No condemnation to those in Christ

Romans 8:1-2 (NJKV)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

"There is no accusation against them,' for this there is; but the accusation is thrown out, and the indictment quashed. He does not say, "There is nothing in them that deserves condemnation,' for this there is, and they see it, and own it, and mourn over it, and condemn themselves for it; but it shall not be their ruin. He does not say, "There is no cross, no affliction to them or no displeasure in the affliction,' for this there may be; but no condemnation. They may be chastened of the Lord, but not condemned with the world.  ~ Matthew Henry

Rich Doebler of Cloquet, Minnesota wrote - I enjoy theme parks. It’s great fun to get away with family and friends taking in the shows and rides. But sometimes the very thing that appears to offer a great thrill becomes an awful trap that takes us on a wild ride. Rick Doebler of Cloquet, Minnesota, tells of his own experience.

“Some years ago, while our family was vacationing in northern Minnesota, we decided to visit a small county fair near the town of Babbitt. There weren’t many people there that morning. In fact, we were about the only ones visiting the carnival rides. So when I climbed into the Tilt-O-Wheel with my three kids, we hoped the operator would give us a decent ride – even though we were the only ones on it.

“Little did we know what we were getting involved in. The first few minutes were rather fun. We laughed and enjoyed the funny feeling inside our stomachs. But after a while, it got to be not so much fun. And after some more time – way past the length of an ordinary ride – I began to feel queasy.

“I wanted to get out, but I couldn’t. First, we were going too fast to escape. Second, the centrifugal force had me pressed firmly against the back of the car. I was immobilized. Every time we spun past the operator, I looked pleadingly at him. ‘Please! Read my eyes! I need to get off!’ But the operator kept the ride going. I guess he thought he’d let it run until more customers showed up.

“After another few minutes, the ride became miserable. The funny feeling inside my stomach had turned into a churning concoction that had a faint resemblance of my morning's breakfast. I had no control over my life. I was caught, going around in circles, held down by a merciless carnival ride operator.

“Only after what seemed like three or four hours did he finally relent and stop the ride. I’m sure I looked completely green by this time. I staggered off the platform and made it about 20 feet, where I bent over and lost my breakfast. Of course, my kids gathered around, cheering me on. They thought this was the best part of the ride.”

At first sin appears to be appealing, attractive, and fun; but then it can begin to have terrifying effects upon us. Thankfully Christ took away the condemnation of sin. We may still face the consequences as Rich did upon exiting the ride, but at least the ride was over and the torment he felt came to an end.