“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, KJV 1900)
I once had a parishioner who was struggling with depression and anxiety. After a time of counselling I suggested that she read through Chapter 8. I felt that no believer could read this chapter and go away from it discouraged. This is one of the most encouraging chapters in the bible as it begins with “no condemnation,” and concludes with “no separation” for those who are believers. A week later, she came back with an entirely new perspective, upbeat and joyful. I wondered what she read that made the difference.
She indicated that after reading chapter eight, she could not make any sense of it and felt that she needed to go back and read chapter seven. It was in reading chapter seven that she came to realize that she had never truly been born again. Yes, she had made some sort of profession of faith in the past and hade even been baptized in a Bible preaching church. However, she had never truly been born again. She then placed her trust in Jesus Christ alone for her salvation, and surrendered her life to Him. This made all the difference.
Now, she could understand and experience the blessing of the words in Romans Chapter Eight. Here in the very first verse, we find one of the greatest words of encouragement to all believers. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
Sometimes we look back on the failures of life, our past sins and we might wonder, “Can God really forgive us and grant us eternal life?” Sometimes, even after faith, we wander from the path of God’s righteous standards, and we might ask ourselves the same. Yet the Scripture is clear. There is not condemnation for those who by faith have received Christ and thus are in Him. When the deceiver tries to get you thinking that you have no hope, go back to the Scripture, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
Renewing the Heart 