Becoming Who We Are

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Few verses in Scripture comfort me more than Romans 8:1. It is an astounding proclamation of grace. Paul summarizes his glorious stream of gospel exposition with these beautiful words: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

We have seen in the first half of Romans that all are sinners, justified freely by his grace as a gift, by faith in Jesus Christ, not by works, through the redemption that is in Christ, forgiven through the propitiation by his blood, accepted because of his great act of righteousness, a salvation he accomplished once for all. A splendid truth, a redemption so comprehensive, realistic, gracious, and free! There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

But an objection arose in Romans 6. If we are saved by grace, why not sin that grace may abound? I confess, the same verse that brings me comfort has also challenged me. For when my lips profess, “there is no condemnation in Christ,” my fleshly heart replies, “let us sin that grace may abound!” Claiming to be a son of God, I often consider myself a slave to sin. Yet I know I cannot be both: either I am a slave to sin and no true son of God, or a son of God and no true slave to sin. If I truly am a slave to sin, then I am not the free man described in Romans 8. If I am a slave to sin, I misappropriate Romans 8:1. Some of the Jews misappropriated the covenant promises of God (2:4–5). With hard and unrepentant hearts, they presumed on his kindness and took his grace to them as a license to sin. They stood condemned, and so will we, if we consider God’s graciousness a thing to be trampled upon.

What then shall I do? Motivated by the fear of squandering grace, I decide to accept no grace at all. Rather than presuming on his kindness, I work for the free gift. There are two faulty ways to respond to grace. The first is to presume upon it, to act as if you deserve it and are entitled to it, to believe that you can live however you want, without your life ever being affected by your relationship to the Giver of the grace. The second is a reaction against the first. God forbid we presume grace! Therefore let us reject it. Accept no grace at all. Let us pretend as hopeless fools that we have some power or ability of our own to earn God’s kindness.

Neither of these reactions to grace yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness. The presumer of grace in Romans 2 and 6 stores up wrath for himself and will be judged by God (2:4–5). The denier of grace will find himself like the man in Romans 7, trying to do good with no power to do it. Trying to defeat sin with no strength to fight it. Is this state any better than the first? It simply trades flagrant licentiousness for hopeless hypocritical self-righteousness. Either way will fail. Whether one neglects obedience, or pursues obedience by his own strength, he will die all the same.

We are then truly in a desperate state. We have all earned ourselves the immense burden of death through sin, and we have no power of our own to defeat sin in the flesh. An infinite debt, and with every attempt to pay it off, we only increase it. What shall we say then? “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

We believe that Christ saves us from our sin. Hallelujah! But how? If Jesus only frees us from a legal condemnation, we remain slaves to sin. A dire destitution requires a rich redemption. Romans 8:1–2 gives us our answer:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Jesus saves us from condemnation. Amen! But he does not stop with our outward status. He changes our inward being. He sets us free from the law of sin and death. Not only did Christ bear the burden of death to bring us forgiveness, he gave us decisive, final, comprehensive victory over the law of sin. Jesus frees us both from condemnation for sin and slavery to sin. He pays the penalty for sin and conquers the power of sin. Sin can no longer condemn or enslave because “the law of the Spirit of life has set you free.”

This results in a radical transformation of your identity and capability. You are not just forgiven. You are free from sin. You are alive to God. The Spirit of life lives in you and empowers you. Do not overlook that! The God who created the universe dwells inside little dust-framed you. Do you think sin gets the final word against God? Then how in the world could sin get the final word against you? God dwells in you! How could you be more empowered to righteousness and obedience than you are now?

Ephesians instructs you to “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (4:22-24). We are not tasked with creating a new holy self. Jesus has given us a new self already. We must simply put it on.

Sanctification is not becoming who we are not. It is becoming who we are. Sanctification begins with a renewal in the “spirit of your minds” (cf. Romans 12:1–2). Jesus first transforms how you conceive of yourself, how you view yourself: your identity. He does not fix your actions to transform your identity, he transforms your identity to fix your actions. Obedience does not start with your works based on your strength to create your own righteous identification. Obedience starts with a righteous identity given to you by Christ and empowered by the Spirit to transform your works.

If we believe this, we can stop “trying really hard” to become like Jesus, and instead boldly and gratefully “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14).

We can approach all of our sin struggles with this belief. I do not need to conquer this sin; Christ has already conquered it. I am not creating righteousness in this domain; He already imputed that righteousness to me. His Spirit is here helping me. I am not a slave to this sin; I am free from this sin!

We can pursue obedience with this attitude. I am not sharing the Gospel so that God will approve of me; I am sharing the Gospel because he does approve of me. I am not trying to be a loving person; I am putting on the love and affection that Christ embodied for me.

This attitude can change the way we pray. Consider how we often talk: “Father, make me holy. Make me righteous and obedient. Free me from sin. Empower me to obey you.” We should pray for victory over sin and empowered obedience, but not as if Christ has yet failed to provide it! What if we shifted our paradigm? “Christ, thank you that I am free from sin. Thank you that your righteousness and obedience are imputed to me. Sin does not define me. I am holy and righteous. I am free, alive, and empowered by your Spirit. Teach me to hold fast to the identity you died to give me. Help me trust in what you accomplished. Help me walk with the Spirit of life today in decisive victory and radical obedience.”

The theology of the first half of Romans illuminates the second half. He did the hard work on the cross. He already set us free and covered us with his grace. Now “we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Rom. 7:6). What is serving in the way of the Spirit but ever resting in our God-given identity and trusting in the Spirit to guide us into all righteousness and peace?

And maybe someone is thinking: “But I’m a professional sinner. If sinning were a sport, I would go pro. I am inconsistent in the spiritual disciplines, dispassionate, and disobedient. How could I really be free from sin and live a life of obedience?” Surely I have thought this way. It is a brilliant play by the devil. Ensnare them in sin, then flood them with shame until their identity is steeped in their depravity. To see the need for salvation is a dangerous thing. To see the sweet offering in Christ, more dangerous still. Satan then must do all in his power to keep you fixed on your unworthiness, lest you for a moment encounter the grace of God.

I have good news for you. It is not about you. It has never been about you. It is about Jesus, the glorious one who justifies the ungodly (Rom. 6:6–11). You do not deserve it. That is the point! 

You will never graduate from grace. It is grace in redemption, grace in sanctification, “to the praise of his glorious grace” for all eternity (Eph. 1:6). Surely I have wondered why the Lord keeps dealing with me, why he has not forsaken me. I do not deserve his persistence. I deserve to be cast away the way I so often neglect him. But praise be to God! He has never forsaken me and he will never forsake you. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

There is a treasury of grace in Christ which can never be exhausted. Let us not deny his grace. Let us never use his grace as a license to sin. No, let us boldly approach the throne of grace, bringing nothing but humble delight in Christ, gratefully accepting the glorious identity he has given us. Will God be unfaithful? By no means! Surely he will richly supply mercy and grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16).