<p>8:1&nbsp;<i>There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus</i>&ndash; Referring back to the idea of Rom. 5:16,18, which are the only other places in the NT where the word occurs. We have been declared right before God&rsquo;s judgment; there is now no condemnation any more. Even though in Rom. 7:24 Paul has been saying he feels the wretchedness of condemnation as a sinner (see note there).</p><p><i>Who walk not after the flesh</i>- Added by AV. Too easily the wonderful promise that there is no condemnation for those in Christ can become muted by this apparent rider, that we must walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Yet Paul has been lamenting throughout the preceding chapter 7 that he walks after the flesh. His argument throughout the letter so far has been that although we continue committing sin, by status we are in Christ. The condemnation, the adverse verdict, has been removed. We are justified, declared righteous. And this is because we are located &ldquo;in Christ&rdquo;. Paul is surely aware of the apparent contradictions and tensions within his argument- so he&rsquo;s surely foreseeing our objection, that we still walk after the flesh. And he states that we who are in Christ Jesus do not walk after the flesh. It&rsquo;s not a condition- as if to say &lsquo;There is no condemnation for us who are in Christ&nbsp;<i>if&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;we walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh&rsquo;. For this would make salvation contingent upon our &lsquo;walking&rsquo;, our works- and his whole argument has been that salvation is by grace and not works. Those who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh is therefore a description of, rather than an exhortation to, those who are in Christ. His Spirituality is counted to them. By status we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, and this is confirmed by the Spirit dwelling in us (Rom. 8:9). Rom. 7:5 likewise speaks of our being &ldquo;in the flesh&rdquo; as something in the past, our previous status. Another possibility is that &ldquo;walk after&rdquo; here describes not to a total way of life, but rather a following after, an inclination towards, rather than a final arriving at the destination. And that again fits in so precisely with our position as believers in Christ today- as Paul has been saying in Romans 7, we incline after, follow after, dearly aspire to, the things of the Spirit; even if we don&rsquo;t attain them as we would wish.</p>