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.”
One of the most comforting truths of being a Christians is that we are no longer living under condemnation! Once we have come to God and agreed with Him concerning our sin; asking for His forgiveness, believing that Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross and believing that Jesus rose from the grave, we are no longer under the condemnation of our sin!
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
The very word “saved” means that we are rescued from the penalty of our sin, which is an eternity separated from God in a place called Hell. Jesus came to save the world, not to condemn the world. What a comforting truth of the gospel message!! I am not condemned by God!!
With that truth ingrained into our hearts, why do so many of God’s children live in condemnation? Why is it that many Christians live with the mistaken idea that God is somehow out to get them, as if God is just waiting for us to make a mistake and BOOM, he sends down judgement from above?
Dear friend, God deals in conviction, not condemnation! If we are knowingly living in opposition to God’s Word, then He will bring conviction upon our hearts. It then is up to us to repent, ask God’s forgiveness and get those things right, or suffer the consequences here on earth. However, once we have been forgiven, God will not bring our past up again!!
You see it is not God that condemns us, but ourselves. We are our own worst enemy. I am the King of Condemnation. I can go hours condemning myself for the things I have done in my past! I know what Paul meant when he wrote that he was, the chiefest of sinners. David also wrote in Psalm 51:3 “…and my sin is ever before me.”
The truth that I am trying to convey is, it is not the Lord that condemns us, it is we ourselves. The Bible says in Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, ” we believe that intellectually, yet we are willing to take the place of God and condemn our self! We think, “If God won’t condemn me, I must do it myself. After all what I have done is wrong.” We are not God!
Romans 8:1 goes on to say, “…who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” When we are living in condemnation, we need to realize that we are not walking in the Spirit of God, but in our flesh. It is the flesh that condemns, the Spirit gives life!
We need to stop allowing the flesh and the Devil to put us under condemnation! When we are living there, we are most certainly living in the flesh. We are not enjoying the life Christ came to give us. That is the “abundant Life.”
John 10:9-10 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Stop living under condemnation and start living the abundant life. A life lived walking in the Spirit. Too many Christians find comfort in living in condemnation!! They can use the excuse of unworthiness as to why they are not serving God. That thinking keeps people from living in victory and enjoying all God has for them.
When you find yourself living under condemnation, realize that you are walking in the flesh and not the Spirit. Ask God to forgive you and to help you to accept no condemnation.
You may be reading this today and realize, you are condemned because you have never truly trusted in Christ as your Savior. The Bible says in Roman 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Would you be willing to simply call out to God today, and admit to God you have sinned against Him, ask Him to forgive you and accept Jesus Christ’s death , burial and resurrection for the payment for your sin? If you would do that, you would no longer live under His condemnation.
Child of God, wont you confess today that you are living under the condemnation of the flesh today? Will you admit that you are not walking in the Spirit? Start living the abundant life Jesus came to give and stop living in condemnation. Why would you want to live there?