About This Video
Paul's message in Romans 8:1 emphasizes that those who are "in Christ Jesus" and "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" face no condemnation, reflecting the end of two significant judgments: the destruction of Jerusalem and the Great White Throne judgment. Shawn teaches that, in his interpretation, all scriptural prophecies have already been fulfilled, indicating believers no longer face future wrathful condemnation, establishing a spiritually-based Kingdom without end through Christ’s victorious work.
Shawn challenges the traditional belief that individuals immediately go to be with God after death, arguing instead that scripture describes an interim state where souls wait in hell or paradise for the Great White Throne Judgment, after which eternal destinations are determined. He emphasizes the need for more thoughtful and scripturally aligned interpretations rather than simplistic explanations, and suggests considering the gradual emergence of a spiritually based kingdom through the Messiah, transitioning from the old, physically based kingdom.
The teaching contrasts the old material religion with a new spiritual relationship, highlighting a transition from traditions based on lineage and rituals to a faith open to all, where believers themselves embody the temple and priesthood. This shift underscores the concept of eternal life brought by Christ, focusing on a direct, heart-led connection with God rather than adherence to the constraints of the law.
The teaching emphasizes the transition from a material-based religious era to a new spiritual age, marked by Jesus' coming and the transformative messages delivered by John the Baptist and the apostles. Key themes include the call for repentance and preparation for imminent changes, as illustrated in the teachings from Matthew 24-25.
The teaching highlights that the Kingdom of God is internal and unshakeable, written on our hearts and minds, and continues to increase, in contrast to the historical failures of material religious institutions, which have been characterized by division, manipulation, and violence. It emphasizes that God, governing all from His throne, reconciled the world to Himself, provides the freedom to choose, writes His laws in believers' hearts, and prioritizes the Spirit and love over rigid traditions.
Paul's teaching in Romans 8:1 emphasizes that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus who live by the Spirit rather than the flesh, marking a transition from a material, judgment-focused religious paradigm to an era where spiritual principles govern, and one's spiritual life is judged by the presence of virtues like love, joy, and peace. This shift also distinguishes between the two judgments faced by the people of that age: the physical judgment on Jerusalem and the spiritual Great White Throne judgment, with the new age focusing on spiritual living devoid of divine down-judgments.
All scripture passages have been fulfilled, indicating that the future age described by Jeremiah, Isaiah, and others is present; thus, a future Great White Throne judgment or impending wrath does not exist, as Christ's accomplished work has subjected all to His power and authority. Traditional interpretations of heaven, hell, and judgment are challenged by a model that emphasizes a shift from a physically based kingdom to a spiritually based one through the Messiah, with the 'absent from the body, present with the Lord' belief not aligning with biblical chronology.
Adam's sin introduced a material kingdom defined by laws and prophecy through figures like Abraham, leading to systems such as priesthood, genealogy, and animal sacrifices, which directed life towards Israel and promised paradise for the faithful. Through reconciliation, God established a spiritual kingdom where all believers, acting as temples and living sacrifices, are welcomed, and are guided by faith towards a New Jerusalem and new heavens and earth, transcending the need for traditional rites.
The birth of Christ signifies the beginning of a new age, introducing eternal life to believers and marking the end of the former material-focused religious era. Jesus's mission, supported by the call for repentance by John the Baptist and the teachings to the apostles, emphasizes preparation for his eventual return, as noted in Matthew 24-25 and seen in the apostolic church's foundation.
The teaching emphasizes that Christ's return is imminent and will bring judgment and salvation, eradicating material religion and leaving only the unshakable Kingdom of God within us. Historical attempts to maintain material religion have led to division, war, and abuse, highlighting the need to refocus on the spiritual, internal growth of God's eternal Kingdom.
God governs all from His throne, having reconciled the world to Himself, allowing everyone the freedom to choose their path while emphasizing that His Spirit should guide interpretations and actions to produce spiritual fruits like love and peace. Church traditions and material religion hold lesser importance compared to the primary role of the Spirit and its fruits in manifesting God's unconditional love and presence in believers' lives.
- Understanding Condemnation in Romans 8:1
- Assessing the Nature of Afterlife According to Scripture
- Examining Current Beliefs
- Comparing Material and Spiritual Realities
- The End of Material Religion
- Return of Christ
- Today
- Spiritual Interpretations and Condemnation
- Fulfillment of Scripture
- Two Realms: Material and Spiritual Kingdoms
- Coming of Jesus and Repentance
- Return of Christ
- God is All in All
- Spiritual Principles and Fruits of the Spirit
Understanding Condemnation in Romans 8:1
WELCOME
PRAYER
SONG
SILENCE
Romans 8:1 Analysis
Two Age Board Description
June 13th 2021
We left off at verse 1 which is a beautiful continuation of chapter 7’s personal message from Paul. At verse 1 he says,
Therefore, there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
And we talked about that direct message without any qualifiers or disqualifiers. We pointed out that there are two segments Paul attaches to believers not being under any condemnation. Remember?
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are . . .
in Christ Jesus, and then the second that Paul adds is
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Now, what I am about to teach is admittedly dicey relative to most of the Christian community. It’s part B of this verse but I would be remiss if I passed over this passage about condemnation without mentioning it.
Remember, two judgments faced “that world or that age” when Paul was writing. The first was the judgment of physical destruction of the former age of material religionThe biblical era of temples, laws, and rituals—ended in 70 A.D. to make way for spiritual freedom. which was carried out by the Romans when Jerusalem and her inhabitants were wiped out. John the Baptist came and said that “the axe was laid at the root of the tree” and that that tree was going to be cast into the fire.
That was the physical judgement that was going to fall upon Israel. And who would be destroyed? Whomever did not receive and believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent to save them.
The second condemnation everyone faced at that time is called the Great White Throne judgement. This judgment would occur when that age ended and would be signaled hell opening up and giving up her dead and then dead, small and great would go before the throne of God and if their names were not found in the Book they would be cast into the lake of Fire. Revelation points out that once this occurred, we would enter into a new age or a new economy, one where everything about the Kingdom is spiritually based – and there would never be an end to it.
So, when Paul says at verse 1
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
We have to talk about condemnation today, from God, in the lives of those who are His human creations.
The Meaning of Condemnation
The word “condemnation” is taken from the Greek is KATAKRINO – which is a compound word made up of Kata and Krino. Let’s first take the word “krino.” It means to “try someone as in a court of law, to decree, determine, esteem, judge, call into question or sentence.” Whenever we read the word Judge in the New Testament that is the word used – Krino. That in and of itself is a powerful word. But by adding kata, which means down to it as a prefix, we get the combined meaning of katakrino as “down-Judged.” Meaning an “adverse adjudication,” a down sentence or verdict, “a condemnation.”
Now, most people believe that down-judgments or condemnations from God upon us have been happening since Jesus ascended on out to this very moment and that God is and will forever more sending condemned people to hell – fiery, eternal and endless. Listen, this was certainly the case for all souls since the fall all the way out to Paul’s and even beyond. So, when Paul wrote this to the church at Rome what he said was absolutely true BECAUSE there was awaiting the two coming down-judgments as had been promised in scripture – the material down-judgment on Jerusalem and the Great White Throne down-judgement on the souls of all who died without Christ afterward.
Fulfillment of Scripture
Unique to my understanding of scripture (and others) is that I maintain that all the passages in scripture have been fulfilled and the age to come, which has been described in places by Jeremiah, Isaiah, the writer of Hebrews, and John the Revelator (in Revelation 21-22) and therefore the world’s inhabitants are no longer facing a wrathful condemnation to come NOR is the Great White Throne judgment going to happen in the future. From what I can see the finished victorious work of Christ bathed the heavens and earth in Him and His power in that day and all things in heaven and earth were placed under His feet but His Father. There are ten thousand ways to Sunday that the model I am about to share with you answers some chronological issues with what
Assessing the Nature of Afterlife According to Scripture
Christians have maintained, but they require more than just easy answers. For instance, I am doing a funeral for a man who was not religious but sought God and died tragically at his own hand. The standard response Christians would have to give his grieving mother is he is in hell. Some might say that right before he took his own life he asked Jesus into his heart thereby escaping hell altogether.
But the one that doesn’t make sense relative to scripture is what Christians say about Christians who die today. Do you know what they say? They say absent from the body present with the Lord. They say people go straight to the loving arms of God. That’s all great stuff… but it’s not biblical. Not biblically chronological.
Understanding Biblical Chronology
What the Bible describes is going to God in heaven after the Great White Throne Judgment not before. Before the Great White Throne judgment, people die and go to either hell or paradise and wait to be judged at the Great White Throne. Then the heavenly destinations are meted out for everyone. I mean it makes no sense for people to die in 522AD, go to heaven and live with God, only to be taken before him in the future and judged as to whether he belongs in heaven or not.
Examining Current Beliefs
So, relative to this passage, we have to ask ourselves, is God still DOWN JUDGING the world? Instead of simple fix-it answers, we are going to use the whiteboard and present ourselves with another heuristic.
Models of Understanding
The FIRST Unfortunate Model The SECOND Unfortunate Model (Gospels out of context)
Old (material) and New (spiritual) together Fail to see Jesus teachings were part of the Old Covenant as he introduced the New that would come in stages in the future.
The Former Age The Age to Come (by and through the Messiah)
PHYSICALLY BASED SPIRITUALLY BASED
KINGDOM KINGDOM
Eternally Increasing Kingdom (Isaiah 9)
(2nd) (ADD LATER then OVERLAP)
Head – First Adam Head -Second Adam
Fall Reconciliation
SinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. entered world World-sin paid for
God estab. a material God estab. a spiritual
Kingdom (see box now) Kingdom
Comparing Material and Spiritual Realities
Objectively Described Subjectively lived and understood
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob All Children By Faith
COI Children of God
Material ReligionA fulfilled system of temples, rituals, and laws—replaced by direct spiritual relationship. Spiritual Relationship
Law and the Prophets God writes upon the hearts and minds of Individual
1!
Jerusalem New Jerusalem
Old Earth and Heaven New Heaven and New Earth
Temple made w/hands Believers are the temple
Priesthood Lineage Believers are the priesthood
Contrast of Old and New Paradigms
Animal Sacrifices Believers are living sacrifices
Genealogy All peoples are welcome
Life Directed to Israel Life Lived by all
Destination for all – sheol Destination for all – Heavenly Realm
Paradise for Faithful New Jerusalem for faith-filled
Prison for faithless Outside New Jerusalem
The Advent of Christ
Birth of Christ (Which is the birth of Eternal Life for all who believe)
Transition of Ages
The beginning of the New Age started with an overlap of the former material age, marked for fulfillment by Him. The significance of this transition can be seen in John the Baptist's warning— "Who has warned you of the wrath to come."
The End of Material Religion
The beginning of the end of material religion is symbolized by the phrase, "The ax is laid at the root of the Tree but it was not yet." During this transformative period, Jesus came to "His own," and the apostles were called to the House of Israel to prepare for an impending change. The call was clear—repent before the end, as indicated in Matthew 24-25.
Apostolic Church
In this context of shifting ages, the Apostolic Church stands as a significant milestone bridging the former age and the age to come.
Return of Christ
“Judgement (condemnation) and salvation (reward) for Bride The complete wipe out of material religion had to occur Temple/People/Genealogy/Objective Religious Expressions All things shaken so the only thing that remains is unshakable The Kingdom of GodGod’s spiritual reign—fulfilled and present, not political or future. is within us writing on our hearts and minds The Kingdom is eternally increasing Isaiah 9:6 (hence need to share)
Continuation of Material Religion
Look at the history of every single attempt on earth! Every one of them!
Shake-ability of Men Crime and sin in God’s name Spiritual and ecclesiastical abuses Material focus Denominational divisions Catholicism Orthodoxy Reformation – thousands of divisions Restorationism – hundreds of divisions
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE RESULTS OF THIS APPROACH TO REINSTITUTE OBJECTIFIED BRICK AND MORTAR RELIGION and to IGNORE WHAT GOD HAS PLAINLY REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE – even out to the present day (in Jesus name) WARFARE, HATRED, DIVISION, BLOODSHED, and DEATHSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. (Inquisitions, Reformation, Mormonism) Interfaith and even innerfaith hate Domination and Bondage Ecclesiastical Tyranny (when all believers ought to be free) Manipulation of lives Money grubbing
Where are we really, in the face of what God has done completely through the victory of His only begotten Son?
Today
God is all in all. He is called the Lord God Almighty. He sits on one throne in the Resurrected body of our Lord governing all things.
The world has been reconciled to Him. He is not angry. He is not condemning anyone. He FIXED the problem for us!
All are free to choose how to live – for themselves or for Him. We are all daily choosing to eat from the forbidden tree or not. He writes on the hearts and minds of those who are His. He is with those who are His; His love is unconditional.
Spirit and Written Word
The Spirit and its fruit is Primary and Preferential. His Written Word is Secondary and Deferential. Church Traditions
Spiritual Interpretations and Condemnation
are Tertiary and are at best Referential, And brick and mortar material religion with all of its demands is utterly inconsequential.
So, when we read the word now, principles come forth by the spirit and they way we test our interpretation of them is whether they result in the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Do they bring us love, joy, peace, mercy, kindness and produce longsuffering. Or do they cause us to be judgmental, angry, unkind, merciless, impatient and the like. The Spirit is governing everything in this age of God’s Spiritual Kingdom and that is a very different image than what materially based religionists want us to live by.
Romans 8.1 and Condemnation
WELCOME PRAYER SONG SILENCE
ROMANS 8.1 Part II Two Age Board Description June 13th 2021
We left off at verse 1 which is a beautiful continuation of chapter 7’s personal message from Paul. At verse 1 he says,
Therefore, there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
And we talked about that direct message without any qualifiers or disqualifiers. We pointed out that there are two segments Paul attaches to believers not being under any condemnation. Remember?
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are . . .
in Christ Jesus, and then the second that Paul adds is
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Now, what I am about to teach is admittedly dicey relative to most of the Christian community. It’s part B of this verse but I would be remiss if I passed over this passage about condemnation without mentioning it.
Remember, two judgements faced “that world or that age” when Paul was writing. The first was the judgement of physical destruction of the former age of material religion which was carried out by the Romans when Jerusalem and her inhabitants were wiped out. John the Baptist came and said that “the axe was laid at the root of the tree” and that that tree was going to be cast into the fire. That was the physical judgement that was going to fall upon Israel. And who would be destroyed? Whomever did not receive and believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent to save them.
The second condemnation everyone faced at that time is called the Great White Throne judgement. This judgment would occur when that age ended and would be signaled hell opening up and giving up her dead and then dead, small and great would go before the throne of God and if their names were not found in the Book they would be cast into the lake of Fire. Revelation points out that once this occurred, we would enter into a new age or a new economy, one where everything about the Kingdom is spiritually based – and there would never be an end to it.
So, when Paul says at verse 1
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
We have to talk about condemnation today, from God, in the lives of those who are His human creations. The word “condemnation” is taken from the Greek is KATAKRINO – which is a compound word made up of Kata and Krino.
Interpretations of Krino and Katakrino
Let’s first take the word “krino.” It means to “try someone as in a court of law, to decree, determine, esteem, judge, call into question or sentence.” Whenever we read the word Judge in the New Testament that is the word used – Krino. That in and of itself is a powerful word. But by adding kata, which means down to it as a prefix, we get the combined meaning of katakrino as “down-Judged.” Meaning an “adverse adjudication,” a down sentence or verdict, “a condemnation.”
Now, most people believe that down-judgments or condemnations from God upon us have been happening since Jesus ascended on out to this very moment and that God is and will forever more sending condemned people to hell – fiery, eternal and endless. Listen, this was certainly the case for all souls since the fall all the way out to Paul’s and even beyond.
So, when Paul wrote this to the church at Rome what he said was absolutely true BECAUSE there was awaiting the two coming down-judgements as had been promised in scripture – the material down-judgement on Jerusalem and the Great White Throne down-judgement on the souls of all who died without Christ afterward. Unique to my understanding of scripture (and others) is that I
Fulfillment of Scripture
Maintain that all the passages in scripture have been fulfilled and the age to come, which has been described in places by Jeremiah, Isaiah, the writer of Hebrews, and John the Revelator (in Revelation 21-22) and therefore the world’s inhabitants are no longer facing a wrathful condemnation to come, nor is the Great White Throne judgment going to happen in the future. From what I can see, the finished victorious work of Christ bathed the heavens and earth in Him and His power in that day and all things in heaven and earth were placed under His feet but His Father.
There are ten thousand ways to Sunday that the model I am about to share with you answers some chronological issues with what Christians have maintained, but they require more than just easy answers. For instance, I am doing a funeral for a man who was not religious but sought God and died tragically at his own hand.
Biblical Views on Death and Afterlife
The standard response Christians would have to give his grieving mother is he is in hell. Some might say that right before he took his own life he asked Jesus into his heart thereby escaping hell altogether. But the one that doesn’t make any sense relative to scripture is what Christians say about Christians who die today. Do you know what they say? They say absent from the body, present with the Lord. They say people go straight to the loving arms of God. That’s all great stuff . . . but it’s not biblical. Not biblically chronological.
The Great White Throne Judgment
What the Bible describes is going to God in heaven after the Great White Throne Judgment, not before. Before the Great White Throne judgment, people die and go to either hell or paradise and wait to be judged at the Great White Throne. Then the heavenly destinations are meted out for everyone. I mean, it makes no sense for people to die in 522AD, go to heaven and live with God, only to be taken before him in the future and judged as to whether he belongs in heaven or not. So, relative to this passage, we have to ask ourselves, is God still DOWN JUDGING the world? And instead of simple fix-it answers, we are going to use the whiteboard and present ourselves with another heuristic.
The FIRST Unfortunate Model
Old (material) and New (spiritual) together
The SECOND Unfortunate Model (Gospels out of context)
Fail to see Jesus teachings were part of the Old Covenant
The Former Age
PHYSICALLY BASED KINGDOM
The Age to Come (by and through the Messiah)
SPIRITUALLY BASED KINGDOM
Eternally Increasing Kingdom (Isaiah 9)
(2nd)
Head – First Adam
Head – Second
Two Realms: Material and Spiritual Kingdoms
Adam's Fall brought sin into the world, marking the beginning of a material kingdom established by God. This kingdom was objectively described through figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and involved a material religion, a law governed by the prophets, a temple made with hands, and a dedicated priesthood lineage.
Transition from Material to Spiritual
In the spiritual realm, reconciliation is key as world-sin has been paid for. This kingdom is subjectively lived and understood, with all children being by faith and identified as Children of God. Here, God writes upon the hearts and minds of individuals.
- A comparison between material and spiritual elements:
- Jerusalem versus New Jerusalem
- Old Earth and Heaven versus New Heaven and New Earth
Life's direction shifts from being for Israel alone to being lived by all. The physical temple becomes the believers themselves, who are also the priesthood and living sacrifices. Whereas genealogy once determined belonging, now all peoples are welcome. The destination transitions from sheol to a Heavenly Realm for all, with Paradise for the Faithful being the New JerusalemThe spiritual reality of God's fulfilled presence with humanity—replacing Sheol after 70 A.D. for the faith-filled. For the faithless, their place is outside the New Jerusalem.
Birth of Christ and the Birth of Eternal Life
Beginning of New Age began with an overlap of the former material age for fulfillment by Him. Beginning of the End of Former Age (John the Baptist – Who has warned you of the wrath to come). Beginning of the End of Material Religion (The ax is laid at the root of the Tree but it was not yet). Jesus came to “His own”.
Coming of Jesus and Repentance
Some will see me coming in the clouds. Apostles called to the House of Israel to prepare. Repent before the end (Matthew 24-25).
Apostolic Church
Former Age
Age to Come
Return of Christ
“Judgement (condemnation) and salvation (reward) for Bride The complete wipe out of material religion had to occur Temple/People/Genealogy/Objective Religious Expressions All things shaken so the only thing that remains is unshakable The Kingdom of God is within us writing on our hearts and minds The Kingdom is eternally increasing Isaiah 9:6 (hence need to share)
The Continuation of Material Religion
Look at the history of every single attempt on earth! Every one of them!
Shake-ability of Men Crime and sin in God’s name Spiritual and ecclesiastical abuses Material focus Denominational divisions Catholicism Orthodoxy Reformation – thousands of divisions Restorationism – hundreds of divisions WHAT HAVE BEEN THE RESULTS OF THIS APPROACH TO REINSTITUTE OBJECTIFIED BRICK AND MORTAR RELIGION and to IGNORE WHAT GOD HAS PLAINLY REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE – even out to the present day (in Jesus name) WARFARE, HATRED, DIVISION, BLOODSHED, and DEATH (Inquisitions, Reformation, Mormonism) Interfaith and even innerfaith hate Domination and Bondage Ecclesiastical Tyranny (when all believers ought to be free) Manipulation of lives Money grubbing
Where are we really, in the face of what God has done completely through the victory of His only begotten Son?
God is All in All
God is all in all. He is called the Lord God Almighty. He sits on one throne in the Resurrected body of our Lord governing all things.
The world has been reconciled to Him. He is not angry. He is not condemning anyone. He FIXED the problem for us!
All are free to choose how to live – for themselves or for Him. We are all daily choosing to eat from the forbidden tree or not. He writes on the hearts and minds of those who are His. He is with those who are His; His love is unconditional.
The Hierarchy of God's Will
The Spirit and its fruit is Primary and Preferential. His Written Word is Secondary and Deferential. Church Traditions are Tertiary and are at best Referential, And brick and mortar material religion with all of its demands is utterly inconsequential.
Spiritual Principles and Fruits of the Spirit
So, when we read the word now, principles come forth by the spirit and the way we test our interpretation of them is whether they result in the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Do they bring us love, joy, peace, mercy, kindness, and produce longsuffering? Or do they cause us to be judgmental, angry, unkind, merciless, impatient and the like? The Spirit is governing everything in this age of God’s Spiritual Kingdom and that is a very different image than what materially based religionists want us to live by.
