What a joy it is to know that if we die today, heaven would be our final destination.  How can we be so sure about that?  By believing Paul.  It is just that simple.  Paul said we are now in a state of no condemnation.  Remember, the word “condemnation” means a damnable sentence.  In Christ, we will not receive that.

The verdict on the day of judgment will be one of two – “…Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” or “…Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:34, 41).  Obviously, the verdict to depart would be one of condemnation.  Since we will not receive that verdict, we know we will hear the victorious verdict to come, but there is a condition.  Paul closes this great text with that condition.

Romans 8:3-4 (ESV)
³ 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, ⁴ 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.

We must not walk according to the flesh if we want to avoid reentering a state of condemnation.  Paul is using the word “flesh” here to denote the old man who was corrupted by sin.  We crucified that old man when we obeyed the gospel, and now we belong to Christ.

Galatians 5:24 (ESV)
²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we are fulfilling the passions and desires of the flesh, that means that we have allowed the old man to be resurrected, and he is now in control of us.  Instead of belonging to Christ, we have become servants of Satan once again.

Romans 6:16 (ESV)
¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

How do we avoid walking according to the flesh?  Again, Paul tells us – we do it by walking according to the Spirit.  We do this by living according to the Spirit’s revelation.  This is essential to maintaining fellowship with God and remaining in a state of no condemnation.  When we live by God’s Word, the world may not like it, but the one we will stand before in judgment will be pleased (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Are we earning a place in heaven by walking according to the Spirit?  No, of course not.  There is only one way to earn salvation, and that is by living a sinless life, but it is too late for that since we have all sinned (Romans 3:23).  Nevertheless, obedience to God will always be a necessary part of being in a right relationship with Him.  While Jesus tasted death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9), only those who do the will of God will enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21).

Are you walking according to the Spirit or according to the flesh?  We cannot do both of those things at once (Galatians 5:16-17).  If you are walking according to the Spirit, that means you have obeyed the gospel of Christ, have been added to the body of Christ, and now you are living by teachings revealed by the Spirit.  The result is a state of no condemnation as long as you continue to follow the Spirit.  Heaven is yours.  There is no guesswork.  There should be no doubting it.  We can live with joy in our hearts no matter what life throws at us, because we know one day we will hear, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.