Deliverance and Redemption

Con – dem – na – tion an expression of strong disapproval; a final judgment in a criminal case; the act of condemning or judging something to be unfit

Condemnation is a word that enters the room like a gavel; sharp, echoing, and unmistakably final.  It names the experience of being judged, exposed, and declared guilty with no hint of reprieve.  In life, condemnation often feels less like a moment and more like a shadow, whispering that our worst choices are what defines us, that our failures are permanent, the story has already been decided.  It is the language of closed doors and dead ends.

The condemnation of sin is an expression of God’s holy and righteous character against all manner of sin, personal as well as structural, and it involves His judicial wrath toward those on the receiving end of those dealings. 

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1 – KJV). 

The apostle Paul points to this as one of the most important passages in all of Scripture.  The subject cannot be overemphasized, and if the believer needs anything, he needs the power of God’s Spirit.  The word condemnation carries a chill of being declared beyond redemption, and speaks a voice that pronounces guilt, and a judgment that settles on the soul with a sentence that leaves no room for an appeal.

God’s holiness demands purity, for He says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” (Lev. 19:2) which is a core command, which means that those who follow God must try to live a clean, honest, set-apart life that mirrors God’s pure and good character.

We are condemned because sin is not just what we do, it’s what we are without Christ.  It’s not that we are condemned only for individual acts, but because sin is a condition that we inherit because of our broken nature, and the fact that we live in a broken world causing one to choose broken actions.  Condemnation is the verdict over a life that cannot produce righteousness on its own.

Since Christ has come, a wonderful thing happened.  Those who believe in Him are not condemned, which means that he is no longer doomed or damned, but is free from the penalty and condemnation that sin caused. 

Romans 5:12 tells us that sin entered into the world through one man (Adam) and by him death was the sentence that was placed on all men.  But the cure can as a gift by the grace of the Man, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, as Romans 8:1 reads, the believer is no longer condemned so as long as he is in Christ. 

The most crucial point is that all nonbelievers will face condemnation for sin, as a genuine believer is one who does not “walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  A person who truly trusts in and lays his life with his past sins and all that he is upon Christ, then he is “in Christ.”

We are guilty of breaking God’s law and of coming short of His glory, and we are all convicted.  But Christ was sent into the world not to condemn it, but to save it.  His purpose was to save us from perishing and to save us for eternal life. 

If you do not know Christ as your personal Savior, today could be the day that you are freed from the penalty of death and saved for eternal life with God.  If you accept Christ in your heart, believe that He died for the sins of the world, was buried and raised on the third day, and confession Him with your mouth, you too will inherit the Kingdom of God forever.