1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
to those who are in Christ Jesus,
God Himself forever identifies believers as “in Christ Jesus.” Union with Christ means believers already died and rose in Him (chapter six). Neither sin nor death has dominion over Christians any longer (Ro 6:14).
God’s unadulterated grace is the reason there is no condemnation for believers. Believers have immunity from condemnation because of their status in Christ; it is their permanent position. This is the argument of the entirety of chapter eight. Christians hold eternal security before God. They will never under any circumstance land in hell. Nothing can “separate them from the love of God” (Ro 8:38,39).
As non-believers are “in Adam,” so Christians are “in Christ.” The federal head of non-Christians is Adam; the federal head of Christians is Christ (Ro 5:12ff). There is a union that takes place at salvation, a union with a new family, the family of being in Christ.
Those “in Christ” are not under the law or under the curse of the law. God views all Christians as exclusively in Christ with no vulnerability to any law or standard someone might try to impose on them. Those not “in Christ” are under the curse of the law. On the other hand, Christians are one with Him who fulfilled the law in every respect. Our sins are no longer ours; our consciences are free from the responsibility of paying for them. We are no longer unprotected to the curse of the law.
Although believers belong to the two spheres of being in Adam and being in Christ, it is the belongingness to Christ that is decisive. This is why Paul shifted from commands to what we already have in Christ to what Christ has already accomplished. The major difference is whether we are in Christ. Our identity with Him is our assurance that He will acquit us of all wrong.
PRINCIPLE:
God will never condemn a Christian, because he or she is “in Christ.”
APPLICATION:
God never condemns a Christian, because he is “in Christ.” This means that he holds the same status that Jesus holds in the eyes of God. Jesus has eternal life, so the Christian has eternal, not temporal, life. The eternal security of the believer rests on his status with Christ.
God cannot find fault in the righteous position of those in Christ. Current awareness of this fact is a mighty force for spiritual living.
How different is this from the Hyper grace that is being preached today. They take this verse and live in sin stating that the Grace of God covers all sins they are living in.
Cherian the difference between this and hyper grace is that a true Christian is always humbled by what Christ has done and the only way they can show appreciation is by Holy Living. If you claim to be a Christan yet lives in sin because of grace you have no understanding of grace and no respect to God. Who treats a Holy God by living in casual sins.
That is why we must make an effort to change from our old ways, living in sin, to trying to live a Holy life in order to show appreciation and respect for Christ paying the ultimate sacrifice. This goes hand in hand with John 14:21-24 which states in part “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
Richard, if you go to my study in chapter six. Verse one and following make your point. If God provides such wonderful grace (chapter 5), why not sin that grace might abound? Ro 6:1 responds “God forbid” and gives the reasons you indicate not to continue in sin.