Romans 8:1, “…now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” 

No Condemnation means no guilt, no judgement, no shame. The devil and others make us feel ashamed for not acting a certain way. But God is not this way. We were messed up and He sent His Son to die for us to redeem us. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, it saves us. There is nothing we do to get saved but accept him. It is the same after we get saved. There is nothing we do to get God’s favor but accept it. 

Pray: Tell him today thank you for his death that has saved us and redeemed us.

What does Romans 8:1 say about how you get out of condemnation, shame, and guilt? Answer – Be in Christ Jesus. What does “in Christ Jesus” mean? It means to talk with, have fun with, and obey the voice of Jesus. Stay close and develop your relationship with him. He will let you know when you are walking in something that is not him. He doesn’t enjoy hanging around it either.

Do I Have to Do Something to Get God’s Favor?

Religious people say I have to do something to get the favor of God. This is a system of works. You cannot work to get to God. Before or after salvation. God loves you now as much as He will ever love you. There is nothing you can do to get God to love you more. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” Tell Jesus you love him back today.

What Happens When We Sin?

What happens to our relationship with God when we sin? It hinders our ability to hear from Him. Does God love us less when we sin? No. God said He loved us while we were sinners. What are we to do when we sin? 1 John 1:9 says to confess our sins and then God forgives us. Don’t allow the devil or anyone else to pile guilt on you. Jesus already took the guilt on the cross. God is not mad at you. You don’t have to do retribution. Thank Jesus today for paying for your sins, guilt, condemnation, and shame. He is amazing.

We Have God’s Favor Now

God’s favor is upon you now. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking His favor on you comes from actions that you complete. His favor is revealed by getting to know Holy Spirit better. As you surrender to him and walk with him, you realize it is all about the relationship and not the rules. The rules give you boundaries that keep you out of trouble in life, but the relationship gives you him.

What Does Righteousness Mean? 

Romans 10:4 says, “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” When you became a believer, you also became righteous. What is RIGHTeousness? It is when you are in RIGHT standing with God. You are righteousness now whether you feel like it. God does not have a penance system (laws you have to follow) that makes you pay for your sins. Jesus already paid for your sins. If you try to pay for your sins, then you say that what Jesus did on the Cross was not good enough. Believe. Accept. Thank Him. Move forward!

Why Do I Feel Guilty? 

If God forgives our sins so easily, why do I still feel guilty? Romans 8:1 says that God does not give us guilt. So the guilt comes from one of three other places: other people, our mind, or the devil. What can we do to get rid of the guilt we have? We have to retrain our minds. After we confess our sins, we need to thank and praise God that He has forgiven us even if we don’t feel like it. If we are bombarded by thoughts of guilt, it is probably the Devil and we can rebuke him according to James 4:7 by saying, “Devil, God has forgiven me on the Cross so I rebuke you and tell you to get lost and stop bothering me!”

Burdened Down?

Galatians 5:1 says, “… Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” We can become joyless if we become burdened down with man’s or church’s rules. Some examples are you must attend every church service, witness every week, dress a certain way, act a certain way. But Jesus says you are bound up if you are doing anything other than what he asks you to do. The question we need to ask ourselves daily is, “am I doing this because Jesus has asked me to do it? Or am I doing it because someone else expects me to do it?”

Was Jesus’ Death Enough?

There are many Christians working themselves “to the bone” often subconsciously trying to get God’s and everyone else’s approval. This is totally unnecessary. When we do this, we say that Jesus’ death on the cross was not enough, and we need to do something else to help Jesus out. When we feel under the pile with other’s demands, even the church’s demands, we are probably under the pile. We need to stop doing what we are doing and run back to Jesus and get our joy back.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Think through your past week. Why did I do what I did? Did I do it because God asked me to? Did I do it because the Bible asked me to? Did I get joy from it? If you lost your joy, you get it back by doing less and just spending time fellowshipping with God. If you are a natural workaholic, God may ask you not to do anything. How would this affect you? If this would be hard, then what you do has become too important. The most important thing is fellowship with him. You are accepted before he gives you assignments. Walk with him in this order and your joy will increase.

Christianity is Unique

Christianity is unique. It is the only religion where we don’t have to appease a God. All other gods demand something. But our God gives and doesn’t take. We are privileged to be His servants. In some religions, people walk on hot coals, and stare into the sky until they are blind, all in the name of pleasing a god. Galatians 4:6-7 says, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’. So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” Did you notice the phrase ‘Abba Father’? It is a phrase that means great affection in the Greek. It is not a formal phrase, but an intimate phrase. This is the God we serve. No coals required.