Romans 8:1 AMPC
[1] THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.
'Therefore' is used to clarify or compare and contrast two ideas. When a sentence then starts with 'therefore', as is the case above, it is good to look at what has gone before. Paul took his time in the chapter before the one above to lay out the power, scope, effect and impact of the law and the old nature. All men born of women are subject to the power of the law and the old nature. It is what we were born into, and it is older and stronger than any of us. This is why it is a waste of time to seek to fight the old nature by tips or tricks that are supplied by the same old nature. No kingdom divided against itself will be able to stand. It is also a waste of time to pray that the old nature be allowed to function and co-exist at the same time and in the same place with the new nature that God wants to establish. Paul knew the futility of such a desire, as he had personally experienced the power and effect of both natures. Which nature is in charge of your life?
Having laid out the power of the old nature, Paul was also careful to lay out the awesome possibilities that were available in union with Christ. The old nature placed a demand on its subjects, but did not have the means or the enablement to encourage obedience. The old nature laid down the rules and regulations for those under it, and also applied prescribed punishment for disobedience, without fear or favour. As laid out in the law, the wages of sin is death, and that has been the case since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. However, that which the law could not do in me has been offered by Jesus Christ under a new arrangement, which is the law of grace, laid down by God, implemented in Christ, and now been sustained by the Holy Spirit. The law wanted me to fear and then obey God, but it could not compel me to love God, because of the limitation of the old nature. It is not a wonder that Jesus had to lay down a new way to God.
The secret to access all the benefits of this new life is to be IN Christ Jesus. Position makes room for possibilities. It is Presence that guarantees possession. I cannot be IN Christ and still be comfortable with the ways of the world. I cannot claim to be IN Christ and still be subject to the limits and guilt made possible under the law. Living IN Christ is not an abstract concept; there is an internal condition as well as an external expression. The One who lives IN me is able to help me live and walk in line with the dictates of the Spirit of God. There is no other help available, outside of the Spirit of God, by which a man is still able to please God. In Christ, the power and reach of sin is defeated, and all the condemnation that sin could bring is dead on arrival for all who are in Christ. If the price of sin has been fully paid for, what hold does sin have over me again? Please NOTE: do not just claim the benefits; make sure that you are IN Christ, where the benefits are yours for all of eternity. Are you IN Him? God's time of favour is here..
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