Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 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, Rom 8:1-3

Paul spent the first several chapters of his letter to the Romans laying out a very clear picture of mankind’s sinfulness and depravity apart from God. But the tone of the letter takes a sharp turn in Chapter 8 from our hopeless condition without Christ to the amazing hope we have in Christ. To the believer in Christ Jesus, God gives this blessed promise – “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”! The fate of the unbeliever is death and eternal separation from God, while the promise to the believer is that we are not condemned – we will enjoy eternity with God.

The Old Testament law laid down a list of rules and commands that God expects us to follow. But the law itself cannot save us from condemnation; it merely points out that we cannot possibly keep God’s standard of perfection. Nor can we do anything to save ourselves. But by sending His Son as a sacrifice for our sins, God did what the law was powerless to do – He paid the price for our sins.

If you have not given your life over to Jesus and accepted His free gift of salvation, there is no better time to do so than right now. If you are already a Believer, rejoice in this wonderful promise of God. Spend some time reflecting on this verse. Does your life exhibit the hope and joy Paul is talking about?