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No Condemnation, But Love
Rom 8:1
There is
therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of
sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh:
Do you view your life
in terms of God’s love and approval,
or His judgment and condemnation? When
we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as
Savior, our sins are forgiven, God’s
justice has been satisfied, and we are
no longer under condemnation. (Romans
8:1) Yet many of us nonetheless carry
a feeling of condemnation. Why do we
feel this way?
1. Upbringing.
Many of us grew up with criticism and
rejection, experiencing love only
sporadically. As a result, we tend to
be negative about ourselves. We forget
that, because of God’s love, we have
become a brand-new creation.
2. Unforgiveness.
When we have willfully sinned against
God, many of us are unable to accept
His forgiveness. Since we feel
unworthy of being forgiven, we condemn
ourselves. Yet God speaks words of
love to us, His errant children.
3. Criticism.
Criticism from others often contains
condemnation. By assenting to such
opinions, we accept someone else’s
negative assessment and ignore the
value God places on us. His love
remains constant, even when we make
mistakes.
4. Deception.Satan
tries to deceive us into thinking we
are unforgiven. When we believe his
lie, we are rejecting God’s loving
sacrifice of His Son, who died for all
our sins.
The antidote to the
feeling of condemnation is love. How
real is our heavenly Father’s love to
you? Spend time today pondering the
wonder and mystery of His love. Then
tell Him you accept His love for you.
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