No condemnation!
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.
This is one word nobody likes. To be condemned means to be found guilty. If you were innocent then there would be no condemnation. We all like to see if we can get away with it. We all carry the secrets of stuff we did and no one knew but us. We all know what it feels like to feel the condemnation of being caught. Condemnation is the checkmark in our hearts that keeps on reminding us that we messed up. How can we get rid of this feeling?
We have all sinned. No man can say that he is without sin. When Jesus came in the flesh He came to a sinful world that had no person that could make a claim to sinlessness. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God! So to make a statement that there is no more condemnation to them that are in Christ means that there is a group of people that still sin but God no longer holds them guilty. This doesn’t sound right and certainly doesn’t make sense. If I am guilty I am guilty right? What about the consequence of my sins? We are beginning to scratch the surface in our understanding of God’s heart.
When Adam and Eve sinned there were consequences to their act of sin. God cursed the earth and He cursed the enemy for deceiving them and to Adam and Eve He told them what the result of their sin would be. Understand that God never cursed man who was created in His image. There were only consequences from their sin. We have seen this for eons as man has struggled with what sin brought into this world. With the weight of having to deal with that, man has also faced the condemnation of being guilty of his own sins. This was almost like a double whammy.
Jesus came to be the substitute for our sins. God made the only one that ever walked the face of this earth without sin, to become like sin for us. God treated Jesus like He would treat sin. Jesus became sin for us. His life and death equaled the power that sin had over us. Not only did HE die, but He was raised by God to prove to us that God accepted his offering and sacrifice. In his life he equaled the power of sin but in is resurrection He overcame the power of sin. With that, God removed the power of condemnation over us who would accept His sacrifice. There is no more condemnation for us that are in Christ Jesus. That means that God does not hold us guilty and that every time I sin, God looks at the price Jesus paid and finds it to be sufficient for my trespass. God can correct me as a Papa without being mad at me for messing it up. The correction still comes. You see, this does not give me a free ticket to sin and do what I want to. Instead of facing the consequences of my sin, I face the correction of my Father that has my best intentions in His heart. Sin's intention is to destroy and kill, His intention is to restore and grow me into my purpose and destiny.
Not only did His sacrifice remove condemnation from me but it also removed the consequences of sin. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ my Lord. Sin's result for me would have been death and destruction but Jesus came and now gives me a reward of eternal life with Him. Some people understand that HE removed condemnation but they still struggle with accepting their circumstances. People expect that because they abused their bodies for years that they will die of cancer or something like that. That is still living with the idea that they must still carry the consequences of their sins. Jesus dealt with that in His death and resurrection, so instead of believing the lie, say no and expect health and healing for your body. If I give you a million dollars and you only use twenty dollars of it, you would live way below what you could have done if you used all the money. Some people live like redemption is worth a million but they only use twenty. Don’t let the enemy fool you into a substandard walk where you barely make it and God gets the glory through your struggle. People will develop the wrong impression about God if you accept such a life style.
You have been forgiven. You have been set free. You have been accepted in the beloved. There is no more condemnation from God towards you. Live like somebody that is free. Live like somebody that is restored. You are not what you used to be and you will never be that person. You are a new creation in Christ.