I think we all have felt or do feel the weight of guilt and condemnation. For some, it's more of a problem than it is for others; and it seems the more religious a person is the greater the burden of condemnation. Condemnation can even grow stronger and become more weighty if we attempt to impose on our-self any type of disciplinary rules that promise us a chance of.......
being free from sin; it's interesting to note, that the Old Covenant Law that God gave Moses on Mt Sinai was called the "Ministration of Condemnation." (II Cor 3:9).
That's right, the TEN COMMANDMENTS were given to man to reveal to him his imperfections and sin nature; and that's exactly what they did. Have you ever tried to "measure up," by keeping all the commandments; it always results in frustration because it can never happen. However; this was by God's design to reveal to man that he needed someone other than himself, to save himself. No one, other than Jesus has ever kept the Big Ten. By the way, there were 613 other laws that had to be kept in order for man to qualify himself before God.
It's a great day when you come to the end of your self and realize, "I CAN NEVER MEASURE UP" to Gods perfection in my own power and ability, I must look to someone greater than myself to save myself; because within myself, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE for me to keep the rules. God calls this sin, and the Commandments that reveal sin and its impossibility to overcome, He calls " THE MINISTRATION OF CONDEMNATION."
Don't get me wrong the law and commandments are holy, just and good; however, they demand our perfection, and perfect we are not. This imperfection is what the Apostle Paul described when he groaned under the burden of the law wanting desperately to keep it but found that he could not. His conclusion, "O WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM. The Ministration of Condemnation written and engraved in stone exposed us as wretched and worthy of death without hope and eternally doomed unless someone perfect come and save us. Rom 7:12, Rom 7:24, II Cor 3:7
JESUS is that, "PERFECT SOMEONE," the "LAMB OF GOD," who take's away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). Jesus fulfilled the perfection of the law by living a sinless life; his death, burial and resurrection ushered us into a NEW COVENANT which has made available to us the FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS based entirely on the PERFECT WORK and OBEDIENCE OF JESUS. (Rom 5:18-19)
This New Covenant is called, " THE MINISTRATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS " that " EXCEEDS IN GLORY (II Cor 3:9)." RIGHTEOUSNESS is the FREE GIFT OF GOD which frees us from the law of sin and death; it REMOVES FOREVER the CONDEMNING SENTENCE of DEATH that loomed over our heads under the Law Of Moses.
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS FREE, RIGHTEOUSNESS IS A FREE GIFT! Did I mention that IT'S FREE? We can never earn the righteousness of God by keeping the rules! This means our struggle with keeping the law in order to be justified by God is over! So stop beating yourself up because you don't measure up, or have an ugly past, or struggling with sin or etc. Jesus was the full payment for our short-comings and sins. There is nothing outside of BELIEVING ON JESUS that could ever save us from the condemnation of hell! And not only from hell, but from the condemnation of our own thinking, other people and the devil.
To the New Testament Believer, the FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS is the FOUNDATION for WHO WE ARE and ALL WE DO! In CHRIST JESUS there is NO CONDEMNATION at all (Rom 8:1)! There is only the free GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which is by grace alone.
The voice of the Old Covenant law declares, "YOU ARE GUILTY" because you can't keep the rules!
The voice of New Covenant, (The Gospel) declares, "YOU ARE INNOCENT" because Jesus kept the rules for you!
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