God didn't come to condemn and neither should we....

I have some very painful situations that I am dealing with - disappointments, frustrations, and fears. But these things are private things - things I really can't share with others. Then I have other things in my life that are a bit easier for me to talk about that are causing me pain and frustration.

This past week-end when I shared some of my heart with a friend at church, I soon realized that they were not as safe as I had thought they were. In a mater of minutes I felt judges and condemned, when they not only pointed out one, but several character defects. Did I need all of these defects pointed out at once? I don't know. But I know it sure did hurt.

As I shared last week - that I had been focused on the wrong thing and I needed to give God the glory. And if the pointing out of defects had stopped there I may not have left the conversation feeling condemned.

This conversation took place before church and to be honest, it had such a negative impact  on me it was difficult for me to focus on the sermon and I ended up having to ask a friend what she had gotten out of the sermon to which she replied:

"I heard the message that we don't get to heaven by all the stuff we do, but only through Jesus. That He has give His righteousness to us and there is nothing we can do to deserve it." 

 

 As my mind tried to wrap around all that had been said - the word condemned kept coming up- so I looked up the verse in the Bible that talks about the fact that God did not send His son to condemn the world...

 

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

 

John 3:17-19 

 

We only have to look at the verse right before verse 17 to see why God sent His Son: 

 

        16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.         

John 3:16

                                       

40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:40

 

After mulling over feeling condemned and doing a Bible study, I am feeling much better because I was reminded:

 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 3:23-24

 

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  Romans 8:1