Romans 8:1 - Who Are You...? (Episode 91) - Part 1 of the Romans 8 Podcast Series (Don’t declare yourself guilty when the Messiah, the very Son of God, says you are not guilty!)

Well hey, hello there everyone. Welcome to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show - where we focus on changing the way we live our lives as a result of knowing and believing God’s promises. 

TBNES is part of the Spark Network, now playing in the Edifi app. This is episode 91.

 

It’s January of 2022 as I record this & I am starting a series here on the podcast. Romans 8 is an incredible, absolutely incredible chapter of the Bible. It’s been said of Romans 8 that if all we had was this one chapter of the Bible, we would understand salvation and sanctification and Jesus’ sacrifice and how to live as Christ followers. And that’s not a bad way to describe Romans 8. So for the next several episodes, we will be looking at the promises found in this chapter. 

 

I’m pretty excited about this  - I mean, I guess I do always get excited when I dive into the Word of God, so that’s not new at all, but this chapter has so much promise, it just needed a series of podcast episodes so that we can really dig in to those promises. Because who are God’s promises for? The people of God. For His children. 

Now everyone is part of His creation, for sure that is a fact Jack. But only those who have made Jesus their personal Lord, personal savior, to those He has given the right to be called the children of God. (John 1:12). The promises here are for His children. And trust me, if you don’t know Jesus personally just yet, He really wants you to take that step and follow Him, to turn from your old life, old sinful ways (and the ground is level at the foot of the Cross, so there is not one person who does not have sinful ways… this is something everyone who comes to Jesus, who responds to Him when He is calling, has to deal with. Acknowledge your sinfulness, accept His payment for all your sins, all your sinfulness, in full on the Cross, and then live with Jesus as Lord of your life.) 

If you are in Christ, you are one of His disciples, you are a child of God, then the promises here in Romans 8 are yours. Because as the Apostle Paul wrote, all God’s promises are yes and amen through Jesus Christ our Lord. Don’t doubt that this is true. It is true, because it says so in the bible - 2 Corinthians 1:20. 

 

Well, let’s start at the very beginning, because it’s a very good place to start (referencing Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music there…) 

 

Romans 8 verse 1, from the Amplified.

Therefore there is now no condemnation (no guilty verdict, no punishment) for those who are in Christ Jesus (who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior).

 

Alright, well I’m thinking you probably already totally understand why I am so excited about this series in Romans. I mean, this is just verse one! And the promise it holds for us, and make no mistake it is for us, here and now, this promise is massive. No condemnation. No guilty verdict. No punishment. 

There is no God but the One True God who makes and keeps such a promise! 

 

Okay, the first word in this verse is “therefore”. So something came just prior that led to this statement. And the book of Romans is a letter Paul wrote to the Christian church in Rome, just an FYI there. As a letter, it didn’t originally have chapter and verse divisions, right? So we can hop back to chapter 7 and read a couple of verses to get a reference point that makes the word “therefore” much more clear. 

 

Romans 7:24-25 CSB - What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

 

I feel that! The struggle is so very real, is it not? 

But then, chapter 8. 

 

Paul states the issue, who is gonna rescue me from this body of death? From my own wretchedness? 

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Therefore, because of Jesus, there is now no condemnation. 

 

Beautiful! 

Romans 8:1 in the CSB says: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. 

Says basically the same thing, but there is that extra punch in the Amplified Bible. No guilty verdict, no punishment. 

 

This is final! Jesus paid it all. That’s not simply part of a worship song we sing on Sunday mornings. It’s an absolute fact! And it’s good news! Jesus paid it all - Romans 8:1 is final. You can’t put a comma where God places a period. Don’t add an addendum, don’t go trying to amend God’s work. Jesus finished this work at Calvary. It is finished, He said. (John 19:30)

 

We are the clay, God is the potter and we don’t get to add or subtract to or from His work. No no no. No condemnation. No guilty verdict. No punishment. So long as we are in Christ Jesus. 

Nothing gets past the King of kings, the Lord of lords. If you are in Christ, then this promise is your promise and it can’t not be your promise. No thing is sneaking past Him. You know that, I know you do. But do you live like maybe some of your stuff, your issues, you junk, the garbage snuck by Him? It didn’t, my friend. It’s actually not possible. What can sneak past the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords? Again, don’t try putting a comma where God puts a period. And this verse ends with a period. You won’t find a comma in Romans 8:1. 

 

Now the devil is a chronic liar who never stops lying because, as Jesus said, the truth is not in him (see John 8:44). The devil is gonna tell you repeatedly, not one and done but in a beat you down and wear you out kind of way, repeatedly tell you that you are under some kind of condemnation.

 

You and I, we have to know the Word of God so well that we immediately recognize the devil’s lies. And shut those lies down. Nope, not listening satan. No. That's a lie spoken by the father of lies and you are not my father, and I listen to Him. Romans 8:1. You can speak this verse out loud to your enemy when he starts spewing his condemnation lies to you. Remind him of the truth. If you are in Christ Jesus, may as well live every single day like you are IN CHRIST JESUS, know what I mean? Speak God’s word, speak the truth, and believe it. 

 

If the devil reminds you of, say, an argument with your spouse. Now maybe you are really good at letting the quote unquote big stuff go, you know you’re forgiven and not under condemnation. But that argument, man you said a couple of things… eww, why did I say that? Man, that was not cool. And it’s hanging on. You feel icky about it. That is you feeling condemned. Feeling guilty. Waiting on some punishment to land in your lap. But what does Romans 8:1 say? If you are in Christ Jesus, then you cannot be under condemnation. 

These are the real life scenarios we deal with in the spiritual realm. Ask forgiveness of others and of God as often as you need to. Keep those accounts short in your relationships. And then receive God’s forgiveness. It’s yours. He died for you to have it. He really wants you to live forgiven. When something is clinging to you, ya know that feeling, it feels clingy, pray on that exact thing. And say out loud if possible, Nope! That is under the blood of Jesus and I am forgiven and I am not condemned, because Romans 8:1 promises that there is no condemnation for me. 

 

Once we really like actually begin on the daily, every single day -  I really mean that -  on the daily start to live our lives in the reality of this verse, our lives change. 

 

It’s true! 

Because what we really, truly believe impacts - directly impacts - how we live. What we think - what we say silently to ourselves and what we say out loud to others - what we post on social media - where we spend our time - where we spend our money - even things like whether or not we exercise, even just getting outside and talking a walk on a nice day, getting some sunshine, watching a sunset - what books we read (or never read at all) - our friendships - small group attendance & small group participation - sleep habits - how much junk food and junk television we consume - our frustration level - to some extent even our personal hygiene and habits - all those things are directly and indirectly influenced & impacted by what we, as followers of Jesus, actually do with this verse Romans 8:1.

 

What you and I believe matters so very much. 

We need to be about the work of believing the Word of God.

 

Let me read to you once more from both the AMP & the CSB.

Romans 8 verse 1, from the Amplified.

Therefore there is now no condemnation (no guilty verdict, no punishment) for those who are in Christ Jesus (who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior).

Romans 8:1 in the CSB says: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus

 

Who are you to declare yourself guilty when the Messiah, the very Son of God, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, says you are not guilty? Not under condemnation? If He says there is no punishment, who are you to keep on inflicting differing degrees of self-punishment? 

 

Hmmm --- are you picking up what I’m laying down?

 

If Jesus is your personal Lord and Savior, this is yours. So live like it. Do you wonder if your car is maybe possibly not actually your car when you hop in to drive to work? Probably not. That would be weird (unless it’s not your car then this analogy is what’s weird). No, but the car, it’s your car. My SUV is mine. I drive it because it’s mine. The title is in my name. The insurance bill comes to me and I pay it. My car. Mine. I never wonder if maybe tomorrow it won’t be mine. It’s mine til I sell it and sign the title over to someone else. It just is. 

 

Same for this promise. It’s mine. You can’t take it from me, you can’t trick me out of believing it, you cannot steal it away. It is mine. The Lord gave it to me. I’ve got the title deed to this promise. 

 

It’s also yours. It is for Y-O-U. It is for right now, this very day. And it is such good news.

 

Romans 8 - so much in this chapter. And it is going to be amazing to grab hold of what’s in here for us. Because we won’t be the same - we are learning it, we are believing it, our thinking is changing and how we live is changing and the devil cannot trick us with his lies about condemnation. Those days are done, my friend.

 

Lord bless you today, and I really do mean that, it’s not just something I say when I sign off, I mean it and I expect it to be true, I am saying it and praying it for you. Lord bless you today! 

 

Please subscribe to TBNES so you don’t miss any of the Romans 8 series, and share it somebody or a whole bunch of somebodies, and I am starting to work on something new, creating a course based on two online prayer retreats that I led in a private group. So a course about prayer - it’s so important, our prayer lives, and so that’s my next big project and I would appreciate your prayers for me as I work on that. 

 

Thanks for joining me today to start this series on Romans chapter 8 - This is episode 91 of TBNES podcast, part of the Spark Network now playing in the edifi app. See you next time! 

Jan L. Burt is an author, speaker, podcaster, homeschooling veteran, mother to five, and has been happily married to Tony for thirty years. She served in youth ministry alongside her husband for twelve years & has led several Bible studies for women as well as hosting two online prayer retreats.

Jan is the  author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon) & “The Once-A-Year Homeschool Planner” (a multi-grade, multi-subject planning system) – which can be found at JanLBurt.com. She has also been a regular contributor to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Find Jan  Instagram: @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.