The Uncondemned Can Endure the Body of Sin
Heshimu Colar

(Rom 8:33-34) "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Nobody has a right to condemn anyone that Christ has justified by His own blood. Satan does not have authority at the Day of Judgment. The Man Christ Jesus, the One who died for us, is the only One who has authority to condemn, and no one has any right to question or bring a charge of accusation against anyone whom He has justified.

(Ps 34:19) "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." (Ps 37:24) "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." My enjoyment of His grace may fluctuate according to my own feebleness, but no one can change the meritorious sufferings that are attributed to Christ's great name. In vs34, the "… yea rather" is critical. The death of the Lord Jesus was the fulfillment of all things the Scripture spoke concerning the eternal justification and glorification of God's elect, and His resurrection is God's testimony that He is worthy for us to be conformed into His image. Our justification is not based upon our own faithfulness, but we forever stand in the faithfulness of One. Who is he that condemneth? Let him bring his charge against us, and by faith we'll bring the accuser to the court of heaven and let him deal with the Son of God. How can the Judge condemn us? It is Christ that died. Satan has no case. Sin must be found in Christ our Mediator before any rightful accusation can ever be laid against us His elect.

Our INABILITY to completely glorify God is painful to us. The glorious liberty of the children of God is the final redemption of these bodies of sin; only our deliverance into perfected bodies will finally us to glorify God with all of our being. Right now, while we wait for this redemption and glorious liberty, we "which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves… (Rom 8:23)." We want to give God glory, but we cannot until the Spirit manifests Christ in our deliverance. We pray and desire to rely upon the Spirit, yet we're brought down lower than we'd want to go. Sometimes we call upon His Name for comfort, and though comfort never fails, He makes us wait beyond all natural patience until the glory of self and the strength of self are rent from our grasp.

We can endure all manner of tribulation as long as we know that we're not condemned. DO NOT DESPAIR OF HOPE, or you'll rob yourself of the comfort of His Promise. "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it (Rom 8:24-25)." If you deliver yourself it will only be sin, so wait for His deliverance. The wise man diligently considers the house of the wicked (especially in time of travail), but the house built upon sand (although seemingly fun-filled right now) will surely perish. Every time that we deliver ourselves we fail. WAIT.

Knowing our weakness, the Lord Jesus Christ has given us the Holy Spirit to make perfect intercession on our behalf before the throne of God. (Rom 8:26-27) "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession… for the saints according to the will of God (Rom 8:26-27)." Our infirmities make us too ignorant and unbelieving to know WHAT we ought to pray for as we ought. Yet, the Spirit makes perfect intercession, and He gains us exactly what we need. Even in our ignorance, God is always accomplishing our deliverance. Maybe, you need to have your eyes veiled from the glory of Christ to humble you, so that you don't think so reproachfully about your brethren. Maybe, God needs to allow you to fail, so that you trust less in the strength of the flesh and the imagined independent strength of your new man. Maybe, you need to be allowed to temporarily stumble in a path of rebellion until your soul cries out for deliverance. Maybe, the Lord is preparing your discouraged soul for His service, so He'll speedily delivered you for the encouragement of someone else. The wisdom and love of God the Holy Spirit is too great for our comprehension, but being uncondemnable in Christ (vs28) "… we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

God has an end purpose for His people, and He sees the end from the beginning. We may feel forsaken, we may feel wretched, we may feel defeated, we may feel like we'll never make it, but you can rest assured that (vs29)"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Let, us get this clear, salvation first and foremost is something that God has done for His Son, and in the great love He has for His Son. The Lord Jesus is so utterly glorified before God our Father that He has predestinated to have many sons like Him. Although it was veiled except for special occasions when He unveiled Himself on the mount of Transfiguration, Christ's humanity was glorified because it was in perfect union with His eternal Deity. Now, the human nature of Jesus Christ is glorified because He glorified the Father in bringing grace unto us. We have been predestinated to forever stand under the headship of Jesus Christ in the perfection of His glorified humanity. Being justified and above condemnation, everything that happens is to bring us unto this expected end of glorification… so that the Father might be glorified in the Son.

(vs32) Our God, who didn't spare His own Son, cannot conceivably spare any good thing unto us His elect. It is not possible for Him to be against us or to deny any promise of His grace. The love of Christ is revealed unto us THROUGH the sufferings that we conquer (vs35-39). Our God allowed us to fall prey to the greatest of foes… Himself. Yet, He is the One who justified us by fulfilling the Law we'd broken. And, while we must suffer the afflictions of the righteous, our travails (and no matter how many are self-imposed) manifest His love to us through our deliverance. This knowledge of spiritual deliverance and freedom from all condemnation in Christ is the very power whereby the new man is strengthened to glorify Him.

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