No Condemnation in Christ
Many of us walk through life wearing masks. We wear masks to cover up our insecurities, fears, sins, guilt, and shame. We hide to keep people from knowing who we really are. We even try hiding from God (Genesis 3:10).
Sometimes as we wear our masks, it captures people’s attention. They laugh at our humor, respect us for our achievements, stare at our outward beauty, or admire our morality. However, each time it falls short. We realize that they don’t really like, admire, respect, or love us…they love our masks.
Hiding is lonely. Hiding requires so much work to maintain appearances. Hiding creates shallow relationships with others and with God.
Are you tired of hiding?
If so, there’s good news.
NO CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST
In Romans 8:1, Paul declares perhaps one of the greatest truths in all of Scripture.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 8:1)
If you have put your faith in Jesus for salvation, there is no condemnation! I love the way Eugene Peterson says it in The Message paraphrase of the Bible. He calls condemnation, “a continuous, low-lying black cloud” which Paul says no longer hangs over us.
How can that be? How is it that we no longer have that low-lying black cloud of condemnation hanging over us?
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
(Romans 8:2)
Sin produces death in our lives and leaves us spiritually empty. Satan then causes us to feel insecure, ashamed, and fearful of what others think of us. We respond by hiding and wearing masks.
But through what Jesus accomplished on the cross, the Spirit who comes to dwell in us gives us life. God makes us spiritually full again, fills us with His love, and provides all that we need to be made whole again.
Paul goes on in verse 3 and says…
3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
(Romans 8:3)
In other words, Jesus, who had no sin in His own life, offered up Himself as the sacrifice for your sins.
He took all of your sins, guilt, and the shame you felt for them and laid them upon Himself to deal with them once and for all at the cross. And look at what Paul says happened…
And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
(Romans 8:4)
Jesus condemned sin in his flesh so that you would be free from the condemnation of it in your own life.
He condemned sin so that you could come out of hiding and be fully known by Him, fully loved by Him, and express His love to others.
And now there is absolutely nothing that can come between you and God.
COME OUT OF HIDING
If there is nothing that can separate you from the love and acceptance of God, then you can come out of hiding. You can take off the masks in front of God and others in this world.
You don’t have to pretend that everything is okay when it’s not. You don’t have to cover up your insecurities, fears, guilt, and shame.
You don’t have to hide your marriage problems.
You don’t have to pretend your kids are perfect and that you don’t have a difficult time with parenting.
You don’t have to cover up your struggles with pornography, alcohol, drugs, gossip, lying, cheating, or anything else!
You can bring those things out into the light because there is no condemnation in Christ!
You don’t have to fear those things being exposed. Satan will try to convince you that you do. He’ll say, “You can’t bring those things out into the light because people won’t love you. You’ll suffer consequences in your relationships, job, or at school. You can just work it out yourself. It’s best to just put on a mask and you’ll be okay.”
But that isn’t true. Jesus has already taken everything to the cross and dealt with it there. You are completely forgiven. You are fully loved and accepted by Him. You have an identity in Christ that is holy and righteous and that never changes.
Therefore, you can bring it out into the light. You don’t have to fear God or what people will think.
Come out of hiding.
Take off the mask.
Get the help you need.
Live in intimacy with Jesus and your other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Live in the freedom that Christ purchased for you at the cross.
There is no condemnation for those in Christ.
