Christian eCommunity

a Nositeunseen Development Project

condemnation

Jesus Did Not Come To Condemn

by

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
– John 3:17

This post may draw controversy but our hope is that it will shed light on an issue facing Christians continually.  Every day believers in Christ are surrounded by the practices of sin and many feel compelled to stand up and say something.  They feel drawn to announce that sins are against God’s will and must be stopped, and that sinners must forsake their practices and turn to God in order to be freed from their sins.  They parade, and protest, and shout out, and point fingers, and wave bibles.

The difficulty with that response is that unbelievers have no desire to approach God because He – in their eyes – is too condemning. He is not shared as Someone they could easily turn to for salvation. And that begs the real question, how did Jesus approach the issues of sin when He waked this earth as a man?

“When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'”
– Mark 2:16-17

Jesus was in no way permissive because He many times admonished others to “go and sin no more“, but He chose to reach out to people with the truth about sin – not about sins.  His concern was showing the love of the Father, and the prison of sin, and the freedom of new life.  He sat with sinners and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and they were drawn to listen and to reconsider their lives.  He did not sit with them and berate them for being gay, or adulterers, or thieves, or liars.  Actually, the only ones He did chastise were those who were supposed to know better.  The “good” religious leaders.

So what was Jesus showing us?  That He came to save – not to condemn.  And how does that translate to us?  Quite simply, attending rallies and protests against any specific sin is really a waste of time and not something we can claim to be doing in the Spirit of God.  The ruler of this world is judged, so trying to just fix the ways of this world is contrary to God’s will.  And that is all we’re doing when we protest the actions of others in the manner of this world.  We are only trying to make our existence better instead of showing others the Way to freedom.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the Father but from the world.”
– 1 John 2:15-16

Consider these two statements:

  • You are wrong!  You must change!
  • You are trapped.  I can help.

Which is more likely to draw a person to God?  Jesus came to show us that we were trapped in sin, and to tell us He can help – and then He helped.  He did not leave a struggling sinner feeling alienated or alone but instead drew them – not pushed them – drew them to the truth.  And the truth is, we cannot change our ways without Him.  It is by His Spirit only that we can find the desire, will, and strength to walk in accordance to His ways.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
– John 6:44

So we, as believers, can work with God in drawing people to Christ, or we can be contrary and make Him unpleasant in their eyes.

the only ones He did chastise were those who were supposed to know better.  The “good” religious leaders.

Do we just ignore sin then?  No, sin does harm.  It steals, kills and destroys.  And it is way of the devil who is a fallen angel and much more intelligent and clever than any of us.  To argue against his ways in the manner of men is to invite ridicule and shame.  Only in Christ can we address the harm – by doing good.  Seek the healing of the gay man dying of aids.  Pray for the woman who stole $20 from you and see if she might need $20 more.  Listen to the husband who pours out his anguish for cheating on his wife and believing his marriage is hopeless.

Care.

Then people will begin to see Christ through our actions, and will be drawn to Him, and will be changed by Him.  Without Him none of us could escape from the hold and practices of sin, and it is good for us to always remember that.  We cannot change the mind of sinners, but Jesus can.

Are we then permitting sin?  No, we are certainly not permitting any sins because they are contrary to the ways of our Lord.  We no longer practice them and we do not encourage others in their practice.  Instead we are living and exampling the way to truth and freedom and inviting others in.  Each of us came to Christ first, and then the sin that held us was released and the practices we held began to be changed.  We did not have to stop our practices before we came – we only had to want Him and His way instead of our own.

We cannot change the mind of sinners, but Jesus can.

Just as I am.  That is the grace we have received, and the grace we are called to extend to those who do not yet understand His kindness.  

“…it is God’s kindness that is trying to lead you to him and change the way you think and act”
– Romans 2:4b

Settle this in the truth then, that we are still here in this world solely to do good and show others the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’”
– John 8:10-11

There Is Now No Condemnation

by

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

Forgiving others can be difficult at times, but it’s something every Christian seeks to do.  We are told by our Lord to forgive, and it is important for that reason, so we make deliberate efforts not to harbour ill will against those who cause us injury or grief.  But despite the struggle to fulfill this command we often fail to forgive a person crucial to our walk of faith.

We often fail to forgive ourselves.

“I wish I had never…!”  “If only I could change that!”  “How can you possibly forgive me?!”  Sound familiar?  We have a tendency as fleshly, worldly thinking persons to glorify our failures as greater than those of others.  We exaggerate them to the point that we are continually groaning and chastising ourselves for our failure – always punishing ourselves and condemning ourselves.  If left unchallenged we can judge ourselves as always a failure, and therefore giving us the excuse we need to fail again and again.  Also sound familiar?

Here is what Jesus specifically asked God the Father about you and me:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
– John 17:20-21

Did the Father say no?  Of course not.  So we are one with Jesus, and that means…

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
– Galatians 3:26

You are a son, or daughter, of God!  How?  Through faith – you’ve settled the issue in the truth.  You have decided your value is determined by God, not you, and you practice that daily.  But maybe you don’t feel like you’re His – that’s okay.  We all experience those feelings, but all those feelings are is an indicator that you have experienced a lie.  You’ve reacted to the suggestion that you are a failure and do not belong to Christ.  Say thank you to the feeling for letting you know, tell the lie to begone, and practice the truth that you are a child of God – always!

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:20

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Romans 8:38-39

How do you practice the truth?  Refuse to act like a failure.  Instead act like someone who is accepted and loved by God because that was His unswerving choice.  He knows you inside and out, including your shortcomings and failings, and He still does not change His choice.  Instead He deliberately continues to work in you – without blaming or condemnation.  Act loved – because you are.

Neither Be Of Anxious Mind

by

“And seek you not what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be of anxious mind.  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these things.”
– Luke 12:29-30

From our very first moments of consciousness in this world we are trained in the awareness of our needs.  As infants we cry because we are cold, hungry, or feeling separated.   That is a very strong history of thinking processes that are a part of who we are in this world.

As we grow, we are taught the necessity of the things we need by rote and by example – even the urgency of that need – and we apply that mind set instinctively.  Most every need comes with that sense of urgency and even panic until it is met.  Then Jesus comes along and tells us not to do that!??

Many, many struggle with the attempt to overcome their ingrained way of thinking – to remain calm and just trust.  And often condemnation and self-recrimination are the results as that instinctive worry still appears.  Again – many, many struggle with this!  You are not the only one, and you are not failing when this happens.  Jesus knows what our minds are trained into because He was also a man, born and trained into this world.  He, of course, did not conduct Himself with that sense of urgency.  Why?

Most every need comes with that sense of urgency and even panic until it is met.

Until it is met.  As a man Jesus would have experienced the instinctive reaction to worry.  The 40 days in the wilderness would have been a huge opportunity for those thoughts because He was without shelter or food, among wild animals, and likely not aware of how long He would be there – at least it’s not indicated He knew how long in Scripture.  He did not have the anxious mind because He knew His needs were met.  He had settled in the truth that His Father would not abandon Him, and would meet His needs regardless of what it may seem like.  And the Spirit of God within Him confirmed that so Jesus had no conflict in His mind with the thoughts of His Father.

We have that also.  The Spirit of God dwells in us to guide our thoughts, and an anxious mind is only one that is in conflict with the thoughts of our Father.  When we settle in the truth that our needs are met in Him we are empowered to have peace rather than worry.

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 4:19

We do not have to struggle in our own strength to not worry.  We only need to settle with ourselves that our needs are met.  Choose to believe that deliberately and the power of God’s Spirit will support that act of faith.  Practice it until it is what you do – instinctively.

So what does it look like to not worry?  How do we practice it?  When our need is met we stop thinking about it and move on to other things.  When worry tries to make a place in a need settle it that the need is met – and move on to other things.

God will never abandon you.  God will meet your needs.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
– Matthew 7:11

Let God provide in His time and in His way because He knows how much is involved, and He knows your limits, and He does not fail.  Trust Him.  Don’t waste time worrying over it.  Settle it in the truth.