Romans 8:1

Chuck Lowe has a thoughtful analysis of Romans 8:1-4 in an essay in the June 1999 issue of JETS . He argues that the text means just what it says, that there is “no condemnation” because those who are in Christ have been liberated from sin and death through the Spirit, and therefore the eschatological “escape from condemnation [is] contingent upon sanctification.” Lowe argues that this is not in conflict with the Protestant confession of justification by faith, and says that Paul is teaching that sanctification is “necessary but not meritorious,” necessary, that is, for final deliverance from death. Lowe’s article is admirable for his willingness to take the precise language of Paul seriously, and to avoid forcing Paul into the mode of what he calls “populist evangelicalism.” At the same time, I find a few details of Lowe’s discussion unconvincing: a) He assumes that the “no condemnation” has to do with eschatological judgment and eternal life. While he quotes approvingly NT Wright’s claim that justification by faith is an anticipation in the present of a verdict that will be passed eschatologically, his argument operates with the assumption that eschatological judgment is in view in Romans 8. b) He employs “justification” and “sanctification” in their systematic senses, without recognizing the flexibility with which Paul uses these terms. Again, he quotes from John Murray’s exegesis of the passage, but doesn’t follow Murray in acknowledging that forensic language in Romans 8 is not “narrowly forensic,” but includes deliverance from the power of sin and death. These are not quibbles, but they don’t undermine the value of a fine article.