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Romans 8:1
No Condemnation
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
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Why it is worth knowing
- “Therefore” points back to the entire argument of Romans 1-7: justification by faith
- “No condemnation” is absolute, not “less condemnation” or “mostly no condemnation”
- “Now”: this verdict is present tense, not future
- “In Christ Jesus”: the location of safety is union with Christ
Where it sits: Romans 8:1-4
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's Romans page.
Background
Romans 8 is often called the “mountain peak” of the New Testament. After the struggle and failure described in chapter 7, Paul opens chapter 8 with a verdict that can never be overturned: no condemnation. The Greek is emphatic: the negation is absolute. Those who are “in Christ Jesus” are not merely forgiven but declared righteous. The condemnation that our sin deserved fell on Christ at the cross. This verse is the foundation of Christian assurance, not based on our performance but on our position in Christ.