“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)
In Romans chapter 8:1 the apostle Paul delivers one of the most profound statements in the entire Bible “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” So, it is true to say all things outside of Christ are subject to condemnation, it is equally valid to say the opposite is true, for those who are in Christ there is no condemnation.
What then does it mean to be fully found in his salvation? There is a story in the Old Testament that paints a picture of what it means to be in Christ as a historical and prophetic foreshadowing of the day of the Lord; the account of Noah the preacher of repentance and the wrath and judgement of God in sending the great world flood.
In Genesis chapters 6-9 we are given the account of Noah and the great flood. It says in Genesis 6 that wickedness abounded in the earth and that God was going to bring judgment on the earth and wipe out the entire human race, but one man found favor with the Lord and he chose to spare him, that man was Noah. It says that Noah was blameless and that he walked faithfully with God.
The world was wicked, and the scripture says that the people only thought of evil all the time. God warned Noah that he was going to flood the entire world and commanded him to build a massive ark and when it was complete to fill it with a pair of every kind of animal and his family and that they would all be spared from the coming judgment. All who were in the ark would be saved. It took about 120 years to build the ark.
“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Hebrews 11:7 (ESV)
All who were in the Ark were saved from the wrath and judgement of God. Don’t kid yourself about who God is, he hates sin so much that he destroyed all of humanity except for eight people. God is holy and there is no way to overstate that. God’s rebellious and wayward creation deserved destruction but, in his mercy, he gave a singular loving way of escape, but the wicked rejected it.
To be in Christ is like being in the ark; you are saved from God’s condemnation and judgement. Peter uses the example of the flood when speaking of the coming day of the Lord’s final judgment for the wicked and salvation for the righteous.
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.” 2 Peter 2:4-6 (ESV)
We live in a time where people live in open and unrepentant wickedness, secular atheism is seen as logical wisdom and we use the religion of science to judge the value and truth of God’s own word. People scoff and mock at the creation account or the idea of a worldwide flood or a sovereign God who is coming back to bring judgment on the unrepentant wicked and to claim his bride the church. Many people who claim to be Christians so easily tolerate this blasphemy and do nothing to stand up to it.
Like Noah, we must live blameless lives and obediently preach righteousness and the gospel as the world scoffs and mocks us. Noah took God at his word and believed him and obeyed him and spent 120 years building the ark and pointing to it as the only way to be saved from the coming judgement. We too must obey God and spend our lives pointing to the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation from the coming eternal judgement. To be in Christ means that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the scripture alone, all for the glory of God alone.
“Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:3-7 (ESV)
I am sure Peter used the comparison of the flood when speaking of the coming judgement of the Lord because he had heard it before when Jesus was preaching during his earthly ministry. What makes Jesus’ comparison so much more compelling though is the fact that he is the very God who sent the flood during the time of Noah.
This the kindness and mercy of God, to use his past judgement as a warning to us. We have evidence that God is serious and will keep his promises towards humanity. To those who humbly heed his warning he promises salvation and grace, but to those who harden their hearts and ignore the warning he promises judgement and condemnation. God will always keep his word.
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:36-39 (ESV)
Leaving out hell, eternal suffering and the righteous judgement and wrath of God when presenting the gospel because we want to be loving or kind is like Going into a burning house and calmly telling people they should go outside because it's a beautiful day, rather than telling them to get out of the house because it is on fire.
It is because of love we preach the truth and repentance from sin. It is because of love we urgently preach the gospel and the full counsel of God according to Scripture. The house is on fire and it's burning down fast. Get out while there is still time!
In Christ,
Pastor Joshua
Joshua West is a pastor, evangelist, and author. He is also director of the World Challenge Pastors Network.
