Deliverance from Two Kinds of Condemnation
Dearly beloved of God, Adam brought the condemnation of sin and death upon the human race by his disobedience to God’s commandment, but Jesus Christ justified us from the condemnation of the sin and the death by his obedience to God.
Romans 8:1 WTJ
1 So there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because the law of the spirit of life, that is to say, the life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of the sin and of the death.
“Condemnation” in verse one is the Greek word, katakrima, which is a sentence pronounced against someone. This is speaking of legal condemnation.
To those in Christ Jesus there is no more sentence against them. Those in Christ Jesus have been justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
God considers us to be in Christ Jesus, and because of the new birth we have new spirit life in him. He made us free from the sin of Adam and the death he brought upon mankind.
I John 3, addresses another kind of condemnation.
I John 3: 19-21
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God:
The Greek word in verse 20 for condemnation is “kataginosko,” and it means to find fault with, to blame. This condemnation is a head problem, not a legal sentence pronounced against you. This is a self-inflicted wound. When we focus on our flesh there is plenty to find fault with it, and it causes us to blame ourselves.
We know too much about the weaknesses of our flesh, and our shortcomings, and we entertain devilish doubts about ourselves, and so we condemn ourselves.
How do we overcome this dilemma? The answer is given in verse 20. The word “assure” is the Greek word “peitho,” which means to persuade, to assure.
If we are to overcome the self-inflicted wound of finding fault with ourselves we must persuade ourselves with the Word of God, with what God says about us.
Romans 8:9, 10 WTJ
9 You are not in the flesh, but in the spirit since the spirit from God dwells in you. If anyone does not have the spirit, that is to say, Christ, then he does not belong to him,
10 but since Christ dwells in you, then the body [the old nature] is indeed dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of justness.
God no longer considers us to be in the flesh, but in the spirit since the spirit from Him dwells in us.
This is the reality so believe it.
II Corinthians 5:21 WTJ
He [God] made him [Jesus Christ] who did not know sin to be sin for us so that we might become the justness of God in him.
In Christ, we stand before God clothed in His righteousness. In Christ, we stand before God without any sense of sin, guilt, or condemnation. This was God’s idea. He purposed it. It was the good pleasure of His will to accomplish it for us in Christ. Jesus died and rose again to accomplish it, so believe what God says you are in Christ.
Persuade your heart with what God says you are in Christ and stop finding fault with yourself. Let the Word concerning Christ dwell in you richly.
Galatians 2:20 WTJ
20 With Christ I have been crucified and I live no longer, but living in me is Christ. So what I now live in the flesh I live by believing concerning the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
By the grace of God Christ now lives in us. We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus. We are a new creation in Christ; old things have passed away and new things have come, and all the new things are of God.
Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all and in all.
Renewing our minds to who we are in Christ is the key to having confidence toward God, dearly beloved.
Dearly beloved of God, does God condemn you by bringing legal charges against you? Absolutely not! It was His idea to justify you by Christ’s accomplishments.
Does Christ condemn you? Absolutely not! He is the one that died, and was raised from the dead, who makes intercession for you at the right hand of God. Christ does not condemn you.
Why find fault with yourself and condemn yourself after God your Father and the Lord Jesus Christ went to such great lengths to justify you, make you righteous, and holy and without blame before Him, and unimpeachable in His sight?
I John 3:20- 22 WTJ
20 even if our heart finds fault with us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not find fault with us, then we have confidence toward God,
22 and whatever we ask of Him we receive from Him because we commandments and practice the things that are pleasing in His sight.
God is greater than our heart and he knows we are but dust, so do not condemn yourself, have confidence in Him and whatever we ask of Him we receive from Him.
This is not speaking of keeping the commandments of the old covenant of the law that pertained to the flesh, but the commandments that pertain to the new covenant of the spirit. The next verse clarifies this.
I John 23, 24
23 Now this is His commandment: we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and we should love one another, even as He gave us commandment.
24 Moreover, he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and, of course, He in him, and by this we know that He abides in us: by the spirit that He gave to us.
He abides in us is by the reality of our sonship as God’s children.
We abide in Him by keeping the commandments that are mentioned in verse 23, and practicing the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is our walk of fellowship with Him.
We know He abides in us by the spirit that He gave us. Whenever we manifest the spirit by speaking in tongues, the new birth spirit witnesses to our inner being that we His children, His heirs, and joint heirs with Christ. God has provided us with undeniable proof of the reality of our sonship.
Dearly beloved of God, If we persuade ourselves with God’s Word our heart will not condemn us.
If our heart does not find fault with us, then we will have confidence toward God, and whatever we ask of Him we will receive from Him because we keep His commandments, and practice the things that are pleasing in His sight.
Isn’t this what we want, dearly beloved?
Believe who you are in Christ, and love one another, and have confidence toward God; this is what our Father wants.