Real Hope: No Fear in LoveSample

No Condemnation

Charles Wesley wrote in v5 of his magnificent hymn And Can It Be (1738) ‘No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine; Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own.’

There is no fear in love because God is love so we need not fear condemnation. As Paul writes: ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1); and ‘What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31 NIV).

God acted through Jesus, revealing the unfathomable breadth and depth of His love. We are not condemned nor trapped by our sin. The love of Jesus is revealed on the cross, so we need not be afraid because we can take comfort in that love.

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we sing with Wesley, ‘No condemnation now I dread… Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own.’

In other words, because of Jesus’ love, we need not fear condemnation because we can confidently claim eternal life. There is no fear in that love.

Written by DAVID BARKER