Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2 (NIV, 1978)
There are many situations throughout the Bible that could be described in modern terminology as “mic-drop” moments. For example, when the three young Hebrew men were about to be thrown into the fiery furnace, they spoke as one in declaring that it did not matter if God rescued them from the flames or not, they were not going to betray their God and bow to an idol. All King Nebuchadnezzar could do was throw a tantrum and, much to his amazement, witness the miraculous salvation of God!
There are similar occasions that might be called “pen-drop” moments when the writer declares a truth so profound that the reader is forced to read it again . . . and again. Perhaps the greatest of these moments is found at the beginning of the most theologically rich chapter in all the Bible. Paul declares at the beginning of Romans 8 that there remains “no condemnation” for believers in Jesus Christ. He spends the next 38 verses elaborating on just how all-encompassing the love and grace of God is toward those who love Him.
Verse 1 is a picture of extremes. Where once there was condemnation and hopelessness due to our sin, there is now freedom to enjoy forever the presence of the Holy Spirit as one of His own. How is such an extreme reversal of condition possible? Certainly by no effort of our own! God looks upon the hearts of all who have trusted in the cross Jesus and His empty tomb and declares us holy—just as if we had never sinned. A Holy God who Himself provides the means of forgiveness and redemption for those lost in condemnation—that’s a bit extreme. But that’s our God!
