Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
– Romans 8:1
If anyone knew what it felt like to live with regret, it was the Apostle Paul. He did everything in his power to destroy the early church. Imagine the memories that must have haunted him – the faces of people he once dragged away in chains. Yet, Paul came to know something greater than guilt: he came to know grace.
When Paul wrote Romans 8:1, he didn’t write it as a theologian sitting safely behind a desk. He wrote it as a man who had been forgiven much – and knew it deep in his soul. His confidence didn’t come from trying harder or making up for his past; it came from knowing that Jesus had already paid the full price for his sins.
Still, guilt can be a stubborn thing, can’t it? Even after we’ve confessed our sins and received God’s forgiveness, it sometimes lingers in the corners of our minds. Why do you think that is? Why do we sometimes feel condemned even after asking God for forgiveness?
Perhaps it’s because we struggle to forgive ourselves. Or maybe we keep replaying the past, measuring God’s grace by human standards instead of His perfect mercy. Whatever the reason, Romans 8:1 tells us a truth that is much stronger than our strongest emotions: in Christ, there is no condemnation! Guilt and shame no longer define us. God’s grace does.
So today, if you get this silly thought that somehow God hasn’t forgiven you for something you confessed to Him and asked Him to forgive, know that that thought ain’t from God. And remember what Paul knew so well:
Your past no longer holds the final word. Christ does.
Former Blackout Artist 