Romans 8:1-4
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh. God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Take this in: there is no condemnation for those in Christ. There is a difference between condemnation and conviction. Sometimes we can confuse some type of conviction of our spirit with condemnation. Condemnation is pronouncing someone to be guilty, to sentence to punishment or to pass judgement according to biblestudytools.com/dictionary/condemnation/. From courtroom language to have no condemnation is to be found innocent. It is not through our own actions that we are innocent but through the act of Jesus coming to this earth, taking on sin, and dying with that sin on him, on the cross. Do we do a disservice to Jesus when we accept the condemnation we feel? Do we take away from the facts of what Jesus has done for us? There is nothing that can remove the facts of what Jesus did for us, but it does affect how we live our lives here on this earth and the will that God has for us. Not only does Romans 8 teach us that we are free from bondage, but we are also free from inner thoughts and emotions that can condemn us. We are free from the law of sin and death. We have the joy of being counted Righteous in Gods eyes. Are you walking in the freedom?
Dear God, help me to remember that I am free from condemnation. That through Christ Jesus I am made righteous by his taking on our sin and dying on the cross. Help me to realize when I am being convicted rather than being condemned. Give me your eyes and ears to help others who might be struggling realizing exactly who Christ was and what He has done for them. I pray all this through Jesus’ name, Amen.