the law of Moses; others had come out of raw paganism. To all of them Paul declares: there is now—right now—no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
The situation: a church needing assurance, clarity, and deliverance from both guilt and legalism. Paul responds with a legal pronouncement from the heavenly court.
Let us take two key expressions from this passage.
### 1. “Condemnation” – Greek: *katákrima*
Romans 8:1:
> “There is therefore now no condemnation [*katákrima*] to them which are in Christ Jesus…”
The Greek word *katákrima* comes from *katá* (“down, against”) and *krinō* (“to judge”). It does not merely mean “a feeling of guilt.” It refers to:
So “no condemnation” means:
This is a courtroom word. The issue is not whether you feel condemned, but whether God the Judge has any sentence remaining against you. In Christ, the answer is: no.
When the song declares, “No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,” it is aligning with a legal fact established by the death and resurrection of Christ. Satan is called “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). He operates in legal territory. The answer to accusation is not emotion but the blood and the Word (Revelation 12:11).
### 2. “Law” – Greek: *nómos*
Romans 8:2:
> “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
The Greek word is *nómos*, usually translated “law,” but its usage here is broader:
Think of gravity. It is a law. It always works the same way. When Paul says “the law of sin and death,” he means a spiritual gravity that always pulls man downward into sin and its consequence, death.
The “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is a higher law, like the law of aerodynamics is higher than gravity. Gravity is not abolished, but a higher law overcomes it.
This is vital for understanding the lyrics:
That is the *nómos*—the law, the unchanging operation—of the Spirit of life.
So, in Christ, you are not merely forgiven. You are inserted into a different law, a different spiritual system. A new power is now operating in you.
### Verse 1:
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
This is Romans 8:1 restated.
“So now” – The “now” points back to all that Paul has established:
The cross and the resurrection have permanently changed the situation. The “now” is the new covenant era, inaugurated by the blood of Jesus.
“There is no condemnation” – As we saw, this is a judicial statement.
Compare:
> “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already…” (John 3:18 NASB)
> “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24 NASB)
The believer has already passed through judgment at the cross. Jesus bore the condemnation. Therefore, no second condemnation can be placed on you without denying the sufficiency of His sacrifice.
“For those who belong to Christ Jesus” – or “who are in Christ Jesus.”
This is the key phrase: in Christ. Paul uses it more than a hundred times. It describes:
Just as you were once “in Adam,” sharing his nature and destiny, you are now “in Christ,” sharing His righteousness and destiny.
2 Corinthians 5:17:
> “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Condemnation belongs to the old creation, under the old head, Adam. The new creation, in Christ, is not subject to that condemnation.
### Chorus:
“For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.”
This echoes Romans 8:2:
> “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Note the logical structure:
Verse 1: No condemnation.
Verse 2: Because (for) a new law has set you free.
Freedom from condemnation is not a bare decree. It is backed by a spiritual transaction and a new operating principle.
#### “The life-giving Spirit”
This is the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8, the Spirit is mentioned repeatedly:
The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in the believer (Romans 8:11). He is the Executor of Christ’s finished work. Where the law could diagnose sin but not cure it, the Spirit imparts the very life of Christ and overcomes sin from within.
#### “Has freed you… from the power of sin that leads to death”
Sin is not only an act; it is a power, a king that reigns (Romans 5:21), a law that operates in our members (Romans 7:23). Death is its inevitable result.
But a stronger power has entered. The Spirit does not merely help you try harder under the old regime. He transfers you into a new regime. Colossians 1:13:
> “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
So the chorus proclaims not a mere possibility, but an accomplished fact: “has freed you.” The Greek tense in Romans 8:2 indicates a completed action with continuing results. The believer’s task is to know it, believe it, and walk in it.
### Verse 2:
“The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature.”
This restates Romans 8:3:
> “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh…”
The Law of Moses is holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). It reflects the character of God. But it has a limitation: it cannot change the inner nature of man. The problem is not with the law, but with the flesh – human nature dominated by sin.
The law:
But it offers no power to obey. It is like a perfect mirror: it shows you your condition, but it cannot change your face.
Galatians 3:21–22:
> “For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
So, when the lyrics say, “The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature,” they are not despising the law. They are stating its God-ordained limitation. The law is a tutor to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24), not a savior.
### Chorus (Second Time):
“But God put into effect a different plan to save us.”
Romans 8:3:
> “…God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.”
Here we see the “different plan”:
1. God did what the law could not do.
2. He sent His own Son.
3. The Son came in the likeness of sinful flesh – truly human, yet without sin.
4. He came as an offering for sin – a sacrifice.
5. On the cross, God condemned sin in the flesh – not the sinner, but sin itself.
Notice the contrast:
The condemnation fell, not on the believer, but on sin in the flesh of Jesus. He became our substitute.
2 Corinthians 5:21:
> “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
This is the exchange:
Our sin – His righteousness.
Our guilt – His justification.
Our condemnation – His acceptance.
The “different plan” is not God lowering His standards. It is God fully satisfying His justice in the person of His Son, and then crediting that righteousness to us by faith.
Hebrews 10:14:
> “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
This is final, complete, sufficient. Nothing can be added to it by human works or religious effort.
### Outro:
“No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”
The song ends where Romans 8 begins. This is more than a refrain; it is a confession.
Revelation 12:11:
> “And they overcame him [satan, the accuser] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony…”
You overcome satan not only by what Christ has done, but by saying what Christ has done for you. When you declare, “No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,” you align your mouth with God’s verdict and silence the accuser.
Romans 8 ends with another great declaration:
> “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” (Romans 8:33–34 NASB)
The one who could condemn you—Jesus—is the one who died for you, rose for you, and now intercedes for you. Therefore, any voice of condemnation standing against you is a lying, illegal voice.
This truth must move from doctrine to experience. The Holy Spirit does not work with vague feelings. He works with the Word believed and confessed.
Here are four practical steps.
### 1. Renounce False Guilt and Receive God’s Verdict
First, we must distinguish between conviction and condemnation.
When you have repented and confessed your sin, God has forgiven and cleansed you (1 John 1:9). Any further sense of “you are still guilty, you are still condemned” is not from God.
You must explicitly renounce it:
“Lord, I renounce all false guilt and condemnation. I accept Your verdict from Romans 8:1: There is now no condemnation for me in Christ Jesus.”
### 2. Move from Self-Effort to the Law of the Spirit of Life
Second, we must stop trying to live the Christian life by our own effort under law. Many sincere believers live spiritually in Romans 7, even though doctrinally they affirm Romans 8.
Ask yourself:
If so, you are still living under a law-principle.
The remedy is not passivity, but yielding. Romans 8 emphasizes walking “according to the Spirit” (v. 4–5). This means:
You can say: “Holy Spirit, You are the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. I yield myself to You. Work in me to will and to do God’s good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
### 3. Renew Your Mind with the Word
Third, we must retrain our minds. Condemnation often persists because our thinking has been shaped by:
Romans 12:2 says:
> “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
You must deliberately feed on and confess Scriptures that declare your new status:
Write them down. Speak them aloud, especially when feelings of condemnation arise. Feeling must submit to truth, not truth to feeling.
### 4. Confront the Accuser with the Blood and the Word
Fourth, we must actively resist satan’s accusations. James 4:7:
> “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Resisting is not a silent, internal act. It involves:
When accusation comes—“You are still guilty, you are still under God’s displeasure”—answer it:
This is not psychology. It is spiritual warfare, using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, slowly and deliberately:
> I proclaim that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again for my justification.
> I am in Christ Jesus. I belong to Him.
> Therefore, there is now no condemnation for me.
> The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
> What the law could not do, God has done for me in Christ.
> God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as a sin offering.
> God has condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus, once for all.
> Therefore, sin has no legal claim over me.
> Satan has no legal ground to accuse me.
> I am justified, forgiven, cleansed, and accepted in the Beloved.
> I live not under the law of condemnation, but under the law of the Spirit of life.
> There is no condemnation for me, because I am in Christ Jesus.
### Prayer
Lord God,
I thank You for the clear and final verdict of Your Word: there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I confess that many times I have lived under guilt, fear, and self-condemnation. I renounce every lie of the enemy that says I am still rejected, still under judgment, still not forgiven.
Father, I choose to believe Your Word above my feelings and above the accusations of satan. I thank You that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. Holy Spirit, Spirit of life, take full control of my life. Work in me the life, purity, and obedience of Jesus.
Lord Jesus, I honor Your sacrifice. I declare that Your death was enough, Your blood is enough, Your righteousness is enough. By faith, I receive my place in You, free from condemnation, established in righteousness.
Let this truth penetrate my mind, my emotions, and my conscience. Make me a witness to others who are bound by guilt and fear, that they too may know the liberty of those who are in Christ Jesus.
I ask it in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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