[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom 8:1
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom 8:4
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Rom 8:9
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom 8:12-14

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Rom 6:14
Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 5:18-21

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for those who are in Christ Jesus are trusting wholly in the all-sufficient merits of His infinite sacrifice to appropriate the blessings of pardon and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The life will show if indeed they are trusting wholly in the merits of Christ for their salvation and at all times they are acknowledging themselves to be erring, helpless, condemned sinners. Paradox? yes. It is indeed a beautiful Christian paradox!

"Are you in Christ? Not if you do not acknowledge yourselves erring, helpless, condemned sinners." E.G. White, Testimony #31, page 44 (1893 General Conference Bulletin,p.179)

Amen my friend. :-)

Mark

Here are the notes on this from the Net Bible on Romans 8:1. I found it very interesting.

tc (Text-critical Note—discusses alternate (variant) readings found in the various manuscripts and groups of manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament.)

I'm sorry, you aren't being true to the end of Romans chapter 7 and Romans 8:1,2. You are adding.... It does not say what you say.

You cannot skip verse 2 and be honest with the text. Let's review:

Romans 7:22 For in my inner being [in my spirit...in my inner mind...in my conscience] I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body [i.e., the law of sin - the love of self], waging war against the law of my mind [my converted will power] and making me a prisoner of the law of sin [my bent-to-self] at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death [this body that is dying]? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! [Note, the man of Romans 7 is thanking God...his faith is in Christ] So then, I myself in my mind [where the principle of love is written] am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature [the law of sin] a slave to the law of sin.

So the man of Romans loves God's law...He thanks Christ for what He has done, but he wants to experience deliverance over his nature. Is there any condemnation for such a believer who loves God's law...who is depending on Christ for his salvation, but who is failing to live the Christian life?

Romans 8:1 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [i.e., His imputed righteousness] [why?] 2 because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Note, "In Christ" my life from Adam, indwelt with my bent-to-self, was defeated by the law of the Spirit and has legally delivered me from "the law of sin" (in Christ) and hence from death (the 2nd death).

So there's good news for the Christian who is failing....Otherwise, you must be perfectly walking in the Spirit....

EGW states that as long as life shall last we will have besetting sins to overcome....In fact she states that as long as life shall last we will not arrive. Why?

For one the Holy Spirit doesn't automatically take over. You have to learn how to give Him your will power so that He can defeat the law of sin when you are tempted.

This takes time and since no one has it down perfectly then no one has a right to deny the man of Romans 7 salvation based on his failures. It's that simple.

If you do deny him this God given right then you must deny yourselves the same privilege for no one is living Christ's life...a life fully controlled by the Spirit from the cradle to the grave.

...for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. Rom 7:18...
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Rom 7:23
For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. Rom 7:5

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So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Rom 8:8-9
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Rom 6:11-15
[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:1-2

Yes, "to will is present with me"....That's the law of my mind.....It's the human will.

What Paul is saying is with the human will I can say no at the mental level, but when the rubber meets the road I fail. Why? Again, the man in Romans 7 is using his will power to defeat sin. Unbelievers love to sin; the man of Romans 7 wants to do good, but he can't because he is trying to say no to "the law of sin" (the power of sin, which is the love of self) using "the law of his mind" (the power of the will) instead of learning to let "the law of the Spirit" (the power of the Spirit) to defeat the law of sin dwelling in him.

The question is - is there any condemnation to the believer who is failing because he hasn't learned to walk in the spirit? The answer is "no". Why? Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ - what Christ did in our humanity 2000 years ago. Again, Rom 8:2 clarifies Rom 8:1

Romans 8:1 say there's no condemnation, period. Other versions have added "who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." But again, Romans 8:1 tells us there is no condemnation to the struggling believer. Then it answers why:

because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me [my humanity] free from the law of sin and death.

This is only true in the humanity of Christ. In Christ I was delivered not only from the power of sin, but from the sin nature. Read Paul again: "Set me free from the law of sin"

Are you free from the sin nature? Are you free from indwelling sin? NO! So this can only apply to what is true of us "in Christ".

When you become a believer your sin nature remains....It doesn't improve...it remains as sinful as ever. So if we insist that we have no sin nature after we become Christians, EGW would tell us we are teaching the heresy of the "holy flesh doctrine"

[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Gal 5:16
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Rom 8:12-13
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. Rom 6:12-13
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom 6:16


Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life. Rom 5:18
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: Gal 3:13
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Rom 3:24
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Heb 10:14

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Phil 1:10-11

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Rom 6:1-2
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Rom 6:14
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom 8:12-14

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Rom 1:16-17
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Gal 5:18
against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Gal 5:23-25
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. Jn 15:2-4

Apparently none of us are fully walking in the Spirit or we would be living Christ's life.* Hence our experience is a mixture of the man of Romans 7 & 8. Is there condemnation because we experience Romans 7?

* earthly life, however long, honored, or useful it may be, is but childhood, frail, imperfect, and undeveloped. Manhood, with its full, perfect, glorious development, will come, [when?] when, freed from the taint of sin [i.e., the law of sin], we stand among the redeemed throng. Then we shall enjoy a life which measures with the life of God, and through everlasting ages we shall go on increasing in wisdom and knowledge. [EGW]

Why "then"? will "we shall enjoy a life which measures with the life of God"? Why not now? The reason EGW gives is "the taint of sin". What does that mean? The same as "the law of sin". To be tainted with sin means to be defiled or polluted with sin.

Jack puts it this way: Because man by nature is “shapen in iniquity,” all the righteousness produced by him through his own efforts [the law of my mind] is like filthy rags before God, because it is polluted with self-love [sin].