Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
I love this precious passage of Scripture! The Bible asks a rhetorical
question. A rhetorical question has an obvious answer, but the questioner
asks rhetorical questions to lay emphasis to the point. The implied answer
is that NO ONE CAN CONDEMN US!!! Do you know why they cannot condemn us? The
Holy Bible tells us in our text verse from Romans 8:34... BECAUSE CHRIST
DIED AND IS RISEN!!! That's The
Gospel. Jesus DIED, was BURIED and three days later, He bodily
RESURRECTED from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). But wait there's more,
we read in Romans 8:34 that Christ is at the right hand of God, WHO ALSO
MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR US! That is so beautiful and encouraging!
My friend, even if the whole world condemns you!—even if every court system in the world condemns you!—even if you are found guilty and sentenced to multiple life-terms in prison, or the death penalty!—THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION TO THEM WHICH ARE IN CHRIST JESUS!!! Romans 8:1a, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...” Psalms 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” I love that truth! You can get on a jet plane and travel east forever, and there will never be a time when you are going west. The same is true if you travel eastward. But you can only go so far north until you'll be headed south. And contrawise, you can only go so far south until you'll be headed north again. EAST AND WEST NEVER MEET! And likewise, if you've placed your sole trust in Jesus Christ as your sin payment, then your sins have forever been separated from you. Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
“You know the greatest difficulty and hindrance today, is not that people are not good enough. The great hindrance is they're not bad enough, to be saved!” —Pastor J. Vernon McGee, a beautiful quote the MP3 sermon, “Why The Gospel Is Not Preached Today”
A Christian's Happiness in Heaven Depends On How He Lived On Earth
The Bible makes clear that not all believers will enjoy Heaven the same. I have a wonderful 128 page book in front of me by Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) titled, “WHEN A CHRISTIAN SINS.”
“Some people suppose that every sinner who goes to heaven will have the same joy and happiness. But that is not true. In Revelation 20, we find that sinners who go to hell are judged, every man according to his works, according to the things written down in God's books. The torment of unsaved people in hell will differ, each one according to his opportunity and according to his sin.
Likewise, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that not all Christians will enjoy the same position and have the same honor and responsibility and blessing in heaven. It is true that each one who trusts in Christ has the same salvation and goes to the same heaven. But beyond salvation there will be rewards for Christians according to their service, and Christians must give an account for their sins. Let no Christian think that he is getting by with his worldliness, his sin, his disobedience, his carelessness about soul-winning.
THE CHRISTIAN MUST MEET HIS DEEDS, GOOD AND BAD, AT CHRIST'S JUDGMENT SEAT
Read with me the shocking passage of Scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10:
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Here we know why Paul worked so hard, why he endured such persecution, gave up home, family, good name, ease, honors, in order to win souls. He was laboring to be acceptable to Jesus Christ!
...Do not explain away the plain statements of the Scriptures. The Christian is still to come face to face with his past. I know that the Christian has his sins forgiven as far as the destiny of his soul is concerned. It is true that all his sins are laid on Jesus and paid for on the cross. But God is still against sin. And up in heaven no Christian will think it did not matter that he sinned. Every Christian will find how terrible are the results of his sins. He will face what he has done, whether it be good or bad.
....Do not confuse salvation and rewards. Salvation is free. Those who trust in Jesus Christ and are born again already have salvation. But those whose works please Christ will receive a reward for them when they face the dear Saviour in heaven.
But many, many Christians will see how useless their lives were. Not a soul did they win to meet them in heaven! Not a thing did they do to bring glory to Christ through the endless ages! Such people will suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ in heaven.”
SOURCE: Evangelist John R. Rice, When A Christian Sins, pp. 60-66; Sword of the Lord Publishers; Copyright 1954.
Amen! I've heard many Christians and preachers teach that believers won't have to give account in Heaven for their sins, but that is only partly true. The Christian who sins will answer for it, if not in this life, then certainly in eternity. Not all believers face their sins in this life. I know believers who've hurt other people, and seem to have gotten away with it. God will hold them accountable at the Judgment Seat of Christ. 2nd Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” Carefully notice that the Holy Bible does not say we will give account for our “SINS”; but rather, for the “GOOD OR BAD” done in the body.
Jesus Christ bore the weight of our sins upon the cross of Calvary. He suffered the penalty of our sins, so we wouldn't have to in Hell forever. Yet, the Bible teaches that we still have to “give account” as believers for the decisions we make throughout our life. What saith the Scripture? Romans 14:10-12, “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Please pay careful attention to what the Scripture warns—if we judge our Christian brother or sister, condemning them for their sins, shunning and shaming them, making them feel guilty for forsaken past sins—we are sinfully elevating our self in the place of God. In particular, the Bible warns not to “SET AT NOUGHT THY BROTHER.”
Pastor Jack Hyles said: “The Christian army is the only army in the world that kills its wounded!” That is sadly very true! A person can fall into sin and leave a church, and then try to come back later on, but the people in the church won't receive them back. That is why a young wayward youth named, Todd Moffat, commit suicide at the First Baptist Church of Hammond many decades ago. Pastor Jack Hyles tells this heartbreaking story in his beautiful and needful sermon called: “If Thou Should Mark Iniquities, Who Could Stand?”
“Don't let the Pharisees scare you off! ...Brother, as long as you live and breathe, God has something that you can be and do! The Devil is the one who'll make you feel unworthy, and he'll use his little demons to help you! ...If God should mark iniquities, none of us would be worthy! But if God doesn't mark iniquities, all of us are qualified. God doesn't have anything to use but sinner!” —Dr. Jack Hyles, “If Thou Should Mark Iniquities, Who Could Stand?” (MP3)
What will it
matter if you witness to thousands of people during your life, but nobody
ever came to Jesus Christ, because you didn't make the Gospel plain enough
for people to understand? It's the CLARITY of the Gospel that makes it easy
for people to believe and get saved!!! Daniel 12:3, “And they that be
wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and
they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Notice that to “shine” in eternity you must turn many people to Christ's
righteousness. This speaks of God's imputed righteousness, which is the only
way to be saved (Philippians 3:9). Granted, 1st Corinthians 3:6-9 teaches us
that God giveth the increase. Whether a man sows or reaps, their rewards
will be the same, but if the shallow plan of salvation that you are teaching
isn't clear, then people WON'T be saved. 
1st Corinthians 15:1-2, “Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved,
if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain.” In other words, you've got to know
what you're believing in to be saved. Notice that the Bible says we must
“KEEP IN MEMORY” how we were saved. Otherwise, how can you say that you're
saved, if you don't know what you're trusting in? The Bible says you've
BELIEVED IN VAIN!!! Many people profess to believe in Christ, but they have
no idea what they are believing in. This describes 90% of churchgoers today
who profess faith in Christ. If their life depended on it, they couldn't
tell you what they're trusting in to get to Heaven. The apostle Paul plainly
preaches, “
Psalms 106:6, “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed
iniquity, we have done wickedly.” King David had sinned horribly, conspiring to commit murder after
impregnating a soldier's wife in an adulterous fling. Many of God's
blessings departed from David. Sorrow became the norm in David's life. What
evils David had done in secret, became openly known throughout the whole
kingdom of Israel. David's neighbours avoided him in awkward fear. Some cast
stones and dust upon him. David's enemies had a hey day! Yet, David realized
that God's opinion was the only opinion that mattered at all! Psalms
51:4, “Against thee,
thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou
judgest.” This is exactly what Romans
8:34 teaches us, that is, no one can condemn us except God, and there is NO
CONDEMNATION to those who have been washed in the sin-cleansing blood of
Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1; 1st John 1:7; Revelation 1:5; 1st Peter 1:18-19).
Thank God for the blood of Jesus!!! 
Matthew
7:1-5, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge,
ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to
you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to
thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam
is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast
out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”
