Romans 8
Life Through the Spirit
1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2. because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4. in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7. the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14. because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Sometimes the one who condemns us the most is ourselves. The law that has been laid down in our hearts (good or bad) by our upbringing and experiences plays a huge part in how we view and accept our own behaviors. In this case the “law” is what condemns us, and makes our lives intolerable.
Through the recovery process we begin to realize that God has a better plan. A plan that is full of grace and truth. The truth is that if a picture is crooked in your living room, you aren’t really bad and condemned. To the obsessive-compulsive person, this is intolerable. The “law” in his heart condemns such things, and he must set it straight. His life is unbearable until he can change this flaw.
The laws that live in our hearts and govern our view of ourselves and the world around us is what can make our lives unbearable and drive us to the behavior that we really want to be rid of in our lives. Jesus’ passion for us made it possible for us to experience NO CONDEMNATION! He has paid the price so we no longer have to. Accepting this gift, and internalizing it toward our feelings of self-condemnation is a broad step toward recovery.
Are you still condemning yourself?
Have you accepted God’s gift of freedom from condemnation?
Can you still hear the voices from your childhood that tries to condemn you?