Conviction yes....Condemnation no!

Are you a Christian struggling with condemnation? Well I have some good news for you! Romans, the eighth chapter begins with one of the greatest promises in all the Bible. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." --- If you have ever struggled with guilt and condemnation as I have, the above verse is for you as much as it is for me. This verse should be a great comfort and assurance to all of us who have experienced the pain of guilt and condemnation after we have sinned. 

 
Now please understand that by that statement Jesus is condoning sin because if there's one thing we know is NOT the will of God, it is sin --- and no matter how much we believe and try to obey, we sin. But we also shouldn't see it as and excuse to cover over our sins and not take ownership or responsibility for the things we have done. But, as Christians, there are two feelings we can experience after we’ve sinned: conviction and condemnation. But, there is a BIG difference between condemnation and conviction. Conviction is from God. Condemnation, on the other hand comes from Satan. Conviction is something God brings to lead us to repentance and change, and condemnation is something Satan uses to deceive, discourage and destroy us. As a Christian, I have struggled with condemnation, guilt and shame in my life...and though we are commanded not to sin, it is not uncommon for us to feel guilty after we've sinned. From my own experiences, I was harder on myself than anyone else ever could be, and Satan would inspire feelings of condemnation and guilt by whispering something like, “You aren’t good enough! You're a mess! You're a failure! You are hopeless! You’ll never change!” ... But, I have learned from a great deal of personal experience that God is not a condemning God! Ever. AND, one question we must learn to ask is: If God does not condemn us, as promised in Verse 1, why do we condemn ourselves or let others condemn us? God’s Word proclaims.....

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” Romans 8:1-2 NLT

As we see here, we all need to refuse to condemn ourselves because God says to every believer,---“there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  BUT, first, we as believers have to believe that what God says is true. If God says “there is now no condemnation,” then there is no condemnation. The work of the Holy Spirit is not to condemn us; but to convict us of sin. Conviction comes to a believer whose heart IS RIGHT, and has done wrong. They quickly turn and repent. Condemnation comes when a heart is NOT RIGHT. So if we are being drawn closer to God, we are feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit. John 16:8 tells us,

“And when he (Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”

Conclusion
As Christians we will sin, BUT, a real Christian doesn't want to sin! We may stumble, fall, trip, make a thousand mistakes, sin and we do, get off the path, go astray, have a thousand problems, but for the believer in Christ Jesus, there is NO CONDEMNATION because God has said it is so. “For those who are in Christ Jesus, now, today, not tomorrow, not next week, not next year, but NOW, there is no condemnation.” John 8:11 also says: "Neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." Let us remember, condemnation shows us the problem, but conviction shows us the answer!!! God's purpose for conviction is to draw us TOWARD Himself. On the contrary, Satan tries to condemn us in order to lure us AWAY FROM God.

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)