5^th October

“God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. There is no judgement against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son…….But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

John 3:17-18, 1 John 1:9

Sin, the acts, thoughts or words, done, intentionally or unintentionally, separate us from intimacy with God! Sin is bad. Yet tagged along with sin, sin’s ugly sister, trying to be elevated above God’s grace and forgiveness, is a word called condemnation. Both are equally not good, but it is condemnation that leaves us feeling like we will never be close to God again.

Friends, today is the day that we say NO to condemnation. There is liberating news. Paul says in Romans 8:1 that there is ‘NO CONDEMNATION’ for those in Christ Jesus. That is us. That is those who have confessed their sins, believe and accept God’s forgiveness through the atonement of Jesus’ sacrifice and those who believe that Jesus rose victoriously defeating the power of sin and death. Condemnation is a direct opponent to our walk with Jesus. We may sin, but if we confess our sins, as John says, then we are forgiven, completely. Condemnation tries to tell us otherwise. But we need to, in Jesus’ Name, silence that voice.

Don’t confuse condemnation for the Holy Spirit’s prompting and pointing out areas in our lives to repent of. This is God’s way to make us clean and holy. Yet when we confess those things, we are forgiven. Period. Jesus comes towards us waving the white flag of peace, not with the angry red army, charging towards you because you fell. No. Jesus comes in peace, in love and in grace. What a loving, forgiving God. He is faithful. He is just. He restores.