Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Martin Luther, the sixteen century monk who started the Protestant reformation was a monk with an attitude. It was never his intention to split from the Catholic church only to encourage some reforms and a return to Scriptural teaching. It was understandable that the church could deviate from Scripture because so few really had a Bible as the printing press was in its early infancy. On top of that no one could read anyways. Even if they could read and they could get their hands on a Bible there was no Bible in their own language. There was just the Latin Vulgate which was the official Bible of the Catholic church translated by Jerome in 200 AD. There was no Bible in the language of the people. Those who could read the Latin Bible were few to begin with and those how could read the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic text were fewer still. The whole church was guided by a handful of men who could read the original text and Martin Luther was one of them.
It is pretty easy to see how just a handful of men could dictate the belief system of the church if so few had access to understanding the original languages. Even today the vast majority of Christians depend upon their key church leaders in their denomination who are scholars of the Biblical languages to tell them what the Scripture says. Only within the last generation, especially with the explosion of the resources on the internet have Christians started to venture beyond their English translation and start examining Scripture in the original Greek and Hebrew. Thirty years ago I had to beg, plead and give Walmart gift cards to get students to take my advanced Hebrew class as an elective. Now I write a book: Beyond the Lexicon which teaches Christians how to do Hebrew word studies and the book becomes a best seller. I believe we are entering an age like the sixteenth century when Christians want to study the Word of God themselves rather than their denominational leaders telling them what to believe. I don’t see revival spreading through this land, I see a reformation.
Anyways, back to Martin Luther who was a good religious man, he became a monk, albeit an educated monk. The church had placed him under such condemnation for his sins that he was wearing his priest out with his confessions. I mean he would confess every possible infraction: “Father forgive me I stepped on an ant today and did it out of anger.” His priest got so fed up with his trite sins that he finally said: “Martin Luther why don’t you go out and kill your grandmother so you have something decent to confess.” Old Martin Luther just lived under such guilt and condemnation because that is what the church taught. Then one day he was reading Romans 8 and verse 1. He looked at it in the Latin version, scratched his head, went to Greek New Testament and read it, scratched his head, went to the Aramaic version and read it and scratched his head and said: “Why does the church not teach this? I am in Christ Jesus, I have no reason to feel condemned.” Little did he know that this little study (as other things) set into motion a controversy that shook the very foundations of the church and resulted in the Protestant reformation.
There is now no condemnation. The very basis of the Protestant reformation, the finished work of Jesus Christ and yet I hear so little about this in the church today. In fact what I hear is a lot of condemnation. Every English translation I read renders the Greek word katakrima as condemnation. It comes from the word katakrino which means a punishment following condemnation, penal, servitude and penalty. There is now no sentence of death or other punishment rendered for our sins if we are in Christ Jesus. The word in the Aramaic Bible, the Peshitta is chayavutha which means judgment. There is now no judgment for those in Christ Jesus. This comes from the root word chavab which is similar to the Hebrew word which is often rendered as a debt, guilty verdict or forfeiture. There is no longer any debt, any guilt, no forfeiture of one’s life for your sins. Rabbi Samson Hirsch an nineteenth century linguist and Hebrew master says that this word chavab is directly related to chava’ which means to be hidden. Even our hidden sins are no longer under judgment.
So we need never feel condemned for our sins. Of course if that is the case what is to keep us from sinning? No I don’t buy into this grace movement where you can sin all you want and you will be forgiven, so just go out and have a good time. Don’t worry about you sins, God is a good God full of grace with a boys will be boys’ attitude.
My study partner and I were talking about that this evening. We both agreed how we moved from not feeling condemned for our sins, not fearing that we will be punished for our sins or go to hell for our sins to something even worse. What is worse than being punished for your sins, going to hell for your sins? I will tell you what is worse. It is falling in love with Jesus and then doing something that will break His heart. I don’t feel condemned, I don’t fear judgment, I wish He would judge me or punish or do something so I don’t feel so miserable for disappointing Him and letting Him down. If a man really loves his wife, he will not cheat on her. Not that he won’t be tempted, not that some seductive female can’t make a play for him, but she will not be successful because that man has only one thing on his mind, the hurt and disappointment that his beloved would experience. He could not live with himself knowing the hurt he brought to the one he loved. So too with God, I could just could not live knowing I would have wounded His heart, losing that loving presence, it just is not worth any sin the enemy can throw at me. When I do fail and I go to Him in repentance I know He will forgive, but that only makes me feel worse. I have to just rest in His arms, weep through my repentance and after some soothing words of comfort I can finally deal with that sin and swear to never do it again because boy I sure don’t want to go through that dark night of my soul again.
Condemnation, judgment? I wish. Condemnation and judgment is a whole lot better than knowing you wounded the heart of the God you love.
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