The Pitfall of Condemnation
By Ben Spalink
In our adult class called “The Blessed Life,” we uncovered one of the ways the enemy can derail “mourning,” making a good thing toxic. This mourning is, of course, not general sadness or grief but mourning our loss of innocence, our sin and the reality of brokenness in our lives. Sometimes this godly sorrow turns to self pity. We’re not sorry for what we’ve done. We’re sorry for the price we have to pay or the people who are upset with us. That’s the difference between godly sorrow (which leads to life) and worldly sorrow (which leads to death). But there’s another way “mourning” can take a devastating turn in our lives.
One of the most helpful distinctions to know as a Christian is the difference between conviction and condemnation. One comes from the Spirit, the other from Satan. When we are called upon to grieve our sin, we are not being encouraged to wallow in self-doubt, self-hatred, despair or fear. This is condemnation, and it comes from the enemy. Satan will use our sin against us to accuse us. Instead of going to Jesus immediately to be set free, we will oftentimes flee grace out of shame. A repeat offender thinks, “I knew it was wrong and I did it again. Surely God won’t forgive me this time.” Others will think of times that parents, teachers or other loved ones shook their heads and lamented, “You’re never going to amount to anything.” One may think of the disgrace of being fired from a job and think, “No one wants me. I’m a failure.” These are all examples of condemnation, and they differ from conviction in that they drown us in shame, making it almost impossible to accept God’s grace and forgiveness.
Conviction, on the other hand, is specific, not general. The Spirit never says, “You’re a failure, a reject. You’re no good.” The Spirit says, “God loves you. He has a plan for your life. You’ve made a mistake, but you can be forgiven and try again with my help. I’m with you.” The Spirit convicts us for our good to lead us to increased faith and repentance. Condemnation cuts us off from God, making us think that the grace of God somehow doesn’t apply to us. In these times, we must remember the cross above all. The precious blood of Jesus shed on the cross is more than sufficient to pay the cost for any and all sin. To think your sin somehow puts you outside the range of God’s grace is an insult to Jesus. He paid the ultimate cost, and your sin cannot possibly be so bad that God would say, “I’m not footing the bill for this one. He or she is done.” The enemy will come back and say, “Well, he was willing to forgive you those first times, but you took advantage of it, you didn’t change, and now you’re done for.” Not true. Jesus himself told Peter that he would have to forgive his brother seventy-seven times seven times. Jesus didn’t ask Peter to do what God himself wouldn’t do for us - he will forgive us as many times as we come to him for forgiveness.
The Spirit’s conviction is meant to draw us closer to God to receive his forgiveness and experience life change. God’s method is not to forgive you and then say, “Okay. Now go out there and try harder.” The Gospel is about depending on God more, accepting your neediness, and letting the glory of God shine in your weakness. We embrace weakness by throwing ourselves into community, openly confessing our sins to pastors or trusted spiritual friends, and by doing with the Spirit’s strength the very things we are too weak to do on our own. In this way, conviction of sin leads to true transformation, which God’s Spirit works in us by his grace.
Join with me in saying “no” to condemnation. In Christ, there IS NOW NO CONDEMNATION (Romans 8:1). This is what it means to be set free from fear. You must learn to love yourself because God loves you. Condemning yourself does you no favors. Neither does God ask for it. He has taken the curse in your place so that you can know his love and his power at work in your life to bring glory to him. Condemnation deflates what God wants to inflate - not your ego, but your sense of God’s love, your dependence on him, and your power to obey him. Have you fallen into sin? We all have. Now get up, accept his forgiveness, and make it your primary goal to trust that what God says about you is more true than what your feelings may be telling you. Gospel truth will help you rise from the slump of shameful feelings and condemnation to victory and strength for God’s glory. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).