No Condemnation

Passage: Romans 8:1-17 (ESV)

In the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul spends a great deal of time highlighting the “before and after” picture of our life in Jesus Christ. Throughout the book he uses the metaphors of slavery and freedom. “Before we met Jesus,” says Paul, “we were all slaves. Jesus set us free.” But free from what, exactly?

In Romans 8 Paul spells it out. We are, by nature, slaves to the flesh. The Greek word Paul uses is sarx. The NIV (which our church uses in worship) translates sarx “sinful nature”. Although this interpretation draws out one facet of Paul’s argument, it is misleading. Sarx is best understood within this context translated, simply, “flesh”. Paul uses the term to refer to our created, flesh-and-blood human nature. Paul argues that the sarx leads us into sin. But he does not contend that the flesh is intrinsically sinful or evil.

Our flesh, as it turns out, is not bad. It’s part of our God-given, good nature. There are long-standing Christian traditions that have treated any urge, need, or pleasure of the body as sinful. Members of those traditions believe that to be truly spiritual you have to avoid anything enjoyable – even deny yourself the enjoyment of anything physical. God gave us the gift of bodies that enjoy; furthermore he gave us the capacity to feel pleasure when our life-sustaining needs are satisfied.

That being said, our flesh clearly gets us into trouble. In Romans 8 Paul draws an all-important distinction between flesh and Spirit. Paul addresses the church, a community of people who have declared their allegiance to Jesus Christ. So doing, they have become hosts of Christ’s Spirit – the Holy Spirit lives in their hearts. “If this is you,” says Paul, “you’re no longer driven by your flesh. Your flesh no longer dictates your actions. You’re driven by the Spirit. You are set free to make decisions not based on your every urge and instinct, but based on the impulses of the Spirit of God.” This is an essential part of the Good News.

Why? Anyone who has lived with an addiction or struggled to kick an unhealthy habit can answer this question. If we don’t have a competing driving force, our flesh quickly masters us. We become slaves to our physical appetites. And whereas indulging our senses is fun for awhile, it doesn’t take long to run its course. There comes a point at which bingeing stops being pleasurable. But if your flesh has taken over, you can’t stop. The pursuit of pleasure becomes a drab treadmill from which you “can’t get no satisfaction” and you can’t get no freedom. Over time it starts to kill you – physically and spiritually. Slavery to your flesh is a form of God’s condemnation of sin. Paul mentions in Romans 1 that God has judged people by "giving them over to their flesh." This is slavery. The end result of a lifetime of slavery is ultimate condemnation – God simply abandons those who have given themselves to the flesh.

But there’s hope. Paul says, “Jesus Christ took on our flesh. He died on our behalf. When he rose to new life, he set us free from sin.” In fact Paul says Christ condemned sin in the flesh. When Jesus rose from the grave, he had new flesh. "If you’re in Christ," says Paul, "you have new flesh, too." Flesh that no longer gives itself to every urge, but is aligned with the will of God. Guided by the Spirit, our needs, urges and desires find their proper place and come to proper expression. Far from being condemned, our flesh is redeemed. Made what God intended it to be. Within the context of right relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, our flesh takes its rightful place. It steps out of the driver’s seat and allows itself to be controlled and guided by the Spirit of God.