Condemnation.
This was a term I heard more than I could imagine in the last couple of weeks. I may not be able to go into the details right now, nonetheless, I am writing to you my dear who may feel some form of condemnation from the church, your friends, or the world. I shall start off by saying to you that Jesus Christ hasn’t condemned you, He actually came for you, came to redeem you, came to save you, and make you whole. As I continue with this blog post, allow me to share the story of the woman who was caught in adultery as recorded in John chapter 8. All of the condemnation she received was from the men and women around her but thank Jesus – He was able to save her from the hands of her oppressors and to the uttermost. These people literally wanted to stone her to death, but Jesus Christ intervened. My ever so wise Jesus asked,”He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone” – John 8:7. These people convicted by their conscience left the scene immediately and no one was left at the scene but Jesus Christ and this woman- John 8:9. Then Jesus asked the woman, “where are your accusers, has anyone condemned you?” – John 8:10 No one, responded this poor woman. And Jesus said to her, neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more – John 8:11.
Jesus is saying to you today who may be feeling condemned, unloved, unworthy of God’s love – I do not condemn you! Let me tell you something that I find profound in God’s word – For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39. After so many interactions with the Lord, after walking with the Lord in depths and width, apostle Paul came to the conclusion that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God. God’s love for us is constant, never-ending, never changing. There are numerous examples from scripture to point us to God’s love for us.
Adam and Eve although they disobeyed God and had to face the consequences of their disobedience, God still showed them His love. He literally made for them covering made from fig leaves to cover their shame and nakedness. It breaks my heart as I write this though. These were people who were covered up in God’s Glory and God’s light but they interchanged it for fig leaves because of their disobedience. This is exactly what happens to us when we choose to live a life separate from the glorious life God has designed and made for us.
Rahab was a harlot, yet God saved her, cleansed her, and made her whole. Even more so, her name is inked on the hall of fame in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ- Matthew 1:5. No reference was made to her harlotry in the hall of fame because old things passed away and she became new in the Lord immediately after she said Yes to Him. The same goes for King David, a man who slept with another man’s wife and went further to kill the poor man. Yet as soon as he repented, God forgave him and it was recorded about David, “a man after God’s heart”. Moses was also a murderer yet God used him mightly for the deliverance of God’s children, Saul was a persecutor of God’s children yet God saved him and made him new in Christ. Saul became the apostle Paul who we read about to date, I doubt if a week goes by without hearing about something apostle Paul did for God’s kingdom or something he wrote.
As I wrap up, I shall leave you with the parable of the prodigal son as narrated by Jesus Christ. This young man had a wealthy father just like we all do. But for some reason, he wandered off and squandered all of the wealth he was able to get from his father. He became so poor that he could not afford to feed himself and was eventually subjected to feed with swine – Luke 15:11-15. This continued until he suddenly came back to his senses until he realized how loving his father is. He went back home and his father literally threw a feast to welcome him back home. That is how it is with our Father in Heaven. There is always a celebration in heaven for everyone who returns home- Luke 15:7.
So to you who may feel some form of condemnation, God loves you unending. Yes, it makes Him unhappy to see you roll in the mud, and meddle in sin. Nonetheless, it doesn’t change His love for you. Come back to Him today, forsake your old ways, and allow Him to beautify your life and put you in His hall of fame. 🙂
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