No More Condemnation

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” – Romans 8:1-2 (NIV 2010)

It is difficult to imagine the amount of guilt and condemnation that many live under, and I am not talking of unbelievers here, for a man without Christ is guilty whether he feels it or not. But I am referring to those of us who have experienced the new birth and are alive to God. For many of us, when we came to the Lord, we accepted that we are forgiven and our past is written off, but after years of the reality of falling short of expectations (both man’s and God’s), we become laden again with guilt.

A brother once told me how difficult he found many parts of the Old Testament (OT) to be, because he often felt condemned by the God of the OT who seemed to be out to judge every sin. Yet the God of the Old Testament is also the God of the New Testament. He hasn’t changed. He is and has always been the same loving and gracious One. The problem is, that when a man is struggling with guilt, everything, even the smallest rebuke, can reinforce condemnation. O how we need a fresh revelation of God’s love for us! The man who has a revelation of God’s love for him begins to see even God’s rebukes, corrections and disciplines as evidence of his love and acceptance.

‘And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” – Hebrews 12:5-6 (NIV 2010)

I don’t know what you have faced or are facing that makes you feel condemned by God. Know this: God does not condemn you. He accepts you as his son. Yet part of the manifestation of God’s love and acceptance for us is his rebuke. So we shouldn’t lose heart when he rebukes us.

God rebukes those he loves. That is why many Christian leaders are missing it in our day when they equate every form of rebuke with condemnation. God rebukes us in love and we can rebuke each other in love.

The problem is not whether we rebuke or praise each other. Our problem is because we are not free from guilt, so we filter everything through ‘the law of sin and death’ (‘I have sinned so I am condemned’). Because of this we are unable to enjoy the liberty of the fresh vision that ‘the law of the Spirit of life’ offers us in Christ (‘I have sinned but Christ gives me new life – new beginnings!’). Our problem is internal – it is guilt. That is why in the next few weeks I want to explore how to deal with guilt. And to buttress my point that the God of the OT is love, I will be taking my first text from one of the books my friend found condemning in the Old Testament.

I want to encourage you this week to be honest with yourself and ask ‘Do I experience constant guilt?’ Then tell it to God and ask him to teach you how to move from living by ‘the law of sin and death’ to living by ‘the law of the Spirit of life’.