Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

Bible Commentary

Romans 8:1 is a popular Bible verse in the New Testament that assures us of our freedom in Christ from judgment and guilt.

Paul spends most of Romans chapter 7 talking about the law and how sin keeps us bound to it. And then he talks about how Jesus Christ wipes out the law and that we are no longer bound by sin or the law because of grace.

Paul knew that even the most faithful Christian would be susceptible to following the law, striving to keep all the rules, instead of simply living in the freedom of grace, trusting Christ to guide our steps.

This is one of the most effective tools the devil uses to keep us bound in chains. We are believers, having accepted forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ by the cross, but in trying to live our lives for Christ, we fall into the enemy’s hidden trap called “works”.

It can be a very subtle and even gradual decline. We begin to read and study the Word of God, listen to sermons and other like-minded believers. But then we notice sin in someone’s life.

Instead of accepting the person—faults and all, and looking at them through the eyes of mercy, we begin to compare their actions against what the Bible says is right (or wrong) and we judge them.

Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God does not condemn us, and neither should we.

Because we are able to recognize someone’s “sin” we become determined not to “sin” ourselves. The more determined we are to keep the instructions we read in the Bible, the more rigid we can become. It’s a downward spiral.

We compare our “performance” with someone else’s, and out of pride we find ourselves tyring to be better than them, and we find ourselves chained to the law–works.

It becomes about us, what we do and don’t do, and not about Jesus Christ anymore. We forgot about grace.

Unlocking the Truth – Accepting God’s Workmanship

That’s exactly what happens when we focus on the law more than on Jesus Christ. We get tunnel vision on what is good and what is bad, and our eyes are trained to spot “sin.”

But that’s not how God sees us. He sees us through the filter of Jesus Christ, so He sees Christ’s holiness, not our unholiness.

With the help of God’s Word, that’s precisely how we should train our eyes to see others, and ourselves as well. That’s what grace is all about. We don’t have to accept sinful actions, but we can accept a person without condoning their actions. We must look at others through the eyes of Christ.

When we see sin in someone’s life, let’s pray for them and not judge or condemn them.

“Condemnation” in Romans 8:1 in the Greek means: an adverse sentence. Webster’s defines “condemn” like this: to disapprove of strongly; to declare guilty; to inflict a penalty upon.

Jesus Christ took the penalty—God’s sentence for our sin—for all of us. Who are we to step into His role?

2 Timothy 4:1 says, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:”

To accept a person—no matter what their actions are—is to accept God. God is their Heavenly Father and Creator, just as He is ours. When we extend mercy instead of judgement, we look like Christ.

As we accept others, we accept God and His workmanship. When we accept ourselves, we accept God and His workmanship.

We are all fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

Whatever justice and righteousness needs to be reclaimed upon the earth, it is God’s doing, not man’s. He is Judge–not us.

Study the Bible verse of Romans 8:1 and let’s practice seeing others and ourselves through the eyes of Jesus Christ.