13th July 2023
Conviction not condemnation
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 (ESVUK)
It’s easy for Christians to fall into a form of legalism without realising it. We can pay lip service to grace but actually not live by grace. Theoretically we accept God is merciful, kind, and forgiving, and that we are only saved and accepted by his grace, but in reality we still relate to God legalistically: we think that when we are good God loves us and hears our prayers, but when we are bad or make mistakes he is angry with us.
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t feel guilt when we sin or that we shouldn’t feel the need to repent, but there is a big difference between the feeling of conviction that we have done something wrong and the feeling of condemnation. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) but condemnation comes from the devil who is called ‘the accuser’ of our brothers (Revelation 12:10).
.Conviction highlights a specific thing we have done wrong, it says, ‘you have done such and such a thing and you need to repent of it and turn away from it and ask for God’s forgiveness’. Condemnation says, ‘look at what you have done, how can you call yourself a Christian, how can you contemplate prayer, you are a bad person’.
We can tell the difference because conviction is about the thing we have done wrong, whereas condemnation is about our identity. The devil attacks our identity in Christ; he makes us feel insecure and tells us lies about how God feels about us. He makes us feel that God is angry and doesn’t want to hear from us, but actually nothing could be further from the truth. When we do something wrong, God isn’t up in heaven grimacing or frowning at us: ‘Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning…’ (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV). He longs for us to come back to him so he can show us kindness and mercy.
Some of us can get so consumed and afflicted by our sin, but God wants us to stop feeling condemned and burdened down by what we have done. He wants us to come back to him because of his great love.
So, perhaps you are in a place of feeling far from God because of your sin, or you are feeling condemned and afflicted by the weight of your guilt. If so, remember the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. You are his child, and he looks on you with kindness and wants to forgive you.
Prayer
Loving Father, thank you for your unfailing love towards us. Help us to walk in the presence of that love at all times and to be totally secure in our relationship with you through Jesus and in the power of the Spirit. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Barry Robinson
About the writer:
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Camberwell
The Salvation Army Hall
105 Lomond Grove
Camberwell
London SE5 7HN
Local congregational contact:
Barry Robinson
Email: camberwell@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church