Monday, February 9, 2015

no condemnation...no separation


During a trip to Brevard, North Carolina, we followed a Waterfall Hunting Guide in search of one beautiful waterfall after another. We marveled at the continual washing of water over the rocks, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and yet it continued. In the same way, it is the continual washing of the water of the word of God, over and over, that helps me grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As I allow the continual washing of the Word to soak into my heart and mind, I begin to think less of me and my performance and more of Jesus and His performance for me. It
is continually receiving Christ’s words, “It is finished,” into new and deeper parts of my heart every day.

It’s going back to the certainty of my pardon in Christ and hitting the refresh button a thousand times a day. Martin Luther said in his Lectures on Romans, “To progress is always to begin again.” Real spiritual progress requires a daily going backwards. Growing closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does not happen by behaving better, but by believing better--believing in bigger, deeper, brighter ways what Christ has already secured for sinners like me.


The eighth chapter of Romans is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It beautifully begins with “no condemnation” and marvelously ends with “no separation.”


If Holy Scripture was a ring, and the epistle to the Romans a precious stone, Chapter 8 would be the sparkling point of the jewel.--Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705)


Romans 8:1..."no condemnation"...
Amplified: Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.
KJV: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Moule: So no adverse sentence is there now, in view of this great fact of our redemption, for those in Christ Jesus.
NLT: So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Phillips: No condemnation now hangs over the head of those who are "in" Jesus Christ.
Wuest: Therefore, now, there is not even one bit of condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Young's Literal: Not even one therefore now adverse judgment & resultant punishment to those in Christ Jesus
The Message: With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air.
Romans 8:39..."no separation"...
Amplified:
Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
ICB: nothing above us, nothing below us, or anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
KJV:  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NLT: Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Phillips: neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God's whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord!
Wuest: nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Young's Literal: nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Message: None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.


No condemnation; blessed is the word!
No separation; forever with the Lord,
By His blood He bought us, cleansed our every stain;
With rapture now we'll praise Him.
The Lamb for sinners slain.
- J. Denham Smith


The verdict is final. The case is never going to be re-tried—irrevocable. On that we can rest—we are accepted on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Take a few moments to allow this Truth to wash over you in this marvelous rendition of Press On by Selah...
when the valley is deep, when the mountain is steep
when the body is weary, when we stumble and fall
when the choices are hard, when we're battered and scarred
when we've spent our resources, when we given our all
in Jesus' name, we press on
in Jesus' name, we press on
Dear Lord, with the prize clear before our eyes,
we find the strength to press on


Was this encouraging to you?
Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below. I’d love to hear from you!

Linking up with these wonderful websites
as an encourager…

 

22 comments:

  1. I love this Beth: “To progress is always to begin again.” We have to begin and begin and begin - again. Thank you for touching my heart that repeated beginnings are part of the process. I love that you were the first Linkup on Purposeful Faith; it is a joy to read you on the #RaRalinkup!

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    1. Thank you, Kelly, it is such a blessing to join you and other sweet sisters in Christ on #RaRaLinkUp each week...such wonderful encouragement ❤️

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  2. Romans 8 is one of my favorites too. It was great to read your perspective on it. The idea of spiritual progression requiring a "daily going backwards" is great! No condemnation; No Separation, Amen! Thank you for this spiritual pick me up today, Beth. So glad to have connected with you via #RaRaLinkup. :)

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    1. Thank you so much for taking time to leave such an encouraging comment, Tina! I have really enjoyed connecting with all the sweet sisters in Christ over at Kelly's place :)

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  3. "It beautifully begins with “no condemnation” and marvelously ends with “no separation.”"
    I had never looked at it that way. It is truly beautiful. Thanks for pointing it out!

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    1. Kathryn, thank you so much for leaving your sweet comment. It is a blessing to me to know that others are encouraged by what our Lord Jesus Christ has used to encourage me. Many blessings to you!

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  4. Beautiful and encouraging! I love searching out waterfalls when we travel. I will think on this Scripture passage next time we see one. Amos 5:24 has been my favorite though: "But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

    glad I was your "neighbor" today on The Weekend Brew

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    1. Kym, thank you so much to stopping by from over at The Weekend Brew and leaving such an encouraging comment. I love that passage from Amos, thank you for sharing :)

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  5. Your post is a big "yes". The continual washing of the word over us and the soaking in of all His truths. I know I need to hit refresh day after day. Thank you for this reminder today. Blessed to be your neighbor at Faith and Friends Blog Hop.

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    1. Thank you so much for these sweet words of encouragement...I was also encouraged by your great post today...especially this, "God knows just what we need and desires to pull us into His inhale of grace as soon as we let go of the schedules that crowd our days. He calls us to stop, rest and let Him renew our very souls. He calls us to listen and read the promises that are ours in His word." Thank you so much for sharing :)

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  6. How I like this: "growing closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does not happen by behaving better, but by believing better" - I like it very much!

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    1. Thank you so much for your encouraging comment...I stopped by your post today and was so inspired by your quote, "spent time with the God who is the architect for not only this soul maintenance and restoration but for the challenging business of building God-designed dreams in a broken world"...so true...keeping my eyes fixed on Him, believing Him better every day...many blessings to you :)

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  7. Beth,
    This encourages me: "Martin Luther said in his Lectures on Romans, “To progress is always to begin again.” And I also love Romans 8...and the quote about how it is about believing better bc it is the source of how we live ...blessings to you :) Thanks!

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    1. Dolly, thank you so much for your encouraging comments...many blessings to you ❤️

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  8. I'm your neighbor at Sunday Stillness today. Romans 8 is one of my favorite passages.

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    1. Michele, thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your comment. So good to have sweet sisters in Christ to share Scripture favorites with!

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  9. Good truth. Our pastor's sermons the last couple weeks have been from Romans 8 - focusing on those two phrases, "no condemnation" and "no separation." Very encouraging.

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    1. Abi, thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your comment! Romans 8 is a wonderful source of Scripture for in-depth study...we can never truly mine the depth and the breadth of God's Word...always encouraging :) Many blessings to you!

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  10. This is so gorgeous and refreshing, Beth! I love your use of all of the versions to really get to the heart of the Scripture. So true - wise decisions bring us fuller life and fewer problems, but all we need is grace - that's where everything begins and ends! Thanks for this!

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    1. Jackie, thank you so much for your encouraging comments. It is such a blessing to know others are encouraged just as I have been by His Word...truly all is grace :)

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  11. What amazing, incredible truth! Thanks for allowing our hearts to focus on His Word and meditate on the provisions made for us in Christ. So glad you linked up at Grace and Truth. :)

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    1. Thank you so much for taking time to stop by from Grace and Truth and leave such an encouraging comment. I so agree with you about allowing our hearts to meditate on the provisions already made for us in Christ. Truly amazing! Many blessings to you.

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