No Condemnation
No Condemnation
Mark 14:66–72 (NIV)
66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.
67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.
69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”
70 Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
In my youth I used to worry about what I would do if someone threatened to kill, or worse, torture me unless I denied Christ. I was pretty certain that I would fail Jesus and say whatever it took to save my skin.
This was such a big concern to me that early in my life I ruled out the idea of becoming a missionary. The way I saw it, the risk of real persecution was much greater over in the jungles of Africa—where I thought all true missionaries went to serve.
It was my very clear understanding that this weakness made me a second-class Christian, but I decided that was a price I simply had to pay. It was better than losing my salvation and ending up in hell.
Scripture like this came to my mind:
2 Timothy 2:11–13 (NIV)
11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
I didn’t read this carefully enough. All I could see was that He would disown, or deny, me. But the scripture actually says that if I died with Him, I will live with Him. It goes on to say that if I am unfaithful, He will remain faithful.
The word disown (or deny in some translations) here is arneomai, which means “to deny”, to say no.
I was missing that those who deny Him in this passage are those who say no to His gift of grace. This is why the last sentence says that even if we are unfaithful, or faithless, He remains faithful. His great love and His gift of grace remains as we are told in Romans 11:29 (NIV) which says, “for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”
When we are crucified with Christ and raised in Him to new life, God will never deny or disown us because to do that, He would have to deny or disown Himself, which is just what this passage in 2 Timothy tells us.
My concerns were grounded in lies from the enemy and a lot of bad theology.
After Peter’s failure (see Mark 14:66-72), Jesus was crucified. After His resurrection, Jesus had another interaction with Peter.
To set the stage a little here, Peter had been fishing all night, but caught nothing. As morning came, Jesus yelled out to the disciples on the boat and told them to cast their net on the other side. When they did that, they caught a net full of huge fish. It was then that Peter recognized that it was the Lord who had called to them and caused the huge catch.
The disciples, led by the typically demonstrative Peter, who “threw himself” into the water to get to shore more quickly, ate fish—which, notably, were already on the fire when they got there—with Jesus for breakfast.
John 21:15–17 (NIV)
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Notice that right at the start Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus more than “these.” What Jesus is asking Peter hinges on what is being referred to by the word “these.”
“Three possibilities are suggested by Bible translators: (this entire section is taken from the NET Bible notes)
(1) τούτων (toutōn) should be understood as neuter, “these things,” referring to the boats, nets, and fishing gear nearby.” In this case, “Jesus, as he restores Peter and forgives him for his denials, is asking Peter if he really loves his previous vocation more than he loves Jesus. The choice being offered to Peter between material things and the risen Jesus would seem rather ridiculous, especially after the disciples had realized whom it was they were dealing with.
(2) τούτων refers to the other disciples, meaning “Do you love me more than you love these other disciples?” The same objection would apply here: Could the author, in light of the realization of who Jesus is which has come to the disciples after the resurrection, and which he has just mentioned, seriously present Peter as being offered a choice between the other disciples and the risen Jesus?
This leaves option (3), that τούτων refers to the other disciples, meaning “Do you love me more than these other disciples do?” It seems likely that there is some irony here: Peter had boasted in 13:37, “I will lay down my life for you,” and the synoptics (specifically the books of Matthew and Mark) present Peter as boasting even more explicitly of his loyalty to Jesus (“Even if they all fall away, I will not,” Matt 26:33; Mark 14:29). Thus the semantic force of what Jesus asks Peter here amounts to something like “Now, after you have denied me three times, as I told you you would, can you still affirm that you love me more than these other disciples do?”” --NET Bible.
I think this third option is very much preferred. Jesus refers to Peter’s failure, but only indirectly. There is no hint of condemnation; no requirement that Peter ask to be forgiven; no penance or act of contrition required. Jesus merely shows Peter that bragging about how much he loves Jesus is not what Jesus wants from Peter.
Peter’s repeated response, “you know that I love you” shows that he is no longer making claims about himself. Instead, he defers to Jesus’ intimate knowledge of him. He doesn’t set out to prove his love and devotion as we have come to expect him to do. Rather, he acknowledges that he is fully known and trusts that will be enough.
His actions in the moment were out of line with it, but Peter’s heart was one of love for the Lord because at his core he believed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The truth upon which the Church is built and stands.
His faith has shifted from faith in himself, to complete dependence on Jesus.
Paul faced a similar situation to Peter, but being more cerebral, he expressed it differently.
Romans 7:15–25 (NIV)
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
Notice here that his desire is to do the right thing.
18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
Sin dwells in the flesh. We know that this sin is not in his nature—as it was before his conversion when he was in Adam—because the very next statement he makes is that his heart’s desire at the deepest level is to act righteously.
(Some may have noticed that I suggested that Paul was referring to his life after salvation here. Please do not read too much into that. I am not at all ready to bleed for that. There are strong reasons to read this passage in Romans 7 as referring to Paul before salvation. My view is that the message is the same either way. The grace of God in Jesus Christ is the answer to the problem.)
Who we are is not determined by what we do. Who we are is determined by our birth.
22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
I’m sure this is the way Peter felt when that rooster crowed. I know it’s the way I felt a lot of the time before I understood the whole truth of the grace of God.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
I’ve certainly cried out to God like this before. I’ve spent many hours and days beating myself up over habitual and recurring acts of ungodliness. I’ve allowed the enemy to lie to me and get me to feel guilty, unacceptable, and undeserving of God’s kindness.
This is why Peter wept bitterly. This is why many people struggle with a negative self-image. The enemy tempts us to sin and then accuses us of failure. And he’s right! We did fail!
But God…
25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in [the flesh (sarx)] a slave to the law of sin.
Now we find an unfortunate chapter break. I’m not sure if you ever really thought about this, but verse numbers and chapter breaks were not in the original manuscripts. Never allow them to divide a single thought into two pieces. Romans 8:1 is a continuation of Paul’s discourse, and we know this because it begins with the word “therefore.”
So again; the enemy tempts us to sin and then accuses us of failure. And he’s right! We did fail!
But God…
Romans 8:1–2 (NIV)
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
This new law—the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus—has (past tense) set you free from the law of sin and death. The law of sin and death is famously expressed by Paul elsewhere in Romans this way, “the wages of sin is death.” Sin leads to death; death is its natural consequence. Sin isn’t good for you. But sin no longer rules over you. You are no longer a slave to it.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” John says Christ is the life. Paul says “to live is Christ” and “Christ is your life.” Jesus said, “this is eternal life, to know [the Father] and the One He has sent”, namely, Jesus.
Romans 8:3–4 (NIV)
3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
So, the Law handed down to Moses on tablets of stone—and the other 603 ordinances in the Mitzvah—could not do this. Jesus told the Pharisees in John 5:39–40 (NIV) “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
The Law couldn’t do it because nature we inherited from Adam prevented us from obeying. Before we were in Christ, our very nature was to sin. Now that we are in Christ, our nature is Christ-like. We still contend with the flesh—our habitual way of understanding and coping in the world. We are accustomed to walking by sight. To using our senses.
But we are to put our trust in Jesus’ blood and His righteousness.
Because the Spirit of the Living God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, lives in us, we are now partakers of the divine nature. Peter, who at one time denied Christ, is actually the one who points this out to us!
2 Peter 1:3–4 (NIV)
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Paul continues in Romans clarifying his point.
Romans 8:5–8 (NIV)
5 Those who live according to the flesh (sarx) have their minds set on what the flesh (sarx) desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 The mind governed by the flesh (sarx) is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
7 The mind governed by the flesh (sarx) is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh (sarx) cannot please God.
Those who are in the flesh, those who are walking only by sight, those who have denied God and said “no” to God’s gift of grace, cannot please Him. The mind set on the flesh is not even able to do so, as the text points out. That’s slavery. That’s where those who choose not to believe God find themselves.
For those who have not obstinately told God no, those who have not rejected His gracious gift, there is wonderful news.
Romans 8:9–11 (NIV)
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh (sarx) but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
What Paul is telling us here is that our behavior will naturally change. We find this in other places as well.
Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Titus 2:11–12 (NIV)
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
Dr. Andrew Farley says, “The message of “Jesus plus nothing” from start to finish is often too humbling for us to swallow. Instead, we opt for performance hoops to jump through in order to impress God. Sure, we trust him alone for salvation and a place in heaven. But when it comes to daily living, it’s difficult to fathom that he wants to be our resource and carry the load.”
If the Spirit of God lives in you, you have been freed. You have been forgiven. You are not guilty. You are righteous and you have a clean new heart. You want to do what is right. You want to obey and live a godly life.
Who we are is not determined by what we do. Who we are is determined by our birth.
Put your faith in Jesus Christ alone. He will see to all the details. He promises rest for your soul, not striving to meet some performance target. It is His will that all should come to salvation. He isn’t trying to keep people out on a technicality.
