Over the past few weeks, we have explored Romans, we have looked at sin, we have looked at the Lord’s judgment, we have explored salvation, the security of the believer, and last week the struggle that we all have as we mature in Jesus and grow in the process of putting to death the flesh. There is no license to sin offered by God, but an understanding that our transformation is just beginning on this side of eternity and will only be complete when we get our new bodies.
Paul begins Romans 8 with ‘therefore’; this is based on the previous ground he (the Holy Spirit) has built beginning in Romans 5:1 where he states that we are ‘justified,’ declared righteous before God, because we have believed in Jesus. There is no condemnation before God, who is the Righteous Judge. If God has not condemned us, then no one else can either.
Notice, Paul does not say there is ‘less condemnation’; NO, NO, he clearly says there is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Thus, in Jesus, when God sees me, He does not see Sean the one struggling with sin; no, He sees the Sean that is clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, and as such, there is no sin for which I am to be condemned. If you are in Christ, you have this as well.
Romans 8:2-4 – You and I are free from the law of sin and death in Jesus. The law clearly stated that those who sin must die. This law no longer applies to us because we are in Jesus. But wait a minute, Pastor Sean, we still die. Yes, on this side of humanity, but as a child of God, you never die. Once your body dies here, you and I are immediately alive on the other side in Heaven; as such, you and I will not experience death. We are no longer under that law. You see, the law of Moses was weak; it could identify sin, but it could not fix the issue at hand, death. Only Jesus could do that for us. Jesus fulfilled the law for us and fixed death for us; He died so that we never have to.
Romans 8: 5-8 – Stop trying to please God by legislation. Churches love to impose rules and add to what God has said. There are no verses telling men to have short hair, not one. There are verses in Titus that tell us that ‘church women’ should dress modestly. This is cultural as it applies. But in the ‘letter of the law,’ the word there for modest means to show the thigh. The idea of men and women worshipping together was new to the Gentile church. In the Temple, there was a woman’s court and a man’s court; they did not worship together.
So, women do not have to wear long skirts to the ankle to be holy. If you want to and you are doing it as an act of worship for you to God, then so be it. But there does not need to be a rule about it in the local church. There are verses that encourage women to have long hair, but truthfully, it is an encouragement, not a rule. Short-haired women can be godly as well.
I know of a missionary outpost where it is common for the women of that place to go topless. Often, the only women who could afford tops were prostitutes, and they did not want to be associated with that. I will not go on further, only to say that keeping the Law did not save you, and keeping man-made laws will not keep you saved.
Romans 8:9-11 – You and I have the Holy Spirit in us; talk to Him. Chat with Him like a friend; He is your eternal friend. We are now the friends of God in Jesus. Enjoy it.
And in verses 26-32, nothing can separate us from God. We have absolute security in Jesus forever. There is no condemnation for those of us in Jesus.
Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario
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