Knowing we are right with God is based on believing Jesus satisfied our sin debt of death on the cross AND believing the fruits of the Spirit we experience while abiding in Jesus and partaking of the divine nature are "righteousness and true holiness"

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:16)

It doesn't matter whether sinning or not, Mike, though knowing oneself free from condemnation requires knowledge of the gospel and faith in Jesus, too.

"Freedom in Christ", this lesson's title, is really about what grace has done - "what God hath wrought" (...as Ellen White would say): it is true, strictly speaking, regardless of what sinners do with Christ, though of course not totally separable from our response to Christ.

Jesus freed the world from the condemnation of sinful nature by putting that sinful nature eternally to death (the very death it was condemned to) in his person, on the cross - it was his own, assumed human nature. Knowing Jesus by grace through faith and hearing the gospel brings the saint knowledge & experience of being free from this condemnation, by being born from above and spiritually putting the old man of sin to death, each day and moment of living faith.

Forgiveness of guilt is a separate, vital experience - another legal point altogether, following confession of sin, etc.

Just so, Jesus could not have been "born of a woman, born under the law" if "under the law" means suffering guilt, as the lesson suggests: "under the law" has to mean born under the sinful nature's natural condemnation, freeable only by Jesus redeeming the world from that condemnation, etc.

To make it clear (enough?), sinful nature's condemnation was ended by Jesus at the cross, by tasting eternal death for every man as the Lamb of God. (Hence Rom 8:1c KJV shouldn't be there, as it fits only in Rom 8:4.) We know of that freedom as we die daily to sin, to live under grace, born from above each day (Rom 8:4, among other texts).

Sinful nature cannot (of course) go to heaven due to its sinfulness, so we receive immortality before we go to heaven; in the same sense Jesus at the beginning of salvation redeems us from our sinful nature. We experience that redemption from sinfulness when first actually converted, and receiving immortality is the end result for all, especially those still living to see Jesus come again, of being redeemed from sinful human nature. Again, it was executed eternally for all in Jesus' personal death, he having taken sinful flesh as his own.

Colin, is it more accurate to say Jesus made freedom from sinful flesh nature's condemnation available on the cross to penitent sinners?

Tom, what do you think Colin would say? My question was addressed to him. He wrote, "Jesus freed the world from the condemnation of sinful nature by putting that sinful nature eternally to death (the very death it was condemned to) in his person, on the cross - it was his own, assumed human nature."

He said "world" whereas I limited it to "penitent sinners". Is that more accurate? Or, do you believe Jesus eternally put to death sinful nature and it's condemnation on the cross and thereby set the world free?

I'll let Colin speak for himself. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't put things in these terms. I think the big issues involve God's character. Jesus revealed the truth about God, and we are saved as we open our hearts to this truth.