He Breaks the Power of Cancelled Sin

Romans 8:1-2 describe two precious blessings that come to us in Christ. In Christ there is no condemnation. This blessing deals with our objective freedom from the penalty of sin. And in Christ, we are set free from the law of sin. This blessing deals with our subjective freedom from the rule or tyranny of sin. Both come to us by virtue of being united with (i.e., in) Christ. But how do they relate to one another?

The connection in the text is the word “For,” at the beginning of verse 2. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For (or, in everyday language, “because”)the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."

There are two possible meanings for this word “for”. Consider an analogy. If I say, “I am hungry, for I did not eat breakfast this morning,” the word “for” is indicating the cause or reason for my hunger. I am hungry, because (the reason for my hunger is that…) I did not eat breakfast this morning.

But there is another way the word “for” can be used: “I am hungry, for my stomach is grumbling.” Here, what comes after the word “for” is not the cause or reason for my hunger, but the evidence that I am hungry. I am hungry, because (the evidence that I know I’m hungry is that…) my stomach is growling.

Let’s apply these two possibilities to Romans 8:1-2. ‘In Christ I am not condemned, for (the cause or reason that I am not condemned is that…) in Christ the Spirit has freed from the rule of sin and I am experiencing this freedom in my life.’ Or, ‘In Christ, I am not condemned, for (the evidence that I know I’m not condemned is that…) in Christ the Spirit has freed me from the rule of sin and I am experiencing this freedom in my life.’ Is this freedom from the power of sin the cause of my receiving the verdict of no condemnation (option #1), or is the evidence of my receiving the verdict (option #2)?

This is not a trivial difference. Suppose that you are on trial in a courtroom for a capital offense. Your life hangs in the balance. A guilty verdict will mean death, and a not-guilty verdict will mean freedom and life. And suppose the judge says to you: "There are two ways we can deal with this. I can acquit you right now, decisively and irrevocably, and release you so that you can go and live a free and joyful and loving life that shows you really are not a rebellious, crime-loving law breaker, though you have been. Or I can postpone the trial and the verdict for several years and assign you a parole officer to watch you all that time, and let you go out and prove yourself to the court by your life, and then have the trial after that, and base the verdict on whether your behavior was satisfactory or not."

That is what is at stake in our understanding of the word “for” connecting verses 1-2 of Romans 8. Is the Christian life one of anxious toil, constantly hoping and wondering whether we’ve experienced enough triumph over sin in order to secure a righteous standing in God’s sight? Or does our acquittal come first, and then ground and empower a transformed life of love as a response to His verdict?

For an answer, let’s consider the next two verses of Romans 8, as well as a statement from chapter 7:

"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:3-4).

"But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code" (Romans 7:6).

Romans 8:3-4 tell us that God condemned our sin in Jesus’ flesh, in order that we might experience a transformation by the Spirit enabling us to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. So our justification (no condemnation) precedes and empowers our new Spirit walk bringing about obedience to God’s commands.

That is what Romans 7:6 says as well. We are released from the law by being united with Jesus in His death for sin, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit. Again, our objective release from the law seems to precede and empower our serving in the new way of the Spirit.

So Romans 8:1-2 seem to be teaching that our subjective freedom from the law of sin is the evidence that we have truly been justified. Triumphing over sin experientially is not the way we get in Christ, but it is the way we show that we are really in Christ. As John Piper has said, "If you are not at odds with sin, you are not at home with Jesus, not because being at odds with sin makes you at home with Jesus, but because being at home with Jesus makes you at odds with sin."

Or as the great hymn (O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing) puts it, “He breaks the power of canceled sin.” There would be no singing, and no comfort, if the words read, “He cancels the guilt of conquered sin.” Our salvation would be dependent on our own efforts to subdue sin. But praise God, in Christ, we receive the verdict before our performance. We are objectively free from sin’s penalty, so that we can experience subjective freedom from sin’s tyranny.

In Christ, today, you are out of the courtroom. The verdict is in: ‘No condemnation!’ Enjoy His blood-bought pardon and power today.