1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word on this 5th Sunday in Lent is taken from Romans 8:1-11 and is entitled, “In Jesus, There is No Condemnation,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. As we move deeper into the season of Lent, the mood of the Church becomes more intense. In the Sundays closer to Holy Week, the Church begins to focus even more directly on the suffering and death of Jesus. The Gospel reading for today from John 11 shows the growing hatred toward Jesus. After the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the high priest Caiaphas declares, “It is better for you that one man should die for the people” (John 11:50), and from that moment the leaders begin plotting His death (John 11:53). They believe they are condemning Jesus, but in reality, Jesus is allowing Himself to be condemned for the sake of the world. That is why St. Paul writes the remarkable words in our Epistle lesson: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
3. Those words are striking because Scripture is also very clear about our true condition before God. Paul had already written earlier in Romans, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). In the chapter just before our text, he speaks honestly about the struggle with sin that every believer experiences: “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Romans 7:15, 18). Anyone who seeks to follow God knows that struggle. We know what God’s Law says, but we still fail. Like Paul we are forced to cry out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). If the verdict depended on us, the judgment would already be settled. We would stand guilty before God.
4. But, the Gospel brings wonderful news. Paul answers his own desperate question by saying, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). Because of Jesus, the verdict changes completely. That is why Paul begins the next chapter with those comforting words: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The reason for this is that Jesus came to be our substitute. God sent His Son “in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin” (Romans 8:3). Though Jesus Himself was without sin, He placed Himself under the Law and took our place as the one who would bear the punishment for our sin. Throughout the Old Testament, God prepared His people to understand this through sacrifices. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). The sacrifices of lambs pointed forward to the perfect sacrifice to come. That is why John the Baptist declared when he saw Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
5. Jesus truly became that sacrificial Lamb. The apostle Peter writes that we were ransomed “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19). On the cross Jesus carried the condemnation that rightly belonged to us. A vivid picture of this substitution appears when Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate alongside the criminal Barabbas. Barabbas was guilty of rebellion and murder (Matthew 27:16). But the crowd cried out, “Let him go!” and demanded that Jesus be crucified instead (Mark 15:15). Barabbas walked free while Jesus went to the cross. In many ways that moment represents what Christ has done for all sinners. He took the place of the guilty so that they might go free.
6. This gift becomes ours through our union with Christ. Paul explains earlier in Romans that “all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death… in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–4). Through Holy Baptism and faith, we are joined to Christ. His death counts as our death to sin, and His resurrection promises our own resurrection. Because we are united with Him, the verdict over our lives changes completely. As Paul says, “The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
7. Christ not only forgives our sins but also gives us the Holy Spirit, who creates new life within us. Paul contrasts life according to the flesh with life according to the Spirit. Apart from Christ we live according to the flesh, driven by sinful desires and unable to please God. But through Christ and the Spirit our lives are changed. Paul writes that God sent His Son so “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 8:4). Living by the Spirit means living with the confidence of resurrection. Paul assures us, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11).
8. Life by the Spirit also means that we are children of God. Paul says, “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God… you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:14–15). Through Christ we can approach God as our loving Father. Even though we still experience suffering in this world, we look forward with hope to the glory that is to come. As Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). And maybe most comforting of all, Paul reminds us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).
9. Jesus once told the Parable of the Prodigal Son that beautifully illustrates this grace. A son squandered his father’s inheritance in reckless living and returned home expecting judgment. Instead, his father ran to meet him, embraced him, and restored him to the family (Luke 15:20–24). The son knew he did not deserve such mercy, but that is exactly how grace works. In the same way, through Christ we are welcomed back into the Father’s house. Because Jesus was condemned in our place, we now hear the joyful promise: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
10. As we continue through Lent and approach Holy Week, we remember what it cost for those words to be spoken. Jesus willingly took our place under condemnation so that we might live in freedom. The cross that should have been ours became His. And because of Him, the verdict over our lives has already been declared: forgiven, redeemed, and children of God. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment