Condemnation
The voice of condemnation is one that crushes us.
It is the voice that reminds us of our past, and the things we would rather forget, and we taste shame.
It is the voice of accusation, charging us with ways we have failed God, failed others, failed ourselves, and guilt weighs in on us.
It is the voice of theft, snatching away our hope that change is possible, stealing our confidence when it is needed most, and we quietly withdraw, fragile and unsure.
There was a woman who knew condemnation well. Her story is told in John 8, and this is the picture I have of it.
She was brought before Jesus, and a crowd of people, and her shame was uncovered for all to see.
The voices of accusation were deafening, and she cowered, crushed under the weight, terrified of her judgement.
In the midst of this jeering and finger-pointing and her painful humiliation, Jesus stood, and went to her side.
He silenced the voices that condemned her.
One by one, her accusers dispersed until she was left alone with this Man, Jesus.
She knew His authority, and she knew her own guilt. She could scarcely breathe, let alone look at Him for fear of what He would say to her.
But He was the One to speak, and He spoke with tenderness and kindness, as if He saw through the veil of her sin to the aching on the inside of her.
“I do not condemn you” were His words to her. “Go, and sin no more” John 8:11.
“I do not condemn you” He said.
Later, Jesus would be crucified on a cross at Calvary, and He would do this to take her sin, and ours, upon Himself, bearing in His own body the penalty for that sin.
He did not condemn her, and He does not condemn us, but instead chose to be condemned on our behalf, so that we could be free. Free before God, and free from the torment of guilt and shame.
God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through Him 2 Cor. 5:21.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him John 3:17.
Jesus released this woman from condemnation in that moment, and through His death on the cross, He releases each one of us from the same. The choices we regret, the sins no one sees, the shame that sometimes paralyses us, Jesus knows, and He loves, and He has taken it all upon Himself. And ‘It is finished’ John 19:30 He said.
He was condemned, so that we don’t have to be. At all. Not by God, or by ourselves, and the many ways we may tell ourselves we have failed.
May we take to heart this freedom we have been given. May it be life to us, and healing to us when the voice condemnation tries to poison us, and hurt us. You are loved, and God is gracious and compassionate Psalm 103:8.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus Rom.8:1.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free Gal.5:1.
Thanks, Birgit
What a great reminder–especially when the enemy comes, as he does, and whispers to us of the things we’ve done in the past. It does not honor Jesus for us to lament and mourn yet again for sins that He has paid for–as if what He did was not enough. We cannot pay, but He already did. What a wonderful Savior!
Love, Cindy
Thank you Birgit, I got a lot out of this.
Hi my friend
One of my favourite messages last year were from this passage in the Bible…the naked woman being punished all by herself, the man she was with probably disappeared quietly…
So what I have learnt that day was that God invites us, in our nakedness, loniliness, shame and sinfullness to come to Him AS WE ARE. He promises us we will not LEAVE THE SAME.
Thank you Birgit, what a great reminder for the rest of 2010 to know that we are free in Christ.
Every time I think on this story I wonder about the man. She shared her sin yet I wonder if her freedom was shared.
This is a beautiful essay, Birgit. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been thinking about this post since you wrote it. I speak condemnation to myself all. the. time. I know it comes from my upbringing, but learning to concentrate upon the positive truths of God’s word is a struggle for me. It was always, and only, the “thou shalt nots” that were taught in my home.
He did not condemn her. And He keeps reminding me of that.
I need to start listening.
Thanks, Birg. Love you. Hope all’s well…been praying for you and yours. xo
The voice of the enemy speaks loud and thunderous – condemning with every breath. Listening past the noise to that still small voice that says “my blood has covered your sin” is something we need to practice and be reminded of by those who He sends to encourage us. Thank you. As always, perfect blog for today.
Thank you so much to each of you for your replies here, and for what you’ve shared, I so look forward to replying more fully over the weekend, with love, Birgit.
You’ve captured so beautifully here: the heart of condemnation- which is to drag us down and shame us; vs. the heart of God- to bring wholeness and new life, to remove our pasts from us and give us hope. All we need to do is accept His gift.
Hi Cindy, so good to see you
and you have captured so well the heart of God’s grace here – “We cannot pay, but He already did.” What a gift that we have been set free of our past mistakes, and are loved so unconditionally.
Love and blessings to you.
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So lovely to see you, Laree. With lots of love xo
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Wow, this is such a good point, Des, that we can come to Him – just as we are. That He meets us here, and it is His Spirit that works in us to bring about healing and change and freedom from sin. His grace abounds.
Thanks for your thoughts, lots of love xo
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This is a really good point @ngie, I hadn’t thought of that – in the end, because of Jesus’ incredible grace, this woman received mercy, and freedom – did the man? We obviously don’t read any more about him.
It makes me think that as painful as it can be to come to God in our weakness and regret and shame, that the experience of His forgiveness and grace is the incredible gift of doing so.
I love the new perspectives you bring!
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Michelle, you and I have so much in common, friend
Like you, I seem to remind myself regularly of the ways I am letting God down, with a heart that really wants to please Him. At different times, God does this incredible thing of reminding me in a hundred different ways about His grace, that His grace and mercy and love abounds to me and each of us, because of Jesus. Whenever I get this fresh revelation, it is like letting out a sigh of relief! What a gift we have been given. Total freedom because of Jesus.
I pray that He continues to encourage of us with this really good news!
Thank you so much for your prayers at this time. Look forward to catching up more soon.
Lots of love to you, Birg xo
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So, so true Hope! Your thoughts here reminded me of the name of the enemy given in Revelation – the accuser of the brethren (Rev.12:10, my emphasis).
Conversely, God has a way of lifting us up, and reaching us again with the message of His grace, and forgiveness, and immeasurable love. Your words have been a reminder to me, to keep growing in my ability to hear and receive God’s encouragement
Hope you’re well, friend. I’ve been thinking of you recently. Lots of blessings to you.
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Rain, you’ve made such a good point here about accepting His gift. I’m learning so much about this at the moment. That victory has been won. That forgiveness is ours. That there is greater freedom waiting for me in Christ, as I simply accept and receive by faith what He has done on the cross. I tend to let questions and doubts get in the way, but I am learning to ‘cast down’ these ‘imaginations’ (2 Cor.10:5) and simply accept, as you say
[...] Condemnation on Birget Whelan, by Birget Whelan. What a ministry to the hurting heart! Not so long ago it was not unusual for me to feel so burdened down and distressed by past sins and my own unworthiness that I must have really irritated God, whose blood I dishonored by my unbelief. It’s not about our unworthiness–it’s about His love. [...]