Conditions

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.   Romans 8:1  NASB

No condemnation – More than anything I want this verse to be true.  “No condemnation,” οὐδέν κατάκριμα (ouden katakrima) in Greek is very strong.  The “no” is unconditional.  “No one, nothing, not ever” is the sense of it.  That’s good news.  According to Paul, those who are in Yeshua HaMashiach will never be condemned.  No one can ever hold them guilty.

I need to hear that.  I didn’t grow up Catholic, but I inherited plenty of guilt.  As one of our friends in Italy says, “Every Italian knows he is guilty.  He doesn’t know why; he just knows that he is.”  That sounds a lot like me.  There’s something wrong in my life.  I don’t exactly know why (I can guess about some of it), but I know how I feel—and how I feel a lot of the time is guilty.  So, Paul’s statement is a real relief.  It’s more that than.  It’s freedom.  No condemnation.

Paul makes this strong negative even stronger with his next Greek word.  You see, it isn’t just the plain, vanilla word for judgment.  That would be krísis, a word much like the Hebrew mišpāṭ meaning “to rule, to judge, to value or evaluate.” Since I grew up with God as Judge, I’m quite familiar with the emotional consequences of krísis.  Guilt!  God, the Judge of all Mankind, evaluates my life and discovers that I am guilty.  It’s no surprise to me.  I’ve always known I was guilty.  I’m not Italian so I can probably figure out why I feel like this, but it doesn’t change my view of who I am or who God is.  It’s wonderfully good news to hear that Paul says I am not condemned, and he says it by emphasizing the word.  When he adds that prefix kata, it’s like putting an exclamation point behind the idea.  NOT GUILTY!  In fact, NEVER GUILTY anymore.  What joy that would be!

Ah, but there’s just that one tiny, little condition.  A sort of nearly invisible pinhole in the acquittal.  It’s the phrase en Christos Iēsoús (“in Christ Jesus”).  I thought I was doing great.  I thought I could finally stop feeling that constant state of guilt.  I thought that I wouldn’t feel condemned anymore.  And then this tiny little pinhole expanded to the size of the universe.  I am only “not guilty” if I am “in Christ Jesus.”  That sounds to me like I am right back at square one.  Keep all the rules.  Be a good boy.  Don’t do anything wrong.  Isn’t that what “in Christ Jesus” means?  Didn’t he say, “If you love me you will keep all my commandments”?  But that’s exactly where I was before I read this verse.  The only difference is that God isn’t my Judge.  Now “Jesus” is.  Paul might have kept all the commandments so he qualifies as “in Christ Jesus” and isn’t condemned, but I’m not Paul.  I’m me, and I know for sure that I don’t keep all the commandments.  As it turns out, this verse is worse than no verse at all.  Even if I try to follow the Messiah, I still end up condemned.  What’s the use?

Do you think Paul intended us to fall through the pinhole in his theory?  Do you think he deliberately offered joy with one hand and pulled it back with the other?  I don’t think so, but that means I need to know why this verse offers real relief, real joy, rather than just being a clever way to make me feel even worse.

We’ll have to look deeper.

Topical Index:  no condemnation, ouden katakrima, in Christ Jesus, guilt, Romans 8:1