The 'therefore' in Romans 8:1 points back to Paul's previous argument, especially Romans 5 and most of all Romans 7.
Les Feldick says readers should go back to find what the connecting word refers to, and for Romans 8:1 he sent them to Romans 5 and chiefly Romans 7. Before the 'therefore,' Paul has spoken of justification by faith (Romans 5) and then the believer's dilemma with the old Adam (Romans 7). Romans 8:1 then gives the conclusion: there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 — Contains the 'therefore' in question; it is Paul's conclusion drawn from his preceding argument.
Romans 7:24 — Paul's cry for deliverance from the body of death directly precedes the 'therefore' in Romans 8:1.
Paul's use of 'therefore' in Romans 8:1 is a conclusion drawn from what he has just written. In Romans 7:24 he cries, 'O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' and in Romans 7:25 he answers, 'I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Then Romans 8:1 begins: 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' Earlier, Romans 5:1 states, 'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,' and Romans 3:23–24 says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, 'Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' These scriptural statements show the progression Paul has been making before he uses the connector 'therefore' in Romans 8:1.
Les teaches that whenever you see 'therefore' or 'wherefore' in Paul's writing, you should stop and go back to find what he is referring to. For Romans 8:1, he says he did not tell his audience to go all the way back to Romans 1. Instead, 'on that one we went back to chapter 5, but mostly back to chapter 7.' He explains that in the first seven chapters Paul lays the groundwork for how all people ended up in sin and under condemnation, how Christ died so that believers might be justified and forgiven, and then Romans 7 ends with the question of how to overcome the old Adam. The answer is not in the Law but in Romans 8, where the indwelling Holy Spirit is brought in. Paul's 'therefore' in 8:1 therefore gathers up that whole preceding argument and announces: no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.
Les's rule is to go back and see what the 'therefore' refers to. For Romans 8:1, he says he 'didn't tell you to go all the way back to chapter 1 on that therefore,' but instead they 'went back to chapter 5, but mostly back to chapter 7.' In Romans 5, Paul writes that being justified by faith gives peace with God, and by Romans 7 he is dealing with the believer's struggle with the old Adam. The 'therefore' in Romans 8:1 then draws its conclusion from that preceding argument, especially the deliverance question of Romans 7.
Les describes the end of Romans 7 as Paul's dilemma: 'how can I overcome that old Adam, and how can I keep it in defeat?' He explains that Romans 1–7 lays the groundwork for sin, condemnation, justification, and forgiveness, and then chapter 7 ends with the question of deliverance. Romans 8 then provides the answer through the Holy Spirit. The 'therefore' in Romans 8:1 comes out of that pressing question.
Once the 'therefore' is connected to the preceding argument, Romans 8:1 says there is 'now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.' Les says that means exactly what it says: there is nothing that God can bring against us in condemnation if we are in Christ. He compares it to Noah's family in the ark after the door was shut and the ark was sealed against the waters of judgment—nothing could touch them. In the same way, the believer in Christ is safe from condemnation.
Les distinguishes the two uses. For Romans 8:1, he went back to Romans 5 and mostly Romans 7, and he explicitly said he did not send his audience all the way back to Romans 1. But for Romans 12:1, which comes after the parenthetical chapters 9–11, Les says Paul wants us to go all the way back to everything covered in the first eight chapters, not back to chapters 9–11 or just chapter 8. So the 'therefore' in Romans 8:1 has a narrower focus, looking directly at the justification and the struggle with sin that Romans 8 resolves.
Stopping at 'therefore'
Les pauses at the very first word of Romans 8 to draw attention to Paul's use of 'therefore,' noting it appears in a distinctive setting in this verse.
The referent for Romans 8:1
Les tells his listeners to look back to Romans 5, and mostly Romans 7, when interpreting the 'therefore' in Romans 8:1.
Romans 12:1's wider 'therefore'
Les contrasts the 'therefore' in Romans 12:1, which looks back to everything Paul covered in the first eight chapters, with the more immediate referent of Romans 8:1.
The parenthesis and Romans 12:1
Les shows that after the parenthetical chapters 9–11, Romans 12:1's 'therefore' picks up from the end of Romans 8 and requires looking back at what Paul taught earlier.
Cain, Abel & The Virgin Birth: Genesis 4 Explained
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith or the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference, that is, between Jew now and the Greek. We're in Romans. We're in Paul's doctrines of grace, of course. And then verse 23.
Romans 1–7 as the groundwork
Les explains that Paul lays the groundwork in Romans 1–7 for how we are in sin and condemnation, how Christ died to justify and forgive, and how Romans 7 leaves the believer with the old Adam's dilemma—so Romans 8 gives the answer.
What Paul Teaches That You Won't Find in the Gospels
That without the Law, yes witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but even the righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that repent and are baptized. No, it doesn't say that. But upon all them that believe, and believing is faith. Faith is trust.
No condemnation explained
Les says 'no condemnation' in Romans 8:1 means God has nothing to bring against us if we are in Christ, using Noah in the sealed ark as the picture.
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
This is the verse in which the 'therefore' appears; Paul's conclusion follows everything he has written since Romans 1.
Romans 7:24: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Paul's anguished question comes right before Romans 8:1 and is the dilemma the 'therefore' answers.
Romans 7:25: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Paul immediately acknowledges that deliverance comes through Christ, setting up the 'no condemnation' statement.
Romans 5:1: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
This earlier 'therefore' shows the same pattern of drawing a conclusion from justification by faith, which is part of the background for Romans 8:1.
Romans 3:23-24: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Paul's earlier summary of universal sin and justification by grace is part of the argument that precedes Romans 8:1.
Romans 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
This verse shows Paul's later use of 'therefore' after Romans 9–11, which Les says reaches back to everything in Romans 1–8.
It refers back to Paul's teaching that led to this conclusion, especially Romans 5 and most of all Romans 7. Les Feldick says he did not direct his audience to Romans 1 for this particular 'therefore'; he pointed them back to Romans 5 and chiefly Romans 7.
Les says Romans 8:1 means exactly what it says: there is nothing God can bring against us in condemnation if we are in Christ Jesus. He uses Noah in the ark as an illustration—once the door was shut and the ark was sealed, nothing could touch them.
Les says you should go back and see what he is referring to. When Paul uses 'therefore,' he is drawing a conclusion from previous arguments, and the reader needs to trace that connection.
Watch the Teaching: No Condemnation: What It Really Means to Be "In Christ"