Free at Last!

Romans 8:1-11

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

Once you prayed are you always safe from the punishment for your sin? If you chose to say yes, then ignore the statements that Paul will make in this passage. However, you may want to consider your thinking.

Where it is true that there is no condemning a person who is "in Christ," many want to believe they are "in Christ" but live the way they want. Yet only God knows where the dividing line is drawn that measures a person's sincerity to their belief "in Christ."

Paul says that the division is whether a person lives to please their flesh or develop their new spiritual relationship that "in Christ."

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:2-4 (NKJV)

After surrendering your life to Christ, asking for the forgiveness of your sin, a person is free from being condemned for their sin. This means that even if you make a mistake and do something that is not godly, God will still forgive you of your sin. That sin is covered by the sacrifice of Christ. You may hear it said, "It's covered by the blood of Christ."

Again, Paul emphasizes that though this is true, there is a dividing line and if you are guilty of crossing that line, the sacrifice is not in your possession. The separating point was a provision demanded in the Law and we must remember that when God created the Law, it came from within Himself. He made it from the way He views humankind as a whole.

In the story of Cain and Able, Cain killed Able because he was jealous of his sacrifice not being accepted. Cain's sacrifice was not accepted because he was not sincere in making it; Cain only wanted to appease God and took a careless approach to pleasing God. This is the way God views sacrifices and judges the sincerity of men.

Now to walk after the spirit does not mean that you no longer sin. However, it does mean that if you sin, the sacrifice that you possess covers your sin because you live with the intentions of living as holy as possible in this body that has a sinful nature.

To "walk after" means to be occupied with and follow as a companion. The word sin refers to anything that would be offensive to God. So there becomes a huge, life consuming task for a Christian to pursue God's righteousness.

Jesus said, Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:14 (KJV)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8 (NKJV)

Here Paul lets us know that God's conditions must be met or salvation will not be rendered. Able did not take God serious and Paul urges us to be very serious. Simply to say once you pray you are saved is ignoring this passage.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:9-11 (NKJV)

How do you tell whether you are saved or not saved from sin? This very question comes from a teaching that must be broken in the mind of a Christian. Salvation is a process; while we are alive, we are being saved and no one is safe until they finish this life. Therefore, our life becomes an opportunity to escape the grasps of sin; to let the power of God raise us from the grave that sin has made for us.

People have many questions in regards to this subject and that causes many to let go, to grab hold of the popular belief that all you have to do is say a prayer and mean it. Yet they struggle with the truth that after praying, many people turn back to a live in sin.

Coldly I have heard them say, "Well they never believed Jesus in the first place." This could never be further from the truth. People commit their lives to Christ and the three enemies attack their heart and mind winning the war. The three enemies, the Devil, the world, and ourselves, are quick to desire ungodliness and to those who accept Christ as savior, we must help them walk with Christ.

To escape our enemies a person must turn to God for deliverance from their sin. That means we will mind the flesh; however, we must turn back to God in every circumstance and seek God's power to help resist the temptations to live ungodly.

Jesus said that we must be in the world and yet, not of it and God knows that we must stay real people, living amongst those who have yet to turn to Christ. That is why He gave us forgiveness when we do sin.

God would have us minister to others, so that they too might choose Him. As we are around them we will falter; however, as we have discussed today, this does not give us an opportunity to do anything without remorse for God will hold us accountable.

Being given multiple chances is a great opportunity and when we find ourselves in sin we are to turn to God, repent and forsake those ways. When we do, we will find His power to help us; yet those who are insincere will not find anything.

A preacher walked down the isle of his church yelling "I sin, I sin, I sin, I sin." Quickly he turned and walking back he yelled "I repent, I repent, I repent." His point being that true repentance is walking in a separate direction from the path you were on; that is sincerity.