The Fourth of July is certainly a great date in the history of the United States of America. It is the day we commemorate the birth of our country, recalling our declaration of freedom from the British empire and remembering the many resulting freedoms enjoyed by citizens of the land. Though some freedoms were not originally extended to all (e.g., women) and no freedoms granted to many (slaves), the country has grown to be one of the freest nations in the history of the world.

One of the freedoms that Christians enjoy is the freedom to practice our faith freely without (so far) any significant persecution. In many communities there are at least as many churches as bars, a fact that is at once encouraging and discouraging. Our theologies are proclaimed proudly on T-shirts and bumper stickers (which brings to mind Nixon’s famous statement that television news is to journalism what bumper stickers are to philosophy).

The greatest freedoms for Christians, however, are not found in the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution, as wonderful as those documents might be. The greatest freedoms are found in a collection of documents and writings (which certainly influenced the Declaration and Consitution) that we call the Bible - the Holy Bible.

One of the many subthemes in the Book of Romans has to do with those freedoms: chapter 6 explains Christians’ freedom from sin (and our ensuing slavery to obedience) while chapter 7 demonstrates our freedom from the Law. As Christians, we are free from sin and the Law because of our position: we are in Christ, united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection.

Being “in Christ” is a doctrinal truth found throughout the New Testament and one that makes all aspects of our Christian experience possible, from salvation to sanctification to glorification. Our union with Christ makes possible our freedom from sin, as Paul argues in Rom 6:1-11; our union with His death also makes possible our participation in a new covenant, having been freed from the burden of keeping the Law (Rom 7:1-6).

There is another freedom taught in the Book of Romans, one of which we are surely aware but perhaps one that we have not reflected upon sufficiently. It is found in the opening verse of chapter 8:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1, NASB).

As many of you know, the order of the words in Greek was the means whereby the author proclaimed the emphasis or significance of a word and sentence. Lacking the laziness of our writing tools today, ancient authors didn’t employ underlines, italics, or boldface fonts (they did use capital letters - but everything was capitalized). Rom 8:1 begins not with “there” or “therefore” but with the vital little word “no.” If Paul had used Microsoft Word, the verse might have looked like this:

There is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Paul’s emphasis is on the word “no” and thereby strongly rules out the possibility of condemnation for the believer. What is the basis of that impossibility? It is found in the last three words of the verse: “in Christ Jesus.” As always, the removal of the Christian from any and all threats of condemnation is a result of union with Christ.

But how secure are we? Is it not conceivable, as most Christians believe, to somehow forfeit that protection and thus return to the place of being subject to condemnation? Can we be confident? The answer to these important questions - once again - is found in our union with Christ.

As Paul makes clear in his letter to the Ephesians, all believers - that is, everyone who has the Spirit of God and belongs to Him (Rom 8:9) - are sealed “in Him” by the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph 1:13). Our security is as strong as the seal of God; it is as strong as are the promises of God.

Because the believer is in Christ Jesus, it is as impossible for him or her to be condemned as it would be for Jesus Christ to be condemned. And we know that God has accepted Jesus Christ because He was resurrected from the dead, assuring not only His freedom from condemnation but freedom for all those who have trusted in Him for their salvation. Foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified: Paul uses the past tense for all those verbs because our freedom from condemnation is established by Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

The believer is as safe as Jesus Christ: free from sin, free from the Law, free from condemnation. There is no chance or possibility of condemnation for the believer because there is no situation or circumstance wherein Jesus Christ would be condemned by the Father. Whenever we have doubts, we need remember but two things: we are in Christ Jesus and we are as secure as He is.

Freedom from condemnation is one of Christians’ greatest freedoms, if not the greatest. “No condemnation is there, therefore, for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We are in the Son of God, the second member of the Trinity, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is. We are free.


2 Cor 1.13