Freedom.

       Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of The Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
                                      Romans 8:1-4 NASB

     The Apostle Paul has just finished describing the battle that one faces apart from Christ. The battle to be free from sin, to do the things that one knows are right, instead of the things that one knows are evil. All the good intentions in the world are not enough to overcome the selfish desires that are rooted in the heart of an individual who is striving in the flesh to please God. Paul raises the cry of anguish and despair, "Who will deliver me from this body of  death (Romans 7:24)?" 
      Indeed everyone reading this can relate to a time when they were made aware of their sinful state, and desired to be free, to be accepted by God, but found that their efforts were like those of the individual described by Paul in this seventh Chapter of Romans.
      Many Christians have begun in the Spirit, only to try to be perfected in the flesh (Galatians 3:3). This is just as futile, as Jesus states "Apart from Me You can do nothing" (John 15:5).  They find that the willing is present in them, but the doing is quite another thing (Romans 7:18).
       He now turns to the answer. Victory from the bondage to sin is found in Jesus Christ (Romans 7:25). All of the struggle with the sin nature, all of the guilt, all of the condemnation can be overcome in Christ.
     There is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). We are free from the condemnation of our conscience. We are freed from the law's pronouncement of GUILTY. We are set free from the penalty of spiritual death and eternal separation from God. And as we will see, we are freed from the power that sin holds over us.
     This verse is often quoted by individuals who are still living a lifestyle of sin. They are trying to feel good about themselves and still cling to their sinful habits. It is often used to silence well meaning Christians who are concerned about the souls of  fellow believers who have lapsed into sin. This however, is a refuge that will not stand on the day of Christ!
     This promise of no condemnation is for those who are in Christ. To be in Christ is quite a different thing from what many people believe it to be! It is also qualified by the statement " Those who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4). I like how this verse reads in the King James version. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Most of our modern translations do not translate it this way, but verse 4 still carries this idea.
     So what does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? It is a joining to Him by faith, a living faith that goes beyond head knowledge, to acting out our belief. It is a submission to His lordship of our lives. This is the surrender Jesus sets before all who would be His disciples (Matthew 10:37-39, Mark 8:34-35, Luke 14:33).
     To be found in Christ is to make Jesus your life (Colossians 3:3-4). It is not about us. Our lives are to revolve around Him. We are to make His kingdom and righteousness our highest priorities (Matthew 6:33). Paul was crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20, 6:14). This was in a spiritual sense meaning he was dead to everything but the life of Christ in him.
     Those who are in Christ understand the concept of the vine and branches in John 15. They lean upon Him for the grace to overcome in every situation. They bear fruit because they are united to Him with a faith that obeys as well as depends upon Him for strength. They understand that the life sap flows as long as they stay connected, but to be severed through disobedience, or self reliance is fatal (John 15:4-6). It is as natural as the metaphor Jesus uses to describe this union with Himself.
     The one found in Christ will be like Him (1John 4:16-17). The one who abides in Christ will keep His commandments(1 John 5:3). The one who abides in Christ will walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). This is a walk of love, a walk of obedience, and a walk of self sacrifice.
     The one found abiding in Christ will have the witness of the Spirit (1John 3:24, Romans 8:16). This inner witness of The Spirit bearing witness with our spirit, is sadly overlooked too often. Many individuals claim to be born again but are always filled with guilt and doubts. The witness of the Spirit is a vital biblical truth, an experience that is tangible. Those who have experienced it know it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
     There are many more things I could put down here, but these will suffice to make the point.
      The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
     The freedom to overcome sin is found when we are surrendered to Christ. When we have renounced sin and self, and put on Christ, then His power flows through us. God did for us what the law could never do. All the law could do was show us what God requires of us. It condemns us when we break it, but it cannot empower us to obey it. That is true of any law. It tells you what to do, but it does not enable you to do it. We may agree that it is good, we may obey some of it, or obey it some of the time, but as long as we are selfish individuals we will never give it the whole hearted obedience that is required of us.
     Christ came to earth as a man. While here he was tempted in every way we are, yet He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). His obedience to the law was perfect, making Him the only possible sacrifice for sin.  He broke the power of sin by His death on the cross (Hebrews 2:14-15) making it possible for us to live free from its power (Romans 6:6-7). 
     In Christ we have everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). It is up to us to walk in the power available to us. We must make an irrevocable decision to die to sin, and to live for Christ in righteousness (Romans 6:11,19). We must walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25). This means that we diligently obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He directs us by the Word of God, and guides us through our conscience. We must always remember that all we need to follow Christ will be abundantly supplied.
     Why not trust Him today?