Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Romans 8:34
I have heard it said, “What gets repeated gets remembered.” You undoubtedly know this truth to be true because you have experienced it in your own life. If you have young children, you understand that’s why you tell them repeatedly what you want them to do, like make their beds in the morning. You are hoping against hope that they will remember to do what you asked them to do. The truth is, we are more likely to remember what we have heard repeated over and over again. God, of course, understands this, too. He uses repetition in Scripture to help us pay attention to important truths He wants us to understand. We see repetition at work in Romans 8 when, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul tells readers that they are no longer condemned if they have placed their faith in Christ.
The first time Paul wrote about the freedom from condemnation that we followers of Christ experience because of what Christ has done for us was in the very first verse of Romans 8, which we studied earlier in our Bible time together. Paul wrote, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (verse 1). Because of what Christ has done, we do not have to live in guilt, shame, or fear. We will stand forgiven, not condemned, before God the Father one day. Toward the end of this chapter, Paul reaffirmed the teaching that none of us who have placed our faith in Christ are condemned by asking the question, “Who then will condemn us?” (verse 34). He answered this question in the next verse. His answer was a resounding, “No one.” Not one person can condemn us. Why? “Jesus Christ died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (verse 34). Because Jesus paid the price for our sins, we stand in His forgiveness instead of condemnation.
Did you catch the other remarkable truth in this passage of Scripture? Jesus is our advocate, pleading for us before God the Father. The writer of Hebrews writes about this truth that Jesus is our advocate, interceding for us in Hebrews 7. He refers to Jesus as “the perfect High Priest forever” (verse 28). As our perfect High Priest, the author of Hebrews explains that Jesus is able to save us because of His defeat of sin and death through His death on the cross and resurrection. In light of what He has done, if we have placed our faith in Him, we get to live in freedom!
Maybe Paul repeated the teaching that there is no condemnation for those who are followers of Christ because we human beings are prone to live in shame, overwhelmed, and plagued with guilt for our sin. I believe God knew that we need to be reminded, over and over, of the good news that if we have placed our faith in Christ, we stand free rather than condemned. May this truth sink deep into your heart today, and, as a result, may shame and guilt lose their grips on you as you trade them for freedom in Christ.
Clearly, God's desire for Christ followers is to live in freedom from condemnation. In order to focus your heart and mind on this truth, commit Romans 8:34 to memory today. Bring it to mind often. The more you focus on the truth found in this verse, the better you will remember it. Remember, what gets repeated gets remembered, and you will want to remember the truth from Romans 8:34.
“God, because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, I stand in freedom rather than condemnation. I thank You for…”
Hebrews 7:15-28
15 This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. 16 Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
18 Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. 19 For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
20 This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, 21 but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,
“The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: ‘You are a priest forever.’”
22 Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.
23 There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. 28 The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
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