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Condemnation—isn’t that an ugly word? When I hear or think of that word, it almost makes my skin crawl. Do you know what I mean? Condemnation, Webster says, is the state of being condemned, of being pronounced unfit or unworthy, of being declared guilty. Condemnation is disapproval and lack of acceptance.
Have you been subjected to any condemnation lately? It can come from friends, from family, from bosses, from society. The world is full of condemnation—one person condemning another, one race condemning another, politicians condemning each other.
Sometimes we deserve the condemnation dished out to us; sometimes it’s totally unfair and undeserved. But either way, it feels terrible; it hurts! I hate condemnation and I’m sure you do, too.
One of the most marvelous and wonderful truths of Scripture is that those of us who have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, who have been forgiven by him and accepted as God’s child—we are no longer condemned. Paul writes in Romans 8:1-2 that “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death.” Now, is that good news, or what!
I love the Phillips translation of Romans 8:33-34: “Who would dare to accuse us, whom God has chosen? The judge himself has declared us free from sin. Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us!”
The next time you’re feeling condemned, remember that if you belong to Jesus, he is the only one who can truly condemn you, and he doesn’t. He may deal with you to bring your life more into conformity with his will, but he won’t heap up condemnation on you.
Oh, it’s not that we don’t deserve his condemnation; all of us do. But the judge himself, Jesus Christ, has paid the penalty and taken our condemnation himself. So, we are no longer condemned. We are set free from the penalty which we deserve.
If you are born from above, keep this marvelous truth in the back of your mind all day today. Rejoice in the fact that Jesus does not condemn you, so who else could possibly have a right to do that? You’re free from condemnation, praise his holy name.