Daily Word

Unfortunately, many Christians live with a constant bad conscience in their effort to take their spiritual life seriously.

So, what is the cause of their bad conscience?

A deep feeling of inadequacy: an inability to live up to what they perceive as the ‘demands’ of a true Christian life.

They experience it as a demand to read the Bible and pray, to witness to their fellow human beings, to take part in the activities of the church, etc. They must not sin: not have impure feelings and thoughts, not become angry, resentful, jealous and agitated, not worry and be anxious, etc. etc.

Result?

Attempt, performance, failure – bad conscience.

“No condemnation” says Paul – but I experience constant condemnation!

I do my very best, but I experience that it is the law of sin and death that governs my life, not the law of the Spirit of life.

Perhaps all this is rooted in a total misunderstanding of the spiritual life.

The secret of “no condemnation” is “in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus Christ is the perfect man, without sin, without condemnation: the only man who is totally accepted and perfectly approved by the Father.

The Father has therefore placed you and me “in Christ”: thus, we are covered by Him and when the Father sees us, He sees no sin, no shortcomings, no failures, only His beloved Son.

“In Him” we are also his beloved children without sin, without condemnation, totally accepted and approved by the Father.

Not only that: “in Christ” all our sins, all our shortcomings and failures are forgiven and erased.

They exist no more!

Furthermore, the law of Jesus’ victory over sin, Satan and death begins to work in us when we are “in Him”: “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”

It is not you and I who should try to live the impossible spiritual life – the only one who ‘can’ is Jesus!

So, it is about giving up and letting Christ take over.

The law of the Spirit of life works only “in Christ”: when we stop performing and live in complete dependence on Him, “in Him”, He lives His supernatural victorious life in and through you and me.

When we shift the focus from ourselves to Christ, all condemnation is gone.

Then we can live with a completely good conscience!