Cycle of Self-condemnation
More and more I am seeing people get trapped in ongoing cycles of condemnation.
As I continue to embrace union with Jesus and learn more about his ways, I am actually learning just as much about the Father himself. Read through the following biblical truths:
Jesus is the mirror image of God. (Heb. 1:3)
He came to reveal the Father. (Jn. 14:9, 17:26)
He is the first born heir of all creation. (Col. 1:15)
But why do we continue to see those whom the Father loves end up in the same cycle of self-condemnation over and over again? How do they get out?
I’d like to propose some things that helped me walk out of that cycle of guilt and shame.
In John chapter 3, Jesus says, “God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it. So now there is no longer any condemnation for those who believe in him, but the unbeliever already lives under condemnation because they not believe in the name of the only Son of God.”
Did you catch that? There is no longer any condemnation for the person who believes, but the one who does not believe or embrace Jesus as the Son of God has put himself under self-condemnation. The issue here is not sin, the issue here is between belief and unbelief. When we make the choice to not embrace Jesus for who he is and his revealing of Abba’s heart towards us, we put ourselves under condemnation by way of judging ourselves through our own efforts.
We’ve got to see ourselves through the lens of Yahweh’s son, Jesus. If we don’t, we set ourselves up for repeating the cycle of self-condemnation, guilt and shame.
Yahweh has no intention to condemn any of His creation.
In Romans 8:34, Paul says that not even Jesus condemns us! Paul is speaking directly from his experience with Jesus. So, if Jesus is not condemning us, then no one or even ourselves are qualified to do so.
As we embrace Jesus, we are embracing the truth of what his Father says about us: “You are the righteousness of God in Christ.”
Our actions and choices no longer defines us. Jesus defines us. He himself is our identity. You are and remain a beloved son because the Father is and remains your beloved father.
Our righteousness isn’t revoked because of wrong thinking that led to wrongdoing. Because Jesus took us to himself, into union with him, we no longer have to deal with condemnation.
