There are two very similar things we experience concerning mistakes we make and sins we commit.
One is conviction, the other is condemnation.
I’m not talking about the condemnation we are under if we are not Christians. (You can read more about that condemnation here.)
I’m talking about what we feel concerning our sins and our regrets towards those sins.
Condemnation and conviction both speak to us about our sins but they come from two very different places.
Condemnation says what we did is bad, we’re no good, God might not even love us anymore.
Condemnation brings up past mistakes and sins as a way of trying to falsely prove we are of low worth.
It is demoralizing, discouraging, and deters us from trying.
It encourages us to give up.
These thoughts and ideas are from the enemy and/or our lack of understanding of who we are in Christ.
Conviction, on the other hand, says what we did was wrong and we need to apologize to God. We need to make things right.
It is correcting, revealing the truth of our errors and ways. It seeks to reconcile us to God.
Conviction is from God by way of the Holy Spirit speaking to us and pointing out our sins so we can repent and restore our relationship with God to its proper place.
A wise friend once told me,
“Condemnation makes you want to run FROM God, while conviction makes you want to run TO God.”
Wise words, indeed.
The whole point of condemnation is to get our eyes off Christ and what He did for us and on to our own insufficiency.
Don’t fall for this trick of the enemy.
Instead, when condemnation comes, remember, as a Christian we are no longer condemned.
Yes, we made a bad choice. Yes, we sinned.
But – it’s not the end of the world. We haven’t lost our chances with God. He hasn’t, and won’t, turn His back on us.
Instead of giving in to the condemnation and the tailspin of chaos it creates, we can go straight to God in prayer.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
We can tell Him what we are feeling. Ask Him to help us navigate it.
We can repent of our sin.
(Repent – to agree with God that He is right, that what we did was wrong, apologize, and commit to not doing it again.)
After repenting, it’s important to let go of it and refuse to go back to it. Once it’s dealt with, it’s dealt with. There’s no reason to revisit it.
Once we have repented, we are restored in our relationship with God. We can move on, being careful not to repeat the same sin.
Condemnation may want to take us back to the scene of the crime. We can’t let it. There’s no value in it.
Instead, rest in the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient, walking in the assurance that now that the sin has been dealt with we can confidently move forward in our relationship with God.
Is there something you are feeling condemnation or conviction over? Will you take it to God in prayer?
For further reading
Romans 8:1 –There is now no condemnation...
Philippians 3:13-14 Forgetting what is behind and pressing on...
My post on being Condemned.