July 8

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. — Rom 8:1 BSB

There is no more blessed declaration in the whole Bible than this: it is the sweetest sound of the gospel trumpet and the very heart of the jubilee. Isn’t condemnation the most bitter drop in the cup of trembling? Isn’t it the most chilling note of the terrible trumpet that sounded from Mount Sinai, causing all the people to tremble in fear? Condemnation is the final execution of God’s righteous law, carrying with it all the sting of death and the terror of the grave. The dread of being cast out from God’s presence forever, lost beyond hope, consumed by the blazing anger of the God who is a consuming fire—this has filled countless hearts with horror. And this will continue as long as the law thunders its judgment, as long as conscience confirms its sentence, and as long as God’s wrath burns in the depths of hell.

But how blessed is the word of grace and truth that rings out in heaven and earth, “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus!”