Living free from condemnation

It is not pleasant to live under a constant state of condemnation. Even worse is living that way and not knowing it.

In my early 20s, I worked in a condemned building. It was a radio station in a city that shall remain nameless. I worked there for many months not knowing that, years earlier, city engineers had officially pronounced the building condemned, but “arrangements” had been made to keep it open. One day, one of the other announcers happened to mention in passing that the building had been officially condemned. After that, I would nervously listen to odd noises coming from the ceiling or walls.

The Bible has quite a bit to say about condemnation. For the believer in Christ, there is no longer any condemnation, according to the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. Jesus said in John 3:17, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus’ finished work on the cross, his resurrection, and a believer’s trust in that work and in his name for the forgiveness of sins remove the reality of living condemned.

That is good news. But the verse that follows is sobering: “Whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” It is not good works that remove the sentence of condemnation. It is belief in his name and receiving his gift of righteousness. Each day, we encounter people who, because of their unbelief, are living condemned and do not even know it. This is why Christians are called to take the gospel to the condemned.

Sadly, there were Pharisees in Jesus’ day who prized condemnation in their hearts. There may even be a few around today. When the Pharisees, champions of obeying the Law of Moses, brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in adultery, they wanted her to be stoned under Old Covenant law. When Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her,” they went from bold to befuddled in a heartbeat.

Scripture says the accusers left one by one, beginning with the older ones first. Jesus asked the woman, “Where are your accusers? Is there no one left to condemn you?” She answered, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus uttered the best news anyone can ever hear: “Neither do I condemn you. Now go and leave your life of sin.”

If you are a believer in the atoning work and deity of Jesus Christ and have been living under a cloud of condemnation, Jesus has good news for you. John 5:24 says, “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already crossed over from death into life.” Free from accusation, free from condemnation. It’s good to be free.

Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove 9:30 a.m. and Harrisville Methodist Church 11 a.m. Both are Global Methodist congregations. Text Ken at 918-852-9797