“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which  are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  (Rom. 8:1 KJV). 

We live in a broken world.  One of the results  of that brokenness is the fact that each of us at different times face condemnation from a variety of sources.  Some people condemn us whenever we make a mistake, never recognizing their own weakness and tendency for failure. Others condemn us when we do not measure up to their expectations.  Then there are those who condemn us simply because we disagree with them, regardless of the irrefutable facts that support our position.   We see that all across the spectrum of our society today. 

Then in addition to that, for those who are followers of Christ, we face the condemnation of the evil one.  He condemns us and reminds us of our past. 
He condemns us and points out our failure whenever we  slip up and do something wrong as a follower of Christ. (Note:  We all fail at times! ) He condemns us by telling us that there is no possible way that God could forgive us, much less love us; especially after what we did.   That of course is a lie!

And there is the condemnation that we bring upon ourselves.  We beat ourselves up because  we feel that we should be more spiritual or more mature than we are.  We get disappointed in ourselves when we compare ourselves to others. 

But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to set us free not only from the penalty of our sin, but also from the condemnation  that sin brings upon us!   The experience of  freedom begins with genuine repentance before God.  We agree with God that in light of His holiness our act or actions was sin in His sight. (1 John 1:9).  Repentance means that we surrender  to the cross, renounce our sin and turn from it. In exchange,  we receive His forgiveness, love and grace.  We receive His cleansing, renewal and refreshing.  We enthrone Jesus upon our heart and resolve to walk in  Him submitting to His power operating within us.  When we choose to do so, we discover the liberty and freedom of no longer walking in condemnation!  Jesus sets us free from the condemnation of others, from the evil one, and from the condemnation we bring upon ourselves!   That is real freedom!  And only Jesus can provide that for us! 

James W. Black