There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1
The above passage is how Romans chapter 8 begins, with one of the most important passages in the New Testament. It breathes life into many a sin-weary soul. I have been working through this chapter again as one of the longer chapters in Scripture that I have committed to memory. It takes some work keeping it fresh in the ol’ noggin, but it is always rewarding to work my way back through it.
C.H. Spurgeon called Romans 8 the “pinnacle of the highest peaks of the New Testament.” I agree with him. This chapter covers so much that is so important for us to know as Christ-followers. It encourages us from the start, reminding us that to be in Christ Jesus (one of the apostle Paul’s favorite descriptors of the believer) is to know no condemnation. Paul then weaves a picture of our fallen nature, reminding us that to be outside of Christ (in the flesh) is not just a neutral state in God’s eyes, but to be an enemy of God - one who cannot please God. This is the scary section in this incredible chapter. However, Paul quickly reminds the church in Rome (and by extension believers today) that we do not live our lives in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Although we will taste physical death, our spirits will continue to live on because we have been made righteous in Christ, making us sons of God and heirs of all that he owns (which, incidentally, is everything). We are then reminded that suffering in this world is both real and difficult but of no comparison to the glory that is to be revealed both in us and to us. Even the created order (the natural world) awaits the glorious day of our resurrection. Paul goes on to remind us of the Spirit’s interaction both in and through us, and of the assurance of both our past election and our future glorification. As Paul describes these realities, our hope continues to rise. Finally, he ends the chapter by reminding believers of God’s everlasting love for them, and of the assurance of our ultimate salvation.
In the midst of the roller coaster ride through Romans 8, Paul weaves a picture of the work of the Triune God in the salvation of sinners. We see God the Father electing, God the Son procuring or winning our salvation, and God the Holy Spirit applying that salvation to our lives and serving as our Helper and Counselor. Our salvation is a Triune salvation, firmly established before the foundation of the world by one God who reveals himself to us in three Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Way back in the 4th century, a catechism was developed known in Latin as the Quicumque Vult. It reminded the church of that day of the rock-solid foundation of the faith. It says this: “Whomsoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold to the catholic faith [catholic here denoting “universal”], which faith except one do keep whole and undefiled, he shall, without doubt, perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity, neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.” I typed that from memory because I think it is worth knowing without having to find it in a history book—it is that foundational to the faith. The church of Christ in the 4th century knew that the revelation which God gave us of his divine Tri-unity was essential, and foundational, to the faith. Paul, writing the letter to the Romans circa A.D. 57, knew it over two centuries before the catechism declared it to be true.
In Romans 8 Paul also makes it clear that those of us who are in Christ have been adopted into the family of God, a biblical principle that we will address on Sunday as we walk through Genesis 48. The Triune God, by his grace, has made sinners into saints and exiles into sons. It is a beautiful concept, and Romans chapter 8 is an equally beautiful deposit of truth. If you have ever thought about committing a larger portion of Scripture to memory, you can do no better than to begin that process here. You will be richly rewarded for your efforts!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym