Unilateral Intervention

2007-08-25

One of the basic truths of the Faith according to the Bible can be found in 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.” There are many things one could point out about this particular verse that set those of the Faith apart from those of various religious traditions around the world. Paul had just written about the complexity of the struggles that people have when they try to fulfill the Law (or any self-imposed behavioral standards) in their own effort. The conclusion he comes to is none other than thanksgiving toward God; God has saved him from his sinfulness in Jesus Christ.

According to the context of this passage, those “who walk... after the Spirit” are all believers. We know this from Romans 8:9: “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.” For me personally, one of the keys to walking with God is knowing this truth. Romans 5:1 says that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. God does not condemn us regardless of anything that we do or say down here on the earth. I do not believe that this truth could ever be overemphasized. Motivation for living for Christ all begins here: knowing that God unilaterally saved the human race in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we need to bring or are able to bring to the table to have acceptance from God.