"Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus
the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and
death." — Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
If you are in Jesus Christ, God
will never condemn you. Condemnation came to human, through the sin of Adam,
but God's free gift of justification came to us through Jesus Christ. We were
under condemnation in Adam, but now we are in Christ, justified by His grace.
Jesus is God's beloved Son. God
loves his Son, so he will never condemn his Son. Salvation is for those who
place their faith in Christ. When we put our faith in Christ, God identifies us
with His Son. So whoever lives in Christ, loved by God The Father. We were
sinners, but we become a righteous person through the suffering and death of
Jesus, His Son. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake he made
him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God."
This passage brings me to my
childhood. It.reminds me about my relation to my dad. Whenever I made mistakes,
my daddy always forgave me. Once he condemned me, but after that he hugged me.
I never felt guilty before him.. Not like a criminal before the judge. He
always considered me as his beloved son.
The problem is how we can be
always live "in Jesus"? We can live in Christ if "we walk not
after the flesh, but after the spirit" (Rom 8:4). Everyday, we struggle to
do what God expects us. God speaks to us every time through His Words, through
the Bible, through every single experience, through our neighbors, through our
hearts, through our ups and downs. We should try to listen to His voice. When we
fault, when we sin, there is always a way back to God. Everyday, even when we sin,
we could stand before God as His child, not as a guilty criminal. Now we should
bring our great relief every day.
If God is judging based on Jesus'
righteousness, and if we live in Jesus, how could we ever be condemned?
Reflection on Romans 8:1-4 by Fr.
Fransiskus Diaz, SVD
(Listen to the Podcast here)
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