¹ Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Universalism is the teaching that God will save everyone from condemnation. This is wrong on numerous fronts. First, it is only those who are “in Christ Jesus.” Those who are still living under the Law of Moses are still living under its condemnation. Those who are living in the moral judgment that others are sinners, but not they themselves, are under condemnation by their own moral failings. Those who live in any religious system that teaches a merit-based approach to God are under condemnation.

But those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer condemned. Quoting Psalm 32:2, Paul writes, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account” (Rom 4:8). That is the man who acknowledges his absolute sinfulness and does not excuse himself or minimize the magnitude of his sinfulness, but casts himself on God and His grace. He is not condemned.

It has nothing to do with what we have done or merited, but with what Jesus has done. Biblical Christianity is focused on Christ’s work, not on our work. His effort, not mine. Earlier Paul had said, “… the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound[s] to the many … through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. (5:15, 19).

So, it is only those who believe “in Christ Jesus” who have been saved from the condemnation that all deserve. Christians like to refer to themselves as saved, which is true. We tend to think of salvation as our rescue from hell. Interestingly, “hell” or “hades” are never mentioned in the book of Romans. That is because our salvation is not primarily from hell, but from the condemnation of God. Hell, which we believe really exists, is the ultimate expression of God’s condemnation and penalty for our sin, but the real issue is our relationship with God. As believers in Christ, we are spared from what we deserve, condemnation.

For Christians, the “no condemnation” speaks directly to the struggle we have with sin, as Paul laid out in the previous chapter (7:14-25). We do not need to live the life of a “[w]retched man that I am,” as Paul put it. We need to remember, rest in and be grateful for the truth that, despite the struggles of the flesh, we are no longer condemned. Let that sink in. As Christians we will sin; that is a given. But we are not condemned for it. That is a greater given. That is what keeps us moving ahead in our spiritual walk with the Lord. We are still in Christ, and that does not change, no matter the sin we fall into.

Lord, while You say I am blessed for being forgiven, I want to bless You for being the One who forgives me.