Conviction vs Condemnation
Conviction Versus Condemnation
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Romans 8:1 (KJV)
Yesterday we talked about the new heart.
How God gave you a heart of flesh so you could finally recognize that you, as a wicked human being, need someone who's only good.
And that someone is Jesus.
But then the question lingers.
What happens after you fall with a new heart?
Usually a voice starts talking.
And although it sounds spiritual, it isn't from God.
When you sin, you feel it. So it feels right that this might be conviction from God.
This is where most believers get confused.
Because there are always two voices that show up in those moments.
Both of them sound identical, and they both make you feel something.
Only one of them pulls you to the cross.
The other voice will push you away from the cross and pull you deeper into condemnation.
When you look at the original Greek word for "condemnation" in Romans 8, it's katakrima, which literally means a verdict with a punishment.
What's really crazy is that Paul is saying there is now no katakrima, no condemnation, if you are truly in Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because Jesus already served it.
One of the main reasons believers stay stuck or exhausted is because they don't understand what condemnation is versus conviction.
They think the heaviness after they slip up is God judging them.
But the Holy Spirit will never make you feel worthless or heavy.
He will always redirect you back to Jesus.
The easy way to tell whether the feeling is convicting or condemning is this.
Conviction will always pull you toward God. Condemnation will always push you away from Him and back toward the world.
I want you to think of the Prodigal son.
Even though that son squandered all of his father's riches, when the father saw him, he didn't say, "Get out of here, I hate you."
He didn't even remind him of his sins.
What he did was sprint toward him, hug him, kiss him, and clothe him with righteousness and love.
We always have to remember that the enemy will remind you of your sin, but God will remind you of your Savior.
Here's how to apply this to your life scripturally.
- When you feel something, ask one question. "Is this voice pulling me toward Jesus or away from Him?" If it's pulling you away, that's not God talking. That's Satan.
- Stay in your word so you can be out of your feelings. To combat condemnation from the enemy, you have to take a page out of Jesus' book and say "it is written" right back at it.
- Find mentorship and don't isolate. Condemnation and sin grow in darkness and silence. Share your heart with somebody, preferably a person who can actually listen.
PRAYER:
Father God, I bring this voice in my head to you today. I'm tired of carrying a sentence you already served. Help me trust that when you said "no condemnation," you weren't lying. You could never lie, and you meant exactly what you said. Remind me, when conviction shows up, that it's you drawing me closer to you. I'm thankful that you gave your only begotten Son to finish the work on the cross. And thank you that, although I sin and mess up, you don't count those sins against me, but you call me your Son, you call me righteous. In Jesus' precious name we pray. In Jesus name Amen.