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FROM
THE PASTOR’S DESK Pastor Randy Barnett, Oklahoma |
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FREE FROM CONDEMNATION The young woman rushed through the door
of my office unannounced and crying, looking for consolation from her pastor.
“I just can’t do it!” she cried, “I just can’t be good enough for God!” I
felt her pain of desperation because I too had labored under this same kind
of assault years earlier in my life. The lie had overtaken this precious
young lady and she now found herself in the throws of condemnation. This is a
common problem in the Body of Christ. I want to use this illustration to bring
revelation truth to you so neither you nor anyone you know falls into
condemnation like Donna. Remember this: When you really know the truth,
that knowledge sets you free! First of all it is important to understand
the work of the evil one when condemnation arises. Condemnation is never from
God. He just does not treat His children like that. The devil is the master
of condemnation. It is a weapon he is successful with against the saints of
God. His success comes because of ignorance in the people of God. He uses this
weapon to embondage Christians and to keep them weak and ineffective in
Kingdom work. You must not allow this to happen to you. Condemnation attacks your identity;
please understand this. It is a spiritual
affliction that erodes the sense of who you are as well as your true
worth, especially in the sight of God. Look with me at a familiar passage of
Scripture, the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. You know how the young
man squandered his inheritance after he left home and then finally came to
his senses and returned to his father’s house. Notice what he says to his
Daddy when he first sees him: “Father,
I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be
called your son.” Can you see condemnation at work in this young man? Can
you see how his sense of self-worth and his sense of identity have eroded? One of the underlying themes of this
passage is the truth that this young man’s sins did not disqualify him from
who he really was. His sonship was not removed because of sin. Regardless of
how bad he had been in his season of rebellion, it was not powerful enough to
remove him from his father’s love, nor strip him of his father’s name. This
truth is a key insight, so please do not pass over it too lightly. We are led
to believe that the young man did indeed sin grievously and acted in an evil
manner so as to discredit not only his Daddy but also his heavenly Father;
so, there is no doubt his behavior was despicable. But when faced with his
son and the sins he committed, the father in the story does not acknowledge
his son’s wrongdoings nor does he castigate him or heap upon him any
condemnation. This story is in the Bible because it depicts your heavenly
Father’s nature to you. Here is the basis for the biblical
doctrine of freedom from condemnation: Romans 8:1 “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.” The good news from the throne of
God is that condemnation is no more for you! Verse 9 of the same chapter in
the Book of Romans affirms that it is you that Paul the apostle is referring
to when he says, Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit
of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” You have been born again and are
now a child of the Most High God. He has given you His Spirit to dwell with
you and in you, and that destroys any possible condemnation from past sins,
from sins you just committed, or even from future sins. The blood of Jesus
cleanses you from guilt and that has removed condemnation from you as far as
the east is from the west. Hallelujah! You are a child of God and nothing
(not even sinning) can remove you from that lofty place in God’s covenant
family. The truth is this: the grace of God is far more powerful that sin.
(Romans 5:20) Be clear on one thing; this truth of “no
condemnation” is not a license to sin. Even though sinning does not condemn you to a fall from grace and eternal
judgment, it surely does carry with it certain and severe consequences. The
wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), death of the enjoyment of God’s covenant
blessings, death of your own inner peace that comes from obedience to God’s
Word, and death of your heavenly Father’s pleasure with you. Sinning opens
spiritual doors to the evil one into your life. If you have sinned, the
remedy is provided. Here is the promise: “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9) Anytime I teach on the subject of sin, I
feel the need to develop the balanced doctrine of sin. I do not endorse the theory of eternal security. Any
believer in Christ can willfully choose to turn away from God and reject the
grace of God. He can denounce Him and declare knowingly that Jesus is no
longer his Lord and Savior. That man most definitely has lost his salvation.
(Hebrews 3:12 and Hebrews 6:4-8)(I John 5:16-17) I found in my own life (and I have seen
the truth of this revelation in countless numbers of people over almost
thirty years of ministry) that once I was set free from the lie of
condemnation, it was far easier to please God through obedience to His word.
When I was struggling with my own weak will-power, all the while being
burdened down with the sense of unworthiness and even at times wondering if
my sins had separated me from the grace of God, I never made any spiritual
progress. My spiritual growth was stunted and my Kingdom effectiveness was
all but eliminated. But when the light of truth dawned upon me that there was
now no condemnation, I was freed to really start living in the Spirit and
enjoying my sonship to its fullest measure, despite my own human weaknesses. I encourage you to cast off the weights
of condemnation and rise into the peace that comes from this fresh revelation
from God. Make the choice right now to never again allow the lie of
condemnation to fill your thoughts. (II Corinthians 10:3-5) Your life will be
so much fuller and richer, so go ahead and start enjoying your covenant with
God. |
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