Has guilt and shame been a major part of your life? Do you walk around every day burdened by condemnation? If so, you’re not alone! There are too many Christians trying to live a life of peace, joy, and freedom with a suitcase-sized backpack filled with guilt and shame weighing them down and hindering their progress. As believers, we need to understand the difference between condemnation and conviction.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1 (NKJV)
The definition of condemnation is to pronounce judgement; declare guilt; determine unfit; to pronounce sentence and punishment.
Somehow, as followers of Christ, we have accepted the lie that we should feel shame and carry condemnation around like penance for our mistakes. However, that runs counter to Romans 8:1, which tells us the truth: if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we are free from condemnation because He took that to the cross on our behalf! He not only died so that we could be forgiven and reconciled back to God, but He also paid the price for our guilt, and He bore our shame!
“Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!” Isaiah 53:4-5 (NLT)
So, when we choose to hold on to condemnation, it’s as if we’re trying to help Jesus out – like what He did on the cross wasn’t a complete work – but it was!
Condemnation is not from God. Maybe you’ve said (or heard others say) something like “God condemned me about that.” No, I’m sorry, friend. He didn’t. Psalm 103:12 tells us that God has removed our transgressions from us as far as the East is from the West. That’s a distance that has no end! So, if God has put an eternal distance between us and our sins and mistakes – why would He condemn us for them? He wouldn’t, or He would be a hypocrite.
Condemnation is from your enemy, Satan. Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He’s the one making accusations, trying to declare us guilty and pronounce a death sentence on us – but he’s a liar, and what God has blessed, no one can curse! (See Numbers 23:8)
So, when you’re feeling guilty and full of shame, that is not from God – that’s your enemy trying to torment you and distract you from experiencing God’s good plan for your life.
Romans 8:33-34 is a beautiful passage that reminds us of how Jesus sees us. It states that He’s at the right hand of the Father, ever making intercession for us. Well, what is He declaring? Interceding means He’s advocating on our behalf (like our defense attorney) to the Father, declaring, “She’s innocent! He’s innocent. I paid the price so they could be forgiven! They’re innocent!” Isn’t that beautiful?
Conviction
God does not bring condemnation – He brings conviction. Conviction is very different than condemnation.
Conviction is the Holy Spirit guiding us and shepherding us on our faith walk through little nudges in our inner man to stay on the narrow path. You may have this ‘inner knowing’ that says, “Don’t do that,” or “Don’t go there,” or “You shouldn’t say that,” (or post that on social media). It’s this still, small voice from a loving Heavenly Father that’s trying to get our attention, warning us that we are about to stray (or have strayed). He loves us and wants the very best for us, so he brings conviction through His Holy Spirit to help us navigate this sin-fallen world in righteousness.
Condemnation
If you’ve ever watched any of the Mission: Impossible movies, you know that they often use deception and misdirection in their complex schemes. A signature element in each of these films is how they utilize a realistic-looking mask and a voice-imitating device that helps them take on the identity of another person. That’s really what the enemy is trying to force on us when he brings condemnation.
You see, condemnation is the enemy trying to PULL US DOWN from our righteous position in Christ to his level, so you adopt his identity. He tries to make you feel unworthy, shameful, dirty, a loser, insignificant, unloved when in reality that’s HIS IDENTITY. He’s a liar – so all of the things he’s trying to say about you aren’t true. He’s the unworthy one. He’s the shameful, dirty, insignificant loser who is separated from Love. He wants you to take his identity and force it upon you so that you become more like him – when in reality, you’re made in the image of God, and he can’t stand that!
Conviction is God trying to PULL YOU UP to a higher level in Him so that you adopt more of His identity! He wants you to know that you’re accepted, loved, victorious, and an overcomer, righteous, holy, a king, and a priest!
Now that we know condemnation comes from the adversary and conviction comes from God, we should always remember to resist condemnation and yield to conviction. Resist the enemy’s attempts to pull you down and adopt his identity, and surrender to conviction, which is God’s attempt to pull you up so we can be more like Him!
So, how do we resist condemnation? We refuse to accept it. Yes, we all make mistakes, but God has given us the gift of repentance. When we sin and make mistakes, we are simply missing the mark that God has set for us. We can go to Him and acknowledge that we missed it and ask Him for help to make a 180-degree turn away from that sin and turn back to Him. Plus, we have dominion and authority over what the enemy tries to say about us.
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn.” Isaiah 55:17(NKJV)
Did you catch that? It says that when Satan tries to rise up against you by bringing guilt, shame, and judgment, you aren’t supposed to accept it – YOU SHALL CONDEMN it. Take his weapon and use it back on him. That’s like taking a robber’s gun away from him and using it back on him! Instead of accepting the enemy’s condemnation, you’re supposed to use the power of your words and speak condemnation back on him and his lies. Stop identifying with what the liar says about you, and ask the Lord to give you a fresh perspective of how He sees you!
Come on, pray this with me right now: “Father, open my eyes so I can see myself the way You see me. Give me a fresh revelation of Who I am in Christ.”
I love the instance in the Bible when the religious leaders brought to Jesus the woman caught in adultery. The law back then was that she was to be publicly humiliated and stoned to death. But Jesus’ response gives us a glimpse of how He sees us even when we’re at our worst.
“Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So, when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again, He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:3-11 (NKJV)
God loves you. He no longer sees you as guilty and eager to punish you. He sees you as innocent and blessed because that’s what He paid for when He sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for your sins and mistakes.
Feature Image: Chapel in desert GENAI Text to Image; Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.; Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
