"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1 (ESV)"The sum of the whole is this -- when we are united to Christ, there is no condemnation; not only is the guilt of sin taken away, but its power also is subdued. It is not said, 'to them that are in Christ Jesus' simply, but they are described as 'walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit' -- so that no one may falsely flatter himself with the freedom purchased by Christ while he remains a slave to the flesh."
John Calvin, *Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans*"The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man -- and the dogma is the drama. The plot centers on the tremendous act of a Creator who has to remake His own creation from the inside. And if you think that is something that can be 'got hold of' without effort, you are mistaken. It is a dogma, a tremendous assertion of fact, and the boldest offer ever made by God to man."
Dorothy Sayers, *Creed or Chaos?*"He, indeed, assumed humanity that we might become God. He manifested Himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the insolence of men that we might inherit immortality. For He was not injured in Himself, but delivered His own body to death for the salvation of men. Thus the Word of God, who is above all, offered His own temple, His bodily instrument, as a substitute for the life of all, satisfying the debt by His death."
Athanasius, *On the Incarnation*, §54"The beginning of the love of God is the renunciation of the world and of all sensual desire. But there is still viler and more subtle idolatry -- the worship of our own will. To be pure in heart is to will one thing -- the will of God. But this is the hardest of all renunciations, for it means the death of the self-will which we cherish more than anything else. The man who has made this renunciation has found freedom from the torment of indecision."
Søren Kierkegaard, *Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing*If the verdict over your life is already "no condemnation," what are you still afraid to bring into the light?
"It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given to us in generous measure for accomplishing the greatest things, if the whole of it is well invested. But when life is squandered in soft and careless living, when it is spent on no worthwhile goal, we are finally forced to feel our loss as we feel its end. So it is: we are not given a short life -- we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it."
Seneca, *On the Shortness of Life*, §1Clear | 38°F | Humidity: 87% | Wind: ↘ 6 mph