“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
TEXT — John 3:18-36
Message
A stanza of Charles Wesley’s Hymn “And can it be that I should gain” reads: “No condemnation now I dread; Jesus and all in Him is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness Divine; Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown through Christ my own.”
The songwriter paints a gloomy picture of the dread and torment of condemnation. So, freedom from condemnation brings great relief to the soul. When offenders are tried and charges against them are proven, they are condemned and sentenced as stipulated by law. In today’s text, humanity stands condemned before God because of sin. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by becoming an acceptable sin offering on our behalf before God. Now, God, who is both the Judge and the offended party, is satisfied by the offering of Jesus and He is ready to cancel the “guilty verdict” on all those who genuinely repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
When you come to Christ, the condemnation for all past sins and the guilt that haunts your soul are taken away. God pardons all your former sins because the just claims of the law have been satisfied by Jesus Christ. Believing in the Saviour gives total freedom from condemnation – condemnation by Satan, self- condemnation and eternal condemnation at the judgment seat of Christ.
Are you free from condemnation? Denying or rationalising your sins will not absolve you from condemnation; only sincere repentance and faith in Christ will justify you. Jesus Christ invites you to receive genuine freedom and rest for your soul.
Thought for the day
Only the blood of Jesus Christ is potent enough to wash away the guilt stain
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
