Joan Boney ...apostle/prophet
Romans 8:1 is often misunderstood:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Some use this scripture to explain away sin thinking that you are in Christ Jesus when you join a church or are baptized and therefore you are without condemnation even though you commit adultery or are frequently drunken.
But what Romans 1 is saying is the following: When you walk not after the flesh and turn from the flesh and follow the Spirit you are without condemnation.
If you continue in adultery or fornication or drunkenness as a way of life you are walking after the flesh and not the spirit. Those who do this will not inherit the kingdom of God and will be condemned unless they truly repent from the heart and see these evils as sin and are ashamed of the sins and stop those sins.
Jn. 8 ... When the woman taken in adultery was brought to Jesus, He forgave her but HE told her: "Go and sin no more".
The following types of sins are works of the flesh:
Gal. 5 ... Adultery, fornication, uncleanness (defrauding), lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (quarreling) , emulations (trying to outdo other people), wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
If you walk in the Spirit, you walk in: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:against such there is no law. Gal. 5
You cannot walk in love toward the word of God and adultery/fornication at the same time. You either walk in love toward the word of God or you following your flesh into adultery/fornication and such sins.
Therefore Paul says: 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:and these are contrary the one to the other... Gal. 5
So in Romans 1 we read: 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
When a person in the church commits sins of a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; we are supposed to put him out of the church. I Cor. 5
I Cor. 5 ... 9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
NASB ... 9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so- called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
NIV ... 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you."
Genuine repentance carries the works of repentance. That person no longer commits that previous sin and he is now ashamed he sinned and no longer does those sins. He is the real church.
Also we see in Romans 1 that by walking in the Spirit we fulfill the law ...
Romans 1 ...2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.