Why should you feel condemned?
Have you ever been literally yelled out of a room? Or maybe someone you entrusted with sensitive information turned around and used that information against you?
A few statements I’ve heard over the years include “you’re the kind of person that makes people not want to become a Christian.” Or “I don’t think you really care or even want a relationship with us.” Ouch.
One time was laughable. A few minutes after hearing a man accuse me of not handling things in a mature manner, his wife’s best friend posted a comment on social media with a definition of immaturity and the statement, “It’s something I’d expect from a 13-year-old girl, not a 40-year-old man.” Oh, the irony!
I knew that these statements came from people who didn’t know what to do with their anger. They were lashing out to avoid truly dealing with the problem at hand. But many times, the words still stung.
Then again, I had a habit of saying the same kind of statements to myself. How many times had I criticized myself when I failed, sinned, or simply didn’t live up to expectations (mine or others)? I was the king of self-condemnation. The things I thought and said to myself I would never dream of saying to another person.
One day, I was confronted with the truth of God’s word in Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” Was this accurate?
Personally, I’ve found that anytime I disagree with God, I am never in the right. I’ve never heard the Lord say, “Oh, you’re right. I hadn’t considered it that way.”
So, I had to learn to tell myself the truth.
Telling yourself the truth is essentially agreeing with God by faith, reminding yourself that something is true simply because God says it is true.
Condemnation is related to judgment. All judgment against my sin fell on Christ at the cross. Since I am in Christ, there is no judgment left for me. Consequences for sin, yes. But that’s different than judgment. Jesus paid it all. Therefore, since I am in Christ, there is, right now, no more condemnation left for me. Incredible!
Yet, does this mean we’re free to do whatever we want? Of course not. Paul said in Romans 6, Should we go on sinning so grace may increase? By no means. We’ve died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? We are to count ourselves dead to sin (no longer in controlling relationship with sin) and offer the members of our body as instruments of righteousness, not wickedness (see verses 1, 2, 11-13).
Our behavior, whether 5 years, 5 months, or 5 minutes ago, does not determine our relational standing with our Father God. The accomplished work of Christ determines that. Christ took all punishment for your sin and mine on the cross and has offered us forgiveness and justification in place of our sin. In our relationship with the all-knowing God, there is no more condemnation left because of what Jesus did. Therefore, I need to think, talk and view myself and others the same way the Lord does.
Once I learned to view myself the way God views me, I began to recognize that Satan is our accuser who seeks to bring condemnation (Revelation 12:10). We cannot accept his assessment of us. He is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44), and his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10). Condemnation through accusation is one of his tactics.
Dear Saints, when you placed your faith in Christ, the statement in Romans 8:1 became true of you. There is no condemnation left for you. Your guilt and shame have been paid for and carried by Christ so that you no longer have to carry them. Beating yourself up over your sin and failure only multiplies negative emotion. Plus, it often leads to a further reliance on the self which, in turn, fosters a sinful pattern of works-based righteousness.
But the One who knows us perfectly and bore the penalty for our sin on the cross now serves as our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2). Jesus Christ, the righteous one, says through his Apostle Paul, “There is therefore, now, no condemnation for you.”
P.S. Once we’ve dealt with our own perspective as well as the enemy of our souls, we still need to learn what to do with the condemnation of other people. More on that next week.