No Condemnation
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1
The Bible says that "the devils also believe, and tremble," but this is not faith (James 2:19). Where there is not only a belief in God's word, but a submission of the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is faith--faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed in the image of God. And the heart that in its unrenewed state is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, now delights in its holy precepts, exclaiming with the psalmist, "O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day" (Psalm 119:97). And the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, "who walk not after the flesh. but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).
There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. (Steps to Christ, 63)
Reflection: Think of a toddler learning to walk. If the toddler falls, we pick them up and they continue on towards their goal, which is to walk. When we are in Christ, our goal is to always walk with Christ. We may stumble, but when we do, Christ will pick us up and say, "Continue towards your goal, I'm right here." As we do this we will learn to not stumble.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1
The Bible says that "the devils also believe, and tremble," but this is not faith (James 2:19). Where there is not only a belief in God's word, but a submission of the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is faith--faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed in the image of God. And the heart that in its unrenewed state is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, now delights in its holy precepts, exclaiming with the psalmist, "O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day" (Psalm 119:97). And the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, "who walk not after the flesh. but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).
There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. (Steps to Christ, 63)
Reflection: Think of a toddler learning to walk. If the toddler falls, we pick them up and they continue on towards their goal, which is to walk. When we are in Christ, our goal is to always walk with Christ. We may stumble, but when we do, Christ will pick us up and say, "Continue towards your goal, I'm right here." As we do this we will learn to not stumble.
RSS Feed
