“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,” “…the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 1:8
In one of Paul’s letters to Timothy, he wrote concerning the qualifications of becoming an elder in the local church. One of those qualifications was that he should not be a “novice,” a young believer in the faith, lacking spiritual discernment. This would be because of the lack of being rooted and grounded in sound doctrine, according to the Scriptures. He might become lifted up in pride, which was the devil’s greatest sin, and this, by which he fell. There must be spiritual depth in the one who would be an elder, one not tossed about by every wind of doctrine, but centered and founded in Christ, having learned in great measure how to derive his life from Christ. This is imperative if the elder would communicate not only the objective truth of the Gospel, but also, give forth the “aroma,” or manifestation of the life of Christ. Why then use this illustration to speak of conviction of sin, condemnation of and by the devil, and the powerful, victorious freedom which belongs to the believer in Christ? The answer resides in one matter, the revelation of the glory of God in and through the life, manifested in the church, the living body of Christ on earth.
As to conviction of sin, it is the evidence of the working of the Spirit of God. Jesus told His disciples, “And when He (the Helper, Comforter, the Holy Spirit) is come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because go to the Father and you see Me no more; and judgment, because the rule of this world is judged.” (John 16:8-11) Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict men of their sins, to convince them to the point of making them willing to repent of them, to be forgiven and saved. Conviction deals with sins, the refusal to recognize who Christ truly is, and the certainty of God’s judgment upon Satan and those who would follow him. With regard to sins, Christ has dealt with them all, delivering the believer from the sentence of death that they have created, but also from every trace of them and their effects. He has blotted them out, cast them into the deepest sea, removed them as far as the east is from the west, so that the believer can be free of the guilt associated with them. Why is this necessary to believe? If one is to follow Christ, walk in the light as Christ is in the light, then he must know and believe, according to the Scriptures, that he can confess present sins, repent of them, and be forgiven totally for them, made clean and useful for the Master. For this believer, there is NO CONDEMNATION for those sins, unless the believer allows the enemy of our souls to accuse, condemn, even when there is no guilt. He is the accuser of the believer and will do so day and night until there is the soul’s submission to the authority of Christ, and the resisting of the devil, believing with certainty that he will flee as a result. Stability in the life depends upon the believer understanding this and abiding by it.
There is a greater reason for which the enemy accuses the brethren, condemning them, and it is that if the accusation is accepted, and the condemnation yielded to, the believer is no longer living by faith, according to truth. The moment a soul is born again, he is placed by the Father IN Jesus Christ, Christ immediately becoming his “wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (1 Cor. 1:30) The believer is placed in an inseparable, indestructible, and unalterable union with Christ, so that there is now NO CONDEMNATION from God, only full acceptance.
Dear Father, Empower us to live free today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.