No Condemnation

By Paul Chappell

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Romans 8:1-4

I read about a young boy who accidentally killed a goose on the family farm. His sister saw what happened and leveraged the incident to her advantage. "If you will wash the dishes every day and do all of my chores, I won’t tell Mom," she promised. Soon, the boy tired of being his sister’s slave and decided to take matters into his own hands. When he told his sister that he was quitting on her agreement, she reminded him that she would tell their mother. "It doesn’t matter anymore," he said cheerfully. "I already told Mom myself, and she forgave me."

God has given us complete forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. The price of sin has already been paid in full. There is no remaining condemnation. Yet many Christians struggle with guilt for things they have done or failed to do. The devil is a master at using these things against us. Revelation 12:10 calls him "the accuser of our brethren." Satan not only accuses us before the Father, but He accuses us to our own conscience.

Like the girl in our story, the devil taunts us with our past sins. He knows that if he can keep us consumed by guilt, he can limit our effectiveness for God. We must remember that God has fully forgiven us for every sin because of Jesus. When God sees us, He sees only the righteousness of His Son.

Today's Rooted Principle:

Do not allow Satan to condemn you with the sins of the past—you are completely forgiven!