ROMANS 8:1 AMP
Therefore there is now NO CONDEMNATION (KATAKRIMA)
[no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior].
ROMANS 8:1 EASY
Now we know this: God has forgiven those people who are united with Christ Jesus.
God will never say that they are guilty.
“KATAKRIMA” is a unique word in the Greek New Testament (occurring three times and only in the Book of Romans – 5:16, 5:18 and 8:1) which Paul used in explaining crucial aspects of the Gospel message.
G2631 condemnation
Original: κατάκριμα
Transliteration: KATAKRIMA
Phonetic: kat-ak'-ree-mah
damnatory sentence,
Strong's Definition: From G2632; an adverse sentence (the verdict):- condemnation.
Traditionally translated as “condemnation,” -
“KATAKRIMA ” is better understood in its fuller denotation of -
- “SENTENCE of CONDEMNATION”, or
- “PUNISHMENT following a JUDICIAL SENTENCE”.
It is an “adverse sentence or verdict” from a COURTROOM.
In other words, the Greek Katakrima is more limited in meaning than our English equivalent.
“KATAKRIMA ” is used fundamentally of a finding of a COURT against a DEFENDANT.
It’s the prerogative of a JUDGE, NOT of subjective emotions, people, or even of the Devil.
Misunderstanding this crucial fact will cause – indeed, has caused – serious damage to many a Believer’s walk and relationship with God.
This Gospel phenomenon, (that CONDEMNATION is GOD’S SOLE PREROGATIVE,
- along with HIS DECISION to withhold it from the Believer),
- does not and cannot make sense to the Natural, unregenerated mind.
That’s why Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no CONDEMNATION (katakrima) to them who are in Christ Jesus" -
and John 8:11 "Neither do I condemn (katakrino) you: go, and sin no more",
have suffered some of the most sustained tampering throughout the centuries of manuscript copying.
“Who is he that condemns?
It is Christ that died,” – Romans 8:34.
As the famed Greek scholar A.T. Robertson wrote in his “Word Pictures” Bible Commentary,
- “The fire has burned on and around the Cross of Christ.
There and there alone is safety.
Those in Christ Jesus can lead the consecrated, the crucified,
the baptized life.”
The negation “no” (oudeis) is a much stronger negation than other simple words commonly translated “no” in Greek (e.g., mē or ou).
Oudeis is actually an emphatic term that indicates the TOTALITY of the NEGATION.
Paul uses it again in Romans 14:7, “For none [oudeis] of us lives for himself, and none [oudeis] dies for himself.”
The idea is that there is absolutely “NOT ANY” condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
“Condemnation” is the Greek word katakrima (#2631 κατάκριμα), and in this context, it refers to both -
the PRONOUNCEMENT of GUILT
- and also ultimately the INFLICTION of PUNISHMENT.
Thus, in a legal setting, as here in Romans, KATAKRIMA refers to both the GUILT of the OFFENDER and the RETRIBUTION the offender DESERVES and will RECEIVE for the offense.
The word katakrima only occurs three times in the New Testament: Romans 5:16, 18, and in Romans 8:1.
The use of katakrima in Romans 5:16 and 5:18 reveals its meaning in Romans 8:1.
ROMANS 5:12 TPT
When Adam sinned, the entire world was affected.
Sin entered human experience, and death was the result.
And so death followed this sin, casting its shadow over all humanity, because ALL HAVE SINNED.
ROMANS 5:13 TPT
Sin was in the world before Moses gave the written law,
but it was not charged against them where no law existed.
Law - All the things that we are not supposed to do
ROMANS 5:14 TPT
Yet death reigned as king from Adam to Moses even though
they hadn’t broken a command the way Adam had.
The first man, Adam, was a picture of the Messiah, who was to come.
ROMANS 5:15 AMP
But the free gift [of God] is not like the trespass
[because the gift of grace overwhelms the fall of man].
For if many died by one man’s trespass [Adam’s sin], much more [abundantly] did God’s grace and the gift [that comes] by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to [benefit] the many.
ROMANS 5:16 TPT
And this free-flowing gift imparts to us MUCH MORE than what was given to us through the one who sinned.
For because of one transgression, we are all facing a DEATH SENTENCE/ CONDEMNATION (KATAKRIMA)
with a VERDICT of “GUILTY!”
But this gracious gift leaves us FREE from our many failures and brings us into the PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD —acquitted with the words “NOT GUILTY!”
ROMANS 5:17 NLT
For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many.
But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus took our place to die for us
This free gift is overwhelming
ROMANS 5:18 NLT
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings CONDEMNATION (KATAKRIMA)
for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings
a right RELATIONSHIP (PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS) with God and NEW LIFE for everyone.
- For I do not understand my own actions.
- For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…
- For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
- For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing …
- Wretched man that I am!
- Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
- So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:15, 18-19, 24-25)
Everyone who is born again will have the desire to follow Christ
Anyone who has seriously followed Christ has known something of wanting to obey Christ, but feeling frustrated, and feeling like a failure.
We want to do good, but we end up doing the very thing we did’t want to do.
We want to please God, but the power to do so is out of our grasp.
Given this struggle, Paul says two things.
First, he says the answer to this dilemma is Jesus.
“Wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
(Romans 7:24-25)
When we come to the end of ourselves, and realize our
need of Christ, we are in a very good position indeed.
We’re exactly where we need to be.
Notice WHAT Paul DOESN’T SAY.
He doesn’t say, “Wretched man that I am!
What must I do?”
He says, “Wretched man that I am!
WHO will DELIVER ME?”
The answer has to come from OUTSIDE of OURSELVES,
and that answer is JESUS.
If you feel like you don’t measure up, then the answer ISN’T to try harder.
The answer is to look OUTSIDE of YOURSELF to JESUS and all that HE brings us.
But Paul also says a second thing.
In Romans 8:2 “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION (KATAKRIMA)
for THOSE who are IN Christ JESUS.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).
What can God do for sinners like us, fighting but too often failing?
He removes all condemnation.
Is God disappointed in you because you struggle?
No.
He has provided a Savior, and he has removed all condemnation.
What does it mean?
On what basis?
And what difference does this make?
First: What does it mean?
It’s important to understand what Paul means, because this is one of the most important truths of the Christian faith.
To really understand this, we have to understand the WHAT, WHO, and WHEN.
What?
It’s a legal term.
Paul doesn’t only mean that we aren’t condemned.
It’s stronger than that.
It means that we are COMPLETELY FREE from ANY DEBT or PENALTY.
Not only are we not under condemnation, but it doesn’t even exist anymore.
It is gone forever and cannot exist for us.
No charge against us can stand; no one can condemn us.
Now, it’s not because we don’t deserve to be condemned.
Paul has just built a case that we’re all guilty before a holy God.
There’s not one person — religious or not — who escapes.
Nobody measures up to God’s standard.
Nobody can stand before God boldly with our record exposed. We’re all in big trouble on our own, and should be concerned with God’s condemnation — except that Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Here’s what it means: “If you are in Christ Jesus,
there is no valid reason why you should ever again experience
fear or apprehension about your relationship with God or your eternal destiny” (Sam Storms).
This is amazing!
As the hymn says:
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine…
That’s the what.
You deserve condemnation, but that condemnation doesn’t even exist for you anymore.
It’s gone.
Who — Who does it apply to?
Paul does not say Christians are free from condemnation because they are sinless, but because they are IN CHRIST.
This is not for everyone; it is for sinners who are IN JESUS CHRIST.
WHEN we are IN Christ Jesus, everything changes.
To be in Christ means that we are in an actual relationship with Jesus Christ in which all the benefits of his life and obedience are ours, because we’re united with him.
Paul says that once we are united in Christ, in this relationship with him, then there is no longer any condemnation for us.
It’s gone, and it can never come back.
When —
And here’s the when.
It’s present tense.
It’s not later when we get our act together.
It’s right NOW in the middle of the struggle.
Not when we get older.
Not when we get more mature.
Not when we overcome all sinful habits.
Not when we get past being hurt by others.
Not when all our bills are paid. Not when we get a new job.
Not when we learn more of the Bible.
Not when people start treating us nicely and with respect.
Not when we get the praise and public adulation we think we deserve.
Not when our enemies stop persecuting us.
Not when the wrongs against us have been put right.
Not when we’ve been vindicated.
Not when we stop making fools of ourselves in public.
NOW!
(Sam Storms)
Dr. Marytn Lloyd-Jones said, “If you have got hold of this idea
you will have discovered the most glorious truth you will ever
know in your life.”
In fact, he says, “Most of our troubles are due to our FAILURE to REALIZE the TRUTH of this verse.”
The problem for a lot of us is that We ASSUME that our STANDING with GOD is based on our PERFORMANCE.
We assume our standing with God is based on our performance
To put it in theological terms, we base our justification
(our standing before God) on our sanctification (our growth in holiness).
This puts us in a precarious position.
Lloyd-Jones describes what it looks like if we don’t get this truth:
They seem to think of the Christian as a man who, if he confesses his sin and asks for forgiveness, is forgiven.
At that moment he is not under condemnation.
But then if he should sin again he is back once more under condemnation.
Then he repents and confesses his sin again, and asks for pardon, and he is cleansed once more.
So to them the Christian is a man who is constantly passing from one state to the other; back and forth; condemned, not condemned.
Now that, according to the Apostle, is a wholly mistaken notion, and a complete failure to understand the POSITION.
The Christian is a man who can NEVER be condemned;
he can never come into a state of condemnation again.
‘No condemnation!’
The great news is that we can be FREED from the feeling that God is disappointed with us.
There is no condemnation.
What matters is not how much you can accomplish for God, but HOW MUCH GOD LOVES you IN JESUS CHRIST, and that is secure.
Don’t be surprised when you struggle.
But in the middle of that, don’t doubt God’s love for you.
There was a Posting in Facebook: “List of things that can separate you from God’s love:” and then nothing.
The list is empty.
If you are in Christ, you are secure.
There is no condemnation.
It doesn’t even exist anymore.
You are secure.
This means we don’t have to PROVE ourselves.
We don’t have to be SENSITIVE to CRITICISM.
We don’t need to lack confidence and joy in our prayer and worship.
Many people all the time who don’t feel good enough,
that they don't measure up.
The truth is that we don’t measure up, but we don’t have to feel condemned.
Because the objective reality is that there is no condemnation,
we can make that our subjective reality as well.
Nobody says this better than Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:
Would you like to be rid of this spiritual depression?
The first thing you have to do is to say farewell now once and forever to your past . . . .
Never look back at your sins again.
Say, “It is finished, it is covered by the blood of Christ.”
That is your first step.
Take that and finish with yourself and all this talk about goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is only then that true happiness and joy are possible for you.
What you need is NOT to make resolutions and to live a better life.... No!
You just begin to say, “I rest my faith on him alone, who died for my transgressions to atone. (Lloyd-Jones)
Here’s a test for if you get this passage.
Matt Chandler says:
The litmus test of whether or not you understand the gospel is what you do when you fail.
Do you run from God and go try to clean yourself up a bit before you come back into the throne room, or do you approach the throne of grace with confidence?
If you don’t approach the throne of grace with confidence,
you don’t understand the gospel.
You are most offensive to God when you come to him with all of your efforts, when you’re still trying to earn what’s freely given.
As Ray Ortlund says, if you are in Christ, you are a righteous sinner.
It’s not an either/or, it’s a both/and.
Even as you struggle, there is no condemnation.
Let this truth sink deep into your soul.
Finally: This truth frees us to serve.
We’re not just set free from condemnation.
We’re set free to serve.
It’s not just freedom from condemnation; it’s also freedom to live in a new way.
We’ve been set free, and it’s a glorious freedom.
You may think that this truth may cause us to sin more.
If there’s no condemnation, then why not do whatever you want?
It’s actually the opposite.
Sam Storms points out that nothing paralyzes us like guilt and shame.
If you want a recipe for living in bondage, that’s it right there.
This passage sets us free from all of that.
It helps raise us beyond self-help.
It’s a much better way than formulas or willpower.
Storms says: “When you feel beautiful before God, you feel powerful before sin.”
If you want to be set free from sin, lean into the truth of this verse.
See HOW GOD SEES YOU IN CHRIST.
Grasp what HE’S DONE FOR YOU, and you’ll experience freedom.
The Apostle is not talking about his experience, but about his POSITION, his STANDING, his STATUS;
- he is in a position in which, being justified, he can NEVER again come under condemnation.
That is the meaning of this word ‘NO’.
It means ‘NEVER’.
ROMANS 3:21-23 AMP
But now the righteousness of God has been clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the] Prophets.
This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son].
There is no distinction, since ALL HAVE SINNED and continually fall short of the glory of God,
ROMANS 3:24-25 AMP
and are being justified [declared FREE of the GUILT of SIN, -
made ACCEPTABLE to GOD, and granted eternal life] as a GIFT by His [precious, UNDESERVED] GRACE,
- through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by HIS BLOOD [to be received] through FAITH.
This was to demonstrate HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion].
ROMANS 8:33 TPT
Who then would dare to accuse those whom God has chosen in love to be his?
GOD HIMSELF is THE JUDGE who has issued his FINAL VERDICT over them—“NOT GUILTY!”
ROMANS 8:34 TPT
Who then is left to condemn us?
Certainly not Jesus, the Anointed One!
For he gave his life for us, and even more than that, he has conquered death and is now risen, exalted, and enthroned by God at his right hand.
So how could he possibly condemn us since he is continually praying for our triumph?
You don’t have to be perfect.
Jesus was perfect for you.
If you are in Christ, there is no condemnation, even though you continue to struggle.
This is a truth that can change your life as you grasp it.
PERSONALISE it.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for ____ who is IN CHRIST! ”
(Fill in your name and live in light of this reality.)