How to Get Victory Over Condemnation
How to Get Victory Over Condemnation
John 8:10-11 (NLT)
10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman,
“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
One of the hardest things for a believer to accept is the truth that God does not condemn us for our sinful actions. Jesus paid the price for every sin – past, present, and future – for every person who ever lived. Many of us have yet to fully receive the truth of the scripture above; that being, that Jesus does not focus on what we have not been in the past, nor on what we are not presently, but rather on what we became when we made Him Savior and Lord of our lives.
A well-known minister of the gospel shared two important insights that will help us fully grasp this wonderful gift. They surround maintaining the right focus on this issue of condemnation. First, religion tends to focus of the last five words of verse 11 – “Go and sin no more.” But Jesus said something more important than that at the beginning of His response… “Neither do I.” Jesus was giving the woman the gift of no condemnation. Religion says, “sin no more” and then “no condemnation” will follow. But Jesus said just the opposite. It is in receiving the revelation that there is no condemnation when we sin that empowers us to “go and sin no more.”
A second insight is found John 8:12, the next passage from the text above. It says (NLT),
“12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the Light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.”
This minister of the gospel offers an expanded view of this verse, revealing that it is a continuation of the topic from verses 10-11, rather than Jesus switching gears and bringing up a new topic. Light generally exposes all it sees. But in tying this verse with the preceding one concerning condemnation, this pastor makes an important distinction between the light of the world and the light of Jesus. The light of Jesus only exposes His nature in us. From the Lord’s perspective, we no longer walk in darkness (even when we sin) once we make Jesus our Savior and Lord.
What does that mean for us from a practical standpoint concerning condemnation? As we meditate on John 8:12, living John 8:11 becomes doable. Once we receive the revelation that the Light of Jesus does not expose the negative things we sometimes do, we are free to focus on who He wants to be for us. We do that best when we focus on His Nature which is all Goodness. And, as we do that, we are empowered to go and “sin no more.” By looking at the Goodness of God as we are faced with our shortcomings, the very thing that was designed to put us down becomes the thing that lifts us up.
That is GRACE and it is indeed amazing! 
10/23
