Not Guilty

Not Guilty
July 16, 2012
Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . ."

Guilt. It is a feeling we are all too familiar with. There are people in our lives who can make us feel guilty, but the worst kind of guilt comes from inside when we review our past mistakes. No one is perfect and even the best of Christians has regret, feelings of remorse and embarrassment all wrapped into one. We remember our moral failures and wish we could erase the past, even our recent past as we continue to make some of the same mistakes. Living with guilt can be wearisome. Living with guilt can even be attributed to death. It disrupts sleep cycles, healthy eating habits, and the immune system. If you weaken the body, don't eat well, and aren't getting any sleep then the human body will start to shut down. The feeling of guilt can certainly kill you.

Some people are naturally more guilt ridden than others. Though their past mistakes aren't any different from yours or mine, some people re-play their mistakes over and over in their minds, never letting it go, always living with regret. It is understandable why Paul needed to address the feeling of guilt and condemnation for all Christians in one of his many letters to the churches. He said there is no condemnation from above, if we belong to Christ. The words for condemnation mean to declare someone in the wrong and require accountability. The Bible says that if you are in Christ, then even Jesus Christ does not declare you wrong anymore for your past failures.

When Paul wrote this, he was reviewing his own personal sin. Despite being an amazing man of God, Paul still sinned. Read the Scriptures right before Romans 8:1. Paul continued to wrestle with his sin and felt guilty that he was not perfect at all times. The feeling of guilt affected his relationship with the Lord but he finally realized that he was the only one who saw the past mistakes. Christ had forgiven him and wiped them away from memory, yet Paul continued to feel guilt, as if it would make him a better person. It did not. Christ didn't declare him wrong anymore and Paul finally understood this. It freed him, realizing that Christ didn't condemn him for yesterday's failures.

You might be ridden with guilt for your past mistakes, maybe even your recent mistakes, but Christ would say to you today that you are forgiven and He does not hold those sins against you. He does not condemn you and neither should you. Let go of the past moral failures and the sin of yesterday. When you remember your mistakes, you are attempting to nullify the work of Christ's forgiveness in your life. Guilt is never a feeling from the Lord; it is lie from the pit of Hell and you are to be free from this burden that is weighing you down. You cannot move forward if you are replaying the past. Be free from your guilt and know that Christ does not condemn you. Receive His forgiveness and live free from condemnation.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Psalm 103:12, Romans 7:7 - 8:11