There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1 – Righteousness

The devil uses guilt and condemnation as two of his main weapons against Christians. The Bible calls him the accuser of the brethren, but before he can steal, kill, or destroy, you must accept his accusations. If you condemn yourself over mistakes that you made in life, that condemnation leads to fear, anxiety, and even death.

When someone believes in Jesus, God forgives all their sin and forgets it (Hebrews 8:12). That covers sins past, present, and future, and when you get to heaven, there will be no record of them because the blood of Jesus covered them at the cross. In America we have a law called double jeopardy, which states you can’t be judged for the same crime twice. We have been found NOT GUILTY by the blood of Jesus, and cannot be tried again for our crimes. That’s why Paul says “there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,” for if Jesus justifies you who can condemn?

When the Pharisees brought the adulteress before Jesus, He did not judge her or condemn her. Instead, He asked her “Where are your accusers, does anyone here condemn you?” But none of the Pharisees did. So He said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more” She was caught in the act, but with her mind free of guilt first, that empowered her to go out and sin no more.

Abraham’s righteousness

Was Abraham perfect? Genesis 20:2 says Abraham lied and deceived a king by claiming his wife was only his sister, and then gave her to the king out of a misplaced fear of death! Who gives their wife away? But did God punish Abraham? No, in fact the next verse says God appeared to the king in a vision and said “You touch his wife and you’re a dead man!” God had Abraham’s back even when he messed up because of Abraham’s righteousness, not based on his behaviour or even his obedience to the law (he lived 400 years before the law) but because he believed God. God has our backs despite our mistakes not because of our behaviour, but because of our righteousness when we believe in His Son by faith.

So next time you blow it, thank God for His grace, praise Him for His great love, and keep pushing forward. God has forgiven you. It is time that you forgive yourself.

Dear Friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. -1 John 3:21