Freedom In ChristSample

No Condemnation

Do you believe God likes you? “Don’t you mean, ‘loves me’?” you ask. No, likes you. Do you believe God likes you? This is one of my favorite questions to ask. The reason is it cuts through to the core of how an individual really believes God feels about him or her. So, do you think God likes you? If He were to show up in bodily form, do you think He would seek you out? Would you be someone He’d enjoy being around?

Isn’t it strange how much more comfortable we are with the concept of “love” than with the concept of “like” when it comes to God’s feelings toward us? Why do you think that’s true? Often, the reason lies in the fact that we’ve not come to grips with the real extent to which God has forgiven us. Consequently, we live with a subtle sense of condemnation. It’s as if there’s always a dark cloud separating us from God. We say we’re forgiven, but in our hearts, we’re never fully convinced God isn’t still a little angry with us.

The truth is, every reason God had for being angry with us was dealt with at Calvary. Our forgiveness is so complete that God is not only free to love us, He can like us as well. Think about this: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). If you’ve placed your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, the Bible says you are positionally in Christ. And once you were placed into Christ, you were separated from the guilt that once brought divine condemnation. You’re not condemned. Christ was condemned on your behalf, and now you’re free.

“But,” you may ask, “why do I feel so condemned? Why don’t I feel forgiven?” It’s probably because you’ve not made up your mind to take God at His Word. Instead, you’ve measured your worthiness and acceptability by your performance. To be free from feelings of condemnation, you must renew your mind to this powerful truth: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”