Romans 8:1-4 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”

We see the contrast between the Ten Commandments and Christ’s grace in the incident of the woman caught in adultery:

John 8:3-11 “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle, they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?” They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

The Pharisees represented the Law to accuse the woman rightly so.

She was going to be condemned by the Law that demanded stoning by death.

But Jesus told them that they are only qualified to judge her if they themselves were perfect!

But under the Law nobody is perfect and all are sinners.

The only one who is sinless is Christ who has the authority to judge all people.

But what did Jesus do? He told her that He does not condemn her any more!

He gave her the free gift of “no condemnation” by faith in Him.

And then He told her not to sin any more.

This is the power of grace in the New Covenant described in Romans 8:1-4 – we receive “no condemnation” and also the power to walk in the Spirit not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.