Grace 3 - There is no condemnation ...

Friday, June 18, 2010. When I think about grace, some verse of the apostle Paul from the letter to the Romans comes to my mind. “There is no condemnation”. God has good thoughts about me and you. What ever you experience, his love and grace is with you. There is no condemnation …!

Condemnation means: I do not accept this. I do not accept you. Condemnation means: there is something wrong. Something wrong so deeply, that it needs to be put away. When we condemn something, we do not care any more. We put it aside. We let it go where ever it goes. It does not matter any more.

Letter to the Romans

The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome to clarify some basic things of faith in Jesus. He wanted to talk about wrong behavior and about the right behavior. He talks about sin and about life with God. And his words are mighty, catching deep insight into God and mankind.

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8, 1ff)

Are you fine with the different special terms used here: “sinful nature”, “law of the Spirit”, “sin offering”? Paul argues in the framework of the Jewish faith, the framework of the Old Testament. It is helpful to know this framework. We might also translate “sinful” by “separate from the love and justice of God”. “Sin offering” is a replacement for punishment. The “law” is the set of rules and commands given to the Jewish people in the books of Moses, pointing mankind to a life which is just and good.

Grace for me and for you

God has grace for me and for you. He says: you might be wrong in what you did or do, but I have given my son Jesus not to condemn you, but to be with you. I have given my son Jesus to justify you, he has received your punishment. He has taken unto him all what you have missed and what you have done wrong. Even if you lived without him, even if you ignored me completely in your life, even if you have made others suffer and even if you never cared about other people: here is my love and grace for you. I have made you clean, so clean as if you would wear white jeans and T-shirt, splendid white!

I would like to talk about this more … what does it mean today. How do I go through my day with the knowledge about God's grace. Will it change the way I think, the way I feel? It does! ... more texts