Scott Worthington
Anchored Week 1: No Condemnation
Anchored: A Journey Through Romans 8
Oct 12, 2025Romans 8:1-11
In week 1 of Anchored: A Journey Through Romans 8, Pastor Scott Worthington preached from Romans 8:1–11.
As followers of Jesus, we’ve been freed by God from the penalty of sin! But that doesn’t mean we won’t still struggle with it.
In the struggle against sin, we can easily get discouraged and feel condemned. But, the Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! We can get back up when we fall because God is continuing to free us from the power of sin—and when He returns, He will free us from the presence of sin.
If you’ve been feeling defeated or discouraged in your struggle against sin, this sermon is for you.
Sermon Notes
Anchored: A Journey Through Romans 8
No Condemnation // Romans 8:1-11
“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. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:1-11
“If we are cut loose from the anchor of God's Word, we will not be free. We will be slaves of personal passions and popular trends.” John Piper
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8
“[Romans] is the fullest, plainest and grandest statement of the gospel in the New Testament.” John Stott
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” Romans 7:24–25 (NLT)
5 Realities:
1. Because of Christ, Jesus followers have been set free from sin (v.1-4)
“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4
“The law exposes and defines our sin but there is no earthly power to make us clean. The blot is indelible. Only God can remove our sin, which is what the gospel is. In His Son there is no condemnation for His people. There is condemnation for their sin, but it is condemned in Christ and removed.” R.C. Sproul
5 Realities:
2. Because of sin, Jesus followers continue to struggle with the flesh (v.5-6)
If you’re a Jesus Follower:
1. God has freed us from the penalty of sin
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
If you’re a Jesus Follower:
2. God is freeing us from the power of sin
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
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If you’re a Jesus Follower:
3. God will free us from the presence of sin
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5
“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24
“If you are living under the rule of the flesh, then you should stand in fear because you will not enter the coming kingdom. Those who come to faith in Christ by grace alone are new people. While they will still wrestle with sin, the flesh will not dominate them. They have new desires and new power to live. Our good works do not save us, but true salvation leads to fruitfulness and faithfulness.” David Platt
When you look at the fruit of your life, what does that reveal about where you set your mind most often?
Holiness is not the absence of sin; it’s the presence of a struggle.
5 Realities:
3. Because of the flesh, we were hostile to God and hopeless apart from Christ (v.7-8)
“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:7-8
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
5 Realities:
4. Because of Christ, Jesus followers are indwelt with the Spirit (v.9-10)
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:9-10
5 Realities:
5. Because of the Spirit, we can now live the life of a Jesus follower (v.11)
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
P — Preach the Gospel to Yourself
T — Take Sin Seriously
L — Live Free
Sermon Notes
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