God-Guaranteed Eternal Security

“There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Rom. 8:1

The theme of Romans 8 is God-guaranteed eternal security. A guarantee means nothing without knowing who is making the guarantee. In this chapter, God Triune is guaranteeing the ultimate salvation of his people. In this study we want to treat verse 1, which declares: “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

The eighth chapter of Romans is described in many ways. Some people look at it as the highest peak in a range of mountains. Others say it is the most sparkling diamond in a ring of diamonds. Others call it “the holy of holies” of the Christian faith.

The first verse is a summary of the gospel. Romans 8 sets forth the absolute certainty of the full and final salvation of all who are justified by faith and therefore live a holy life. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, our salvation in all its aspects-justification, sanctification, and glorification-has been accomplished. God purposed from all eternity to bring many sons to glory, and he accomplishes that purpose.

This full salvation is being applied to every elect person by the Holy Spirit. This was the plan of our heavenly Father from all eternity when he chose a people to be made holy and blameless in his sight. The bride of Christ is a radiant church, without stain, wrinkle, or any other blemish. “It is because of [God the Father] that we are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom of God-that is, righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30), or we could say, justification, sanctification, and glorification.

The Bible says Jesus saves his people from their sins, not in their sins. Those whom he justifies will be sanctified and glorified. Such people will be admitted to his heaven. But others must depart to hell on the last day.

God takes the objects of wrath and makes them objects of grace. He takes the sons of disobedience and makes them children of obedience. God justifies the ungodly and makes them godly. Saints of God, we are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved on the last day by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone. All praise be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, one God in three Persons!

We spoke of the miserable man of Romans 7:14-25 in our last study. That man was not justified or sanctified. He was a dying, defeated, hopeless wretch who was taken prisoner by the law of sin in his members. He was not free and incapable of saving himself. So he cried out for a deliverer: “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” The answer came through the Christian Paul: “Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25). God saves us through Jesus Christ.

We want to examine two points from Romans 8:1. First, Paul declares, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation.” Second, “Therefore, there is now no condemnationto those who are in Christ Jesus.”

No Condemnation

Paul begins this chapter with the word “therefore.” Romans 8 is looking back on what has been stated about the gospel in the first seven chapters. Paul is saying, “In view of all I have said so far, here is the conclusion of the matter: Believers in Jesus Christ are secure beyond a shadow of doubt.”

“Therefore there is now . . .” The word “now” nun) points to the gospel age, the time following the incarnation and atonement of God’s eternal Son. “Now” is temporal, not logical. Paul is saying, “Now that Christ died, was buried, was raised, ascended, and is seated at God’s right hand as Sovereign of the universe and Head of the church, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Not only that, “now” also points to the time when we personally trusted in the gospel of God.

Then Paul says there is “no condemnation.” The Greek word he uses for “no” (ouden) is not the simple word for “no” (ou). Paul is using a more powerful negation. He places this more powerful “no” word at the beginning of the sentence, giving emphasis on the negation. When God saves wretched, dying sinners, he declares that there will never, ever be any condemnation for them. God is telling us to relax. When we realize this truth that there is now no condemnation, the peace of God that passes all human understanding will come from heaven to fill our hearts to overflowing, guard our minds, and make us unshakable. So we can sing,

Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away,

Every burden of my heart is rolled away.”Therefore there is now no condemnation.” “Condemnation” points to a sentence of judgment and its punishment, which is death. We all deserve condemnation because in Adam every man except Jesus Christ is a born sinner who practices sin daily. We are guilty before God and the wrath of God is being revealed against us. We are enemies of God, rebels who refuse to love truth and glorify God.

How can such rebels hear this glorious gospel sentence from heaven: “Therefore there is now no condemnation”? This point has been extensively treated in Romans 5:12-21. In place of the elect, sinful sons of the first Adam, the last Adam, Jesus Christ, fulfilled God’s law in his life and death on the cross. Jesus Christ was condemned in our place. And not only was he condemned, but he was also executed in our place on Calvary’s cross. So those who believe in Jesus Christ are not condemned. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Instead, we are justified and seen by God as being without any sin.

“No condemnation,” therefore, speaks of God’s justification of us. In Romans 5, beginning with verse 15, we read that we are given a gift of grace, a gift of God, a gift of justification, a gift of righteousness, a gift of eternal life. Condemned people are given righteousness, an irreversible justification unto life. Once this sentence is pronounced, there is no longer any condemnation; there is justification and righteousness. Our position cannot be reversed because God himself will not reverse it. No angel, no man-nothing in all creation, including our sin-can reverse it. So Paul declares, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen. It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Rom. 8:32-35).

No condemnation and no separation from God for his people. No one can snatch us out of his omnipotent hands. What is the reason for this great security? Jesus once-for-all solved our sin problem. We have crossed over from death to life and we can never go back.

All our sins are gone. All God’s wrath is gone. All our condemnation is gone. We are no longer under the rule, power, and authority of law, sin, death, wrath, or Satan. In Christ, not only are we righteous, but we are the righteousness of God. We have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

We are with God and in God. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. The Holy Spirit is in us. Notice, this is not our own testimony but God’s own declaration. This is the great divine indicative: “Now no condemnation,” says God in his word. God has pardoned all our sins, clothed us with Christ’s divine righteousness, and given us the power of the Holy Spirit to live a life of victory. Through regeneration God has given us divine nature. No longer are we wretched, dying, hopeless prisoners of sin and Satan. We have been justified, pardoned, and given the righteousness of God.

We have been empowered to triumph over sin. The world, the law, sin, Satan, and death no longer have dominion over us. As mighty men, women, and children of God, we are overcomers. With God we can fight against Satan, sin, and the world, and we win. Neither death nor life or anything in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God has made us super-conquerors in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:27). We are not weaklings; we are mighty warriors who wage war against the powers of darkness. There is no condemnation ever. It is utterly impossible for us to be unjustified. No punishment for us because Christ died for our sins.

To Those Who Are in Christ Jesus

Second: “Therefore there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” In the Greek it is tois en Christô Iêsou: to those who are united with Christ, who are vitally linked to him, who have been taken out of the first Adam and united with the last Adam, Jesus Christ. In him is life, light, hope, and everything else we need. Outside of him there is only curse, defeat, destruction, death, hell, and shame.

There are only two classes of people in the world: those who are in Adam (unbelievers) and those who are in Christ (believers). As sinners, those who are in Adam are condemned and waiting for their final execution. But those who are in Christ Jesus are justified forever by faith in Christ.

We must ask again: How can a wicked man be united to Christ? How can he believe? It calls for nothing less than a divine miracle. An elect sinner is made spiritually alive and given the gift of repentance and saving faith. (PGM) He trusts in Christ alone-in his person and atonement-and he is thus justified. He is in Christ Jesus, united with him in his death, burial, and resurrection.

Paul writes of this miraculous change: “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom. 6:3-4). Having been raised up spiritually with Christ, we live a new life, the life of Christ. We are in the ark. We are in Christ. There is no condemnation or separation. We are united with Christ.

We are the bride of Christ and he is our beloved husband. As a result of this union, all our liabilities become his and all his assets become ours. Oh, what a blessed union! Paul describes it in his letter to the Ephesians: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:25-27). He is speaking about Christ and his bride.

We are “in Christ Jesus.” Jesus himself said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He is the vine; we are the branches that are pruned to produce fruit, more fruit, and much fruit to the glory of God the Father. The life of the vine pulsating in us is the reason for all our fruitfulness. We live by grace. We are in Christ. What a vital union!

We see this idea of union also in the analogy of Jesus as the head and the church as his body: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Eph. 1:22-23). As our head, Christ directs us, provides for us, and protects us, and we serve him in his resurrection life.

Not only that, he is also the foundation and we are the structure built upon him as living stones: “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-22).

As people of God, we are “in Christ Jesus.” This phrase, and its equivalents such as “in him,” is found 164 times in Paul’s writings. What a blessing it is to be in Christ Jesus! Either we are in Christ or we are outside of him. In the ark we are safe; outside, we perish in the floodwaters. We are in Christ by saving faith. Outside are unbelievers, all who mock Christ. Outside are the unbelieving philosophers, scientists, politicians, the rich, the beautiful, the powerful, the brilliant, and all religionists who reject the only God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Outside are the wretched, the hopeless, and the dying. John writes: “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev. 22:15).

Are You in Christ?

Are you in Christ Jesus, or are you outside of him? Do not think that you are inside merely because you were born and brought up in a church, or that your parents are Christians. Such things mean nothing without personally trusting in Christ. The question is, are you in Christ Jesus? Can you say that there is now therefore no condemnation for you?

Jesus spoke about the destiny of those who were outside of Christ: “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth'” (Matt. 22:13). If you are an unbeliever, live in maximum pleasure today. The moment you die, you will descend into that far place away from God: “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30). To those who never truly served Christ as Lord, Jesus says, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matt. 7:23). And in the parable of the sheep and the goats, he describes the final destiny of two classes of people: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’. . . . Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matt. 25:41, 46).

There is no condemnation only for those who by faith are in Christ Jesus. Awaiting such people on that day will be God’s approbation, benediction, and eternal blessing. David said, “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him” (Rom. 4:7-8). Such people are blessed because all their sins were counted against Jesus Christ, our divine substitute

Are you in Christ Jesus? Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son, was sent into the world to deal with our sin problem. It is our sin that separates us from God. It is because of our sins that we are outside of Christ. Christ died for the sins of all who repent truly and trust in him savingly. Trust him, who was condemned and punished in our stead. He was crucified, not for his sins, but for ours.

If you are still outside, I urge you today to come inside the ark and be saved. Outside is darkness, death, hopelessness, anxiety, misery, and condemnation. But inside is life, light, hope, peace, joy, and eternal security. Most importantly, inside is God himself.

Hear the call of Jesus to sinners who are outside: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

If you are in Christ Jesus, rejoice and be glad in him! If God is for us, who can be against us? It is God who justifies. So go and live courageously. Be a warrior, a super-conqueror for Christ. Live an overcoming life in the Spirit’s power. Resist the devil, sin, temptation, and secularism. Live for God’s Son, who died for us and lives for us, never to die again.