This article is a summary from the following sermon: No Condemnation Now We Dread by Justin Perdue
Christ has kept his Father's every word. He obeyed the law perfectly. Every ounce of the Father's pleasure, Christ secured—and more. His righteous life is now ours. His merits now belong to us. We are children of God, adopted, loved, and known.
These are the kinds of truths Romans 8 so wonderfully proclaims. Known by many as “the Great Eight,” this chapter meets weary sinners with assurance, hope, and joy rooted not in themselves but in Christ alone. Romans 8 is a refuge for burdened souls because it declares with unflinching clarity: there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
The Comfort of a Clear Statement
Romans 8:1 opens with words that every Christian needs to hear and believe: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
This verse draws together the sweeping arguments of Romans chapters 5, 6, and 7. Paul has been proclaiming the assurance of our salvation through union with Christ. By faith, what belongs to Jesus belongs to us. His righteousness is counted as ours. His life is our life.
In chapter 6, Paul clarified that being united to Christ does not grant a license to sin. Far from it—our union with Jesus means we have died to sin and now walk in newness of life. In chapter 7, he explained that though believers are freed from the law as a covenant of works, the law itself remains good and holy, exposing our sin and pointing us to Christ.
Now in Romans 8, Paul draws the glorious conclusion: because we are in Christ, there is no condemnation remaining for us. None. The condemnation that once rested on us under the law has been completely removed.
It is important to notice that Paul moves from first-person singular in chapter 7 ("I do the very thing I hate...") to first-person plural here. This assurance is not only for apostles. It is not only for the spiritually elite. It is for all believers. It is for us.
For the Christian, the law can no longer threaten, accuse, or condemn. It has no claim over us. In Christ, we are safe.
Why There Is No Condemnation
Paul goes on to explain how this freedom from condemnation has come to be:
"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)
Here, "the law of the Spirit of life" is a reference to the gospel—the message of Christ crucified and risen. "The law of sin and death" points to the moral law seen as a covenant of works. Under that covenant, righteousness demands perfection, and any failure results in death.
Left to ourselves, we could never fulfill the righteous requirements of God's law. The problem is not with the law—it is holy, righteous, and good. The problem is with us. Sin has corrupted our nature so deeply that, in our flesh, true obedience is impossible.
But what the law could not do—justify sinners—God has done.
"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh..." (Romans 8:3)
The Father sent the Son, truly God and truly man, in the likeness of sinful flesh—fully human, yet without sin. Christ came not only to bear our punishment but to fulfill all righteousness on our behalf. In his life, he satisfied every demand of the law. In his death, he bore the full curse of the law against sin.
Everything that the law demanded—perfect obedience and full satisfaction of justice—was fulfilled by Christ. And now, by faith, all that he accomplished is credited to us.
Paul continues:
"...in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:4)
This fulfillment does not rest on our imperfect obedience, but on Christ’s perfect work. As John Calvin put it, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us because "the obedience of Christ is accepted for us."
The Christian life, then, is not a frantic effort to achieve what Christ has already secured. It is a life lived by faith—trusting, resting, and rejoicing in what Jesus has accomplished.
The Danger of Misusing Marks and Evidences
Throughout church history, Christians have recognized that the life of faith produces real fruit: love for God, hatred of sin, growth in holiness. These are good and necessary evidences. However, there is a great danger in misusing them.
Horatius Bonar warned that many sincere believers fall into the trap of seeking assurance not from Christ’s finished work, but from their own feelings, prayers, and spiritual attainments. They make peace with God contingent not on Christ, but on the state of their own hearts.
This is a cruel snare. It leaves believers forever questioning: Am I repentant enough? Is my faith sincere enough? Am I feeling the right things?
If our peace depends on the purity of our affections or the strength of our repentance, we will never have peace. As Bonar said, "the grace of Christ falls short of reaching the sinner as he is."
The gospel reaches us where we are—not where we ought to be. It calls us to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—not to behold ourselves and our religious feelings.
Christ Alone Is Our Peace
Peace and assurance are found not by looking inward, but by looking outward—to Christ. The same Christ who first called us to himself by sheer grace still bids us come. He is still sufficient. His righteousness is still enough. His blood still speaks a better word over us.
We are not Christians because of the quality of our faith, or the depth of our repentance, or the sincerity of our feelings. We are Christians because Christ is faithful. We are Christians because he lived, died, and rose again—and because we trust in him.
When we sin—and we will—we do not run from Christ. We run to him. When we see little fruit, or when our hearts feel cold, we do not stay away until we "fix ourselves." We come needy and broken to the throne of grace, again and again, because we know the One who welcomes us there.
He has secured our salvation. He has promised to keep us. He has assured us that there is no condemnation for those who are in him.
Final Word of Hope
The Christian life is often a war—a war within our own hearts. We groan, we stumble, we long for holiness we have not yet attained.
But even in the midst of the struggle, one thing remains unshaken: Christ. He is our righteousness. He is our peace. He is our hope.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Not because of our performance, not because of our feelings, not because of anything in us—but because of him.
He will not fail us. He will bring us safely home.
Until that day, we cling to him—and he holds us fast.
