Guilty, but Set Free

Paul begins his long letter to the Romans with a lengthy indictment of humanity before God. In chapter 3 he quotes from Psalms 14 and 53, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; . . . there is no one who does good, not even one.” (3:10b-12). All of humanity stands guilty, guilty, guilty, fully deserving the death penalty. (6:23a).

Paul then unpacks God’s solution to the human dilemma: “God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful” (5:8). Because of who Christ is and what he did on our behalf, Paul can now boldly proclaim, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1). In the original Greek “no” is emphatic and carries the sense of “not any.” There is absolutely, unequivocally not one speck of divine condemnation for Christians. God has set us free! Not because we are innocent. We are not. We are guilty! But Jesus Christ took our death sentence upon himself, perfectly satisfying the justice of God.

Not only have we been set free from the death penalty, but the divine Judge goes so far as to adopt us into his family (v 15). When God sets us free, he actually takes us into his own family so that we can make our home with him, and he in us.

Respond in Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise and thank you for your indescribable mercy, for all that you are, and for all that you have done for me in Christ Jesus, granting me pardon from sins, and giving me a new spiritual home in Christ. I am yours and you are mine! Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Wayne Baxter