Life In The Spirit
I remember what it felt like to be picked last. Standing on the edge of the schoolyard baseball diamond, waiting with forced nonchalance as names were called—one by one—until it was just me and one other kid. You know the drill. The team captain sighs and says, “I guess we’ll take him.” No eye contact. No high-fives. Just a glove that barely fit and the long walk out to right field, where nobody expected the ball to come—and when it did, it only proved why I was picked last in the first place.
It’s funny how those moments stick. Even now, long after the awkward years of gym class have passed, that feeling of not being enough still lingers. And it turns out, I’m not the only one. It doesn’t matter how strong, fast, smart, or successful someone appears—almost everyone carries some version of that “picked last” feeling. A memory. A wound. A whisper that says: you don’t measure up.
And then we come to Romans 8:1.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, NIV)
What a sentence. What a gift.
This isn’t just a verse to toss on a coffee mug or bookmark (though, let’s be honest, it deserves the space). This is the heartbeat of the gospel. In this one declaration, Paul tells us what our souls most desperately need to hear: you are no longer defined by your failures—not by the strikeouts, not by the secret shame, not by the sin that once owned you. In Christ, you are not condemned. You are free.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. In the verses that follow (Romans 8:2–17), he begins to build a case—not just for our forgiveness, but for our transformation. Yes, we’ve been set free from the law of sin and death. But we’ve also been set free for life in the Spirit. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in us (v.11). This isn’t behavior modification.
This is resurrection.
Let that sink in for a second.
We don’t fight temptation and sin in our own strength. We don’t have to “white-knuckle” our way to holiness. The Spirit empowers us to live differently, to think differently, to love differently. As Paul puts it, the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace (v.6).
And maybe that’s the part we need to hear today—because some of us are still trying to earn God’s approval. Still stuck in that old playground logic of performance and perfection. But the kingdom of God isn’t a pickup game where only the best get chosen. It’s a family where the Father adopts you not because you earned it, but because He loves you. He chooses you. He delights in you.
“The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:15)
Abba. Father.
Not Judge. Not Taskmaster. Father.
In Christ, we are no longer slaves to fear. We are sons and daughters of the King. And if we are children, then we are heirs—co-heirs with Christ (v.17). That’s the beauty of the gospel. Not only are we forgiven, we are welcomed. Not only are we accepted, we are adopted.
So what does this mean for us, practically?
It means that when guilt creeps in, we don’t have to spiral into shame. We preach Romans 8:1 to our own hearts. No condemnation. None. Not now. Not ever.
It means we stop trying to fight sin with sheer willpower and instead surrender to the Spirit—asking Him to renew our minds, change our desires, and strengthen our steps.
It means we stop seeing God as distant or disappointed and start drawing near to Him as a child does to a loving parent. With trust. With honesty. With hope.
It means we live like people who are on our way home. Yes, the journey is messy. Yes, we stumble. But as C.S. Lewis once said, “It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us… the very sign of His presence.”
A Challenge to Live Differently
So here’s the invitation: Would you dare to believe that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you? Would you let that truth not only shape your theology but also your identity?
You are not condemned.
You are not abandoned.
You are not stuck.
You are free.
You are loved.
You are God’s child.
This week, choose to live from that identity. Spend time in the Word. Ask the Spirit to guide your thoughts and decisions. When the old lies whisper, “You’re not good enough,” answer with this truth:
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
May that truth anchor your heart and renew your soul.
And if you’ve never taken that step of trusting Jesus—of stepping out of condemnation and into freedom—maybe today is the day. Jesus has already done the work. He’s just waiting for you to say “yes.”