For many years, no matter how much I read my Bible or prayed, I always came away with the nagging thoughts, "I should have read longer". "I should have prayed longer". I genuinely believed that God was judging me for not doing enough so, I felt condemned. Though I was a pastor, I did not completely realize that my condemnation was not coming from God but from my understanding of the gospel.
Many Christians today also feel condemned much like I did. Our plight usually stems from being misinformed, uninformed or having unbelief regarding the complete gospel. Sadly, I had been personally bewitched by all three. (Galatians 3:1)
Condemnation is being judged, found guilty and then sentenced. Every person is condemned before God in Adam. Romans 5:16 says, "Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification". God's only solution for our condemnation was to remove us from Adam and place us in Christ. Through our faith in Christ, that is exactly what happens. When it does, our condemnation is removed and replaced by God justifying us. To be justified means to be forgiven and to be made righteous all at once. No wonder Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ".
God is never going to condemn anyone who is in Christ! Then why do we still feel condemned at times? I suspect it has to do with the other half of the gospel regarding our union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. We may be uninformed meaning we have never heard about our union with Christ. It may be that we are misinformed meaning we have been taught that the Bible's reference to our union with Christ is positional truth - something that God sees as true because it will only really be true of us in heaven, but not now. It could be that we have heard of our union with Christ but simply don't believe it is true or true for us personally.
In John 3:17, Jesus says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Do you see that? God the Father did not send Jesus into this world to condemn people! He sent Him to rescue us from the condemnation we already had! Let me put it another way. Jesus did not come to live in us as Christians to condemn us. He came to live in us to free us from condemnation so He could love us from the inside! No wonder one of the weapons we have against satan is the gospel of peace on our feet so we can stand firmly against his false condemnation of us! (Ephesians 6:15)
Would you pause for a moment and ask God what He is saying to you right now? Then ask Him how He wants you to respond.
You are loved! Believe it. Receive it. Live in it.
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding
