No Condemnation - Romans 8:1

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

This is one of the most powerful and important verses in the entire New Testament. It is, first of all, a cornerstone of our security in Christ. Because of Christ's death and our trust in it, we know that we will never be condemned by God...ever! We are eternally secure. We will be accepted by God now and forever. But it is not just in the future when we literally stand before Him that we don't have to fear condemnation, it is "now" as Paul says.

A lot of Christians, even those who should know better, speak of God punishing them. Even pastors and theologians talk of such things. But this verse, I believe, rules that out. Going even deeper we can understand why God no longer punishes those who are in Christ.

Punishment is in the first place to satisfy the anger of the one offended. When someone is punished that person is hurt or penalized so that the offended part feels better. Now it is true that God was personally offended by our sin and rebellion. We were at one time His enemies (see Romans 5:10). But when Christ died on the cross for us He satisfied the Father's wrath (Rom. 5:9). This is what I John 2:2 is referring to when it says that "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." Christ's death satisfied the Father's anger so that we are now at  peace with God (Romans 5:1). He is not angry with us in any way, nor will He ever be if we are in Christ. God does discipline us, and sometimes very severely, but He does it not to punish us, but to correct us because we are His sons and daughters and He loves us too much to let us keep sinning (see Hebrews 12:5-7). But Christ's death is more than just a satisfaction in regard to God's anger. Christ also satisfied God's justice. Judicially-speaking we owed a spiritual debt that we could not pay, but Christ paid our debt so that the justice of God is satisfied and He can justly forgive us (see Colossians 2:14).

The bottom line is that there is nothing we can ever do in Christ to make God condemn us or punish us because Christ's death satisfied God the Father entirely and eternally. This is the foundation of our security in Christ. It is ultimately not about what we do or have done, it is about what Christ has done for us, and what He did on the cross is completely effective now and forever. Thank you, Lord Jesus!