Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 

Romans 8:1-2 (CSB)

Sweet friend, I hope you’ve been as refreshed as I have during our exploration of what it means that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. If you missed the last few posts, here’s a recap of some points we’ve discussed (and I hope you’ll check out the full posts soon too!).

• God loves you unconditionally. He never disapproves of you personally. You can always come to Him just as you are. Coming to Him is the only way you will be free of sin and shame and anxiety.
• If we embrace the truth that we can always come to God, then we will fully experience what it means that there is no condemnation for those in Christ.

Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday:

Make no mistake, God disapproves of sin, and He disapproves of what sin does in our lives. He never disapproves of us personally, but He won’t sit by and let sin consume us either.

As I meditated on Romans 8:1-2 and the truth that God loves people and hates sin, I was reminded of another lie that I’ve heard the enemy has used to keep people in bondage to sin. I think it’s the opposite of the lie he tells me (introduced in this post) which just goes to show what a liar the enemy is, talking out of both sides of his mouth to us. Here is the other lie:

God loves you. You can do whatever you want; God won’t condemn you for it. You’re covered by His grace, so sin doesn’t apply to you anymore.

Again, the enemy pads enough truth into the lie to make it seem believable. God does love us, more than we can imagine (John 3:16). God doesn’t condemn those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1-2). In Christ, we are covered by God’s grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).

BUT – notice the untruths he slid in there?

You can do whatever you want…sin doesn’t apply to you.

Oh friend, that’s a lie that far too many in our time have fallen for hook, line, and sinker. And yet, it’s not a new lie. In fact, the enemy doesn’t have any new material. The same lies he uses on us, he used on the saints of the old.

That’s why Paul wrote this to the Galatians in Galatians 5:13:

For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 

And why John wrote this to believers in 1 John 3:9 (ESV):

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Dear heart, God won’t condemn those who are in Christ, but He won’t permit us to intentionally misuse or abuse His grace and mercy either. When we’re sinning, Holy Spirit goes to work calling us back to God, and the more we resist, the more miserable we become.

Do you know what the most miserable state is for a Christian?

• Knowingly practicing sin.

Paul describes it like this in Romans 7:21-25:

So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Paul is so torn by his inner desire to love God and love others and the desire of his flesh (sin nature as some call it) that he calls himself a “wretched man” and wonders who will rescue him from his body that leads him to sin.

Have you ever experienced this battle?

Goodness, I have. Sometimes daily.

Just above this passage, Paul wrote that he does what he does not want to do (sin) and does not do what he wants to do (live righteously). And if we are honest with ourselves, the same is true of all of us.

• We do not want to gossip but suddenly we find ourselves chatting away about idle things or about other people’s private lives.
• We do not want to overindulge in food or television but suddenly we’re munching on unhealthy snacks and wondering why Netflix is asking if we’re still watching.
• We do want to read our Bibles and pray in the morning but suddenly we just can’t get out of bed and we didn’t pack lunches the night before and the whole morning becomes a frenzy to get out the door and it’s 11 am before we realize we didn’t read or pray.
• We do want to join a ministry project or small group that takes place in the evening but suddenly that big promotion is looming ahead of us and working over 2-3 hours a few nights a week seems like a more responsible idea than serving others or attending Bible study.

I get it. I do. And you know what, God’s aware of it too. He knows how we are, and He knows the lies the enemy tells us, so He’s given us three ways that I can think of readily to combat both of the enemy’s lies about condemnation:

• His word
• His Spirit
• His people

Let’s pick up there tomorrow. For today, let’s meditate on Galatians 5:13, 1 John 3:9, and Romans 7:21-25.

• What does it mean to use our freedom for others instead of for the flesh?
• What does it mean to practice sin? to practice righteousness?
• What act of righteousness would you like to be practicing but aren’t? What’s stopping you?
• What sin do you not want to do but just keeps popping up to tempt you? Have you taken it to God yet? Remember, because of Christ, you can go to God with anything. Don’t run. Don’t hide. Don’t shirk it off. Go to God today and be free!

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