THE BELIEVER’S ERROR OF SELF-CONDEMNATION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JULY 13, 2023.

SUBJECT: THE BELIEVER’S ERROR OF SELF-CONDEMNATION! 

Memory verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8 vs 1.)

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 17 - 19:

5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; Behold, all things have become new.

5:18: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

5:19: that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing 

their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

INTIMATION:

Guilty conscience is a deep feeling of self-reproach which stems from a belief that one has done wrong. Consequently, this results to self-condemnation under the weight of our sins. Such conscience or self-condemnation hinders our faith life in Christ. This problem of guilt feeling results in the inability of the believer to stand in the Father's presence without the sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. With such complex, the believer harbors doubt in his or her mind. And obviously, the doubter cannot ask in faith, and consequently, receives nothing from the Lord (James 1 vs 6 - 7). 

It is noteworthy that a believer has the right to stand in the Father's presence and make his or her petitions known to Him without any sense of condemnation. Here are few things that every believer should know: The believer is actually a “new creation”—brand-new person on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives the believer new life, and he or she is not the same anymore; “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 17.) 

Believers are created, and living in vital union with Christ, and have received into their spirits the life and nature of God. The old things of his nature of sin and disobedience, spiritual death, union with Satan, and slavery to sin have passed away. Consequently, the new creation is the product of God, created in Christ Jesus. The new creation is born from above, born of the Holy Spirit, through the Word. And the new thing stands un-condemned before the Father, and reconciled with the Him. 

The moment that we become new creations, we become the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God means the ability to stand in the Father's presence without sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. We are at that moment sons and daughters of God by His adoption. 

At conversion the believer do not merely turn over a new leaf; he or she begins a new life under a new Master—Jesus Christ. The Master has sacrificed His life for the believers to make them right with the Father: “For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21.) 

When we trust in Christ, we make an exchange: He takes our sin and makes us right with God. Our sins were laid on Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is given to us at conversion. It would be an abnormal thing if He should recreate us, impart to us His own nature, and leave us under the blighting curse of condemnation, unable to stand in His presence without the sense of guilt and inferiority. 

Sin has been preached to us so long and we have been told so often that we are unworthy and unfit, and this has kept us with a sense of inferiority which has been destructive to a faith life. It is noteworthy that no man can work with God as long as he is under condemnation, and we should realize that God has given us His own righteousness in Christ Jesus so that we can fellowship with Him. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

The Scripture says this about Jesus, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3 vs 18.) All have sinned and all stand condemned already before God. However, by God’s mercy and love, He made a way of escape from this condemnation by sending His Son as a propitiation for our sins, and only those who believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus for our sins are not condemned. 

People often try to protect themselves from their fears by putting their faith in something they do or have: good works, skill or intelligence, money or possessions. But only God can save us from the one thing that we really need to fear—eternal condemnation. We believe in God by recognizing the insufficiency of our own efforts to find salvation and by asking Him to do His work in us. When Jesus talks about unbelievers, He means those who reject or ignore Him completely, not those who have momentary doubts. 

Prayer: Abba Father, inexplicable and undeniable gift of salvation, thank you so much for the unparalleled privilege of Your adopting me as Your son, an heir, and joint heir with Christ. Thank You, O Lord my Father, for the privilege of imputing to me Your righteousness in Christ, that I can stand before You without any sense of condemnation or inferiority, in the mighty Name of Jesus I have given thanks, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!