Psalm of Grace: No Condemnation — A Gospel Reggae Song of Being Fully Accepted by God

A song of full acceptance. Nothing in heaven, on earth, or in us can put even a distance between you and the love of God. Slow gospel reggae built on grace, adoption, and peace. Full lyrics continue in the pinned comment. No Condemnation (Fully Accepted by God Scriptures) [Verse 1] I am persuaded, convinced, and I remain convinced, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, meaning unseen spiritual rulers or earthly authorities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us, to put even a distance between us, from the love of God. This is God's own love for us, not merely our love for Him, and it is anchored in Christ Jesus our Lord as its place of security. [Verse 2] To the praise of the glory of His grace, His unearned and freely given favor, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. He has graciously favored us and poured out His grace on us as a finished act. We are not merely tolerated, but embraced, in Christ, the One the Father loves. [Chorus] There is therefore now, at this present time, no condemnation, no guilty verdict and no punishment that follows it, for those who are in Christ Jesus, united with Him. [Interlude] The later phrase, "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit," is missing from the earliest manuscripts. So the promise rests on being in Christ, not on our performance. [Verse 3] For by grace, undeserved favor, you have been saved and remain saved, through faith, which means trust and reliance. And that whole package of salvation, not only faith itself, is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, a free gift, not wages. It is not of works, our achievements or religious effort, so that no one may boast or claim the credit. [Verse 4] For you have not received a spirit of bondage leading you back to fear, the mindset of slavery where fear drives obedience. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit who places us as full sons and daughters with legal rights of inheritance. By Him we cry out from the heart, "Abba, Father," an Aramaic word of close, trusting address. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, testifying together with it, or directly to it, that we are children of God, born into the family and not merely employed by it. The Greek word for "Spirit" is neuter, but that does not mean He is impersonal. [Pre-Chorus] And because you are sons, your sonship being the very reason the Spirit came, God has sent forth, commissioned and dispatched, the Spirit of His Son into your hearts. [Chorus 2] Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir, one who legally receives the inheritance, of God through Christ. Some early manuscripts read "an heir through God," but all of them stress that the inheritance comes from God. [Verse 5] All that the Father gives Me, and He gives continually, will come to Me. And the one who comes to Me, I will by no means, never, ever cast out. That is a strong double negative in the original, meaning I will not drive away or reject anyone who comes. [Verse 6] And hope does not disappoint or leave us humiliated, because the love of God, His own love toward us, has been poured out generously, and it remains flooding, in our hearts, the center of our inner life. It comes by the Holy Spirit, who has been freely given to us as a completed gift. Lyrics continued (Verse 7 to Outro): [Verse 7] I pray that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, settling down and making His permanent home, not just visiting. I pray that you, having been and continuing to be rooted and grounded in love, planted like a tree and built on a foundation, may be able to comprehend, to grasp and take hold of, together with all the saints, the breadth, length, depth, and height of Christ's love, its full dimensions, which have no limit. [Bridge] May you know the love of Christ, which surpasses what the mind alone can know, so it must be known by experience. Then you will be filled with all the fullness of God, filled to the full measure of His own presence. [Verse 8] Do not be anxious about anything. In older English, "careful" means full of care. Instead, in everything, by prayer, which is general conversation with God, and by supplication, which is specific, earnest requests, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, the wholeness and well-being that God Himself has, which goes beyond anything the mind can work out, will keep your hearts and minds, your emotions and your thoughts. It will stand guard over them like a garrison protecting a city, through Christ Jesus. [Outro] Peace, the idea of shalom, meaning wholeness, well-being, and harmony with God, and not just the absence of trouble, I leave with you. Like an inheritance in a will, My peace I give to you as a present gift. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled...