Once I believe that I have been born again and that God has deposited within me the capacity to become a new creation, the enemy will whisper his accusations that I have not become a new creation after all because I still experience sin in my life. He points out each one, continues to drag up my past, and tries to convince me that my present sins prove that I was not sincere in my faith and my repentance and that insincerity puts my relationship with God at risk. As he whispers that a believer can feel the weight of mounting condemnation and begin to walk in doubt about God’s love for him and his love for God.
Let’s be clear. Christians – even mature Christians – still sin. Writing to believers, John said, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness…I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ the Righteous One” (1 Jn. 1:8-9, 2:1).
God does not expect us to live a sinless life although he expects us to be sensitive to our sins, acknowledge them, and continue to grow in Christ so that we do sin less and less. Jesus shed his blood not only for our past sins but for all our present and future sins as well. As long as our hearts are turned toward God the sacrifice of Jesus continues to wash away our sins. Remember that you have a position of righteousness in heaven because Jesus “became sin so that you might become the righteousness of God” (see 2 Cor. 5:21).
The truth is that once you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior the devil has lost all legal claims on you. His accusations and condemnation are designed to discourage you and hopefully cause you to abandon your walk with Christ altogether. But the writer of the Hebrew letter declares, “By one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14). In other words, the blood of Christ has given you the standing of perfection in heaven while God works to mature you on the earth. Satan wants to you to believe the contrary. He wants you to believe that you were saved by grace but to stay saved you must now live a sinless or nearly life. Nonsense. We were saved by grace and we will continue by grace until we enter the Heavenly City and beyond.
Paul capped that truth off in Romans 8:1. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom.8:1). In Christ, death does not follow sin but grace and forgiveness follow and with God there is no remembrance of sin once it has been washed away by the blood of his Beloved.
In Christ then, as part of your identity, you can and should declare, “I am a child of God, free forever from all condemnation and any condemnation is a lie from the evil one!” When sin comes, simply acknowledge it before the Father, ask him to give you strength to overcome the sin, lay it at the foot of the cross and move on knowing that it has been removed from you as far as the east is from the west. Then, quickly and reject any condemnation that comes your way in the name of Jesus! No child of God needs to wear and form of condemnation at any time because Jesus has set you free from your past and from all condemnation. Be blessed!
