You Are Not Condemned

Imagine this. You’re at the Vancouver International Airport during the busy travel season. All around you are people rushing this way and that as they head to their gates and connecting flights. Everyone seems to be moving throughout the terminal with ease… but you can’t seem to keep up because you’re loaded down and struggling with too much luggage.  

You’ve got a suitcase in each hand, a huge backpack, and an accompanying duffel bag slung across your chest. But the thing is that all this luggage isn’t filled with the typical clothing or travel comforts. No, these bags are full of a lifetime of burdens that you’ve managed to accumulate. 

The first suitcase is loaded with guilt – it’s the reminder of all the mistakes from the past that you can’t seem to shake. You replay them over and over in your mind, wondering if you’ll ever be free of this feeling.

The second suitcase is filled with shame – all the ways you feel unworthy and unloved. It’s the collection of harsh words spoken over you, the failures and mistakes, and broken promises you’ve made to yourself and others. 

And the backpack on your shoulders? It’s full of fear and regret – it’s the weight of those missed opportunities. The roads not taken. And the more you think about the future, the heavier the bag feels. The straps seem to dig deeper into your shoulders with each step.

Lastly, that duffle bag is heavy with self-doubt – it’s carrying those persistent feelings that you don’t belong, that you’re an imposter, and that you’re simply not good enough. 

You check your boarding pass, realizing that your gate is closing soon, but it’s so hard to move. Every step forward is exhausting. All these bags are weighing you down and holding you back. You feel so stuck. You begin to believe that you’ll never be able to move forward. You’ll never make it to where you want and need to be. 

But just as you’re about to give up you hear a kind voice say, “You don’t need to carry all of those bags.” 

You look up, confused. “But these are mine,” you reply. “I have to bring them. They’ve been with me for so long.  They’re my responsibility.” 

You feel like you deserve all your baggage. After all, you’re the one who packed them, right?

The voice continues: “I know you feel that way… but you don’t have to anymore. Let me take them instead.”

You hesitate. Who is this guy?  How can you just let go of all these things? You’ve spent years collecting them. But then the thought hits you – what would my life be like without all this stuff holding me back, without all this baggage weighing me down?  

This is what it’s like to live under condemnation. We walk throughout life carrying bags of guilt, shame, and fear. We buy into the lie that we just have to live with it… or worse, that we deserve to carry it with us. 

But when you are in Christ you are not condemned!

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

1. Let go of the baggage. (Romans 12:1)

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy…”

God’s will for us is to be free! Jesus didn’t come to condemn us; he came to save us. That’s the beauty and power of the Gospel (John 3:16-17). 

It’s the grace and mercy of God that frees us from condemnation. Think about Paul, he certainly had some baggage from his past. Remember that it was Paul who persecuted Christians and was even responsible for the death of Stephen (the first Christian martyr).  But when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus he repented and was set free from the burden of his past mistakes. In Romans 8:1 he writes “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” 

Romans chapter 8 begins talking about how in Christ there’s no condemnation. The same chapter concludes with the idea that there’s no separation when we are in Christ. 

His life became a testimony of God’s mercy and his whole life was transformed. That is why he was able to say:
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. -2 Cor 5:17

2. Be Transformed, Not Conformed. (Romans 12:2)

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world…

There are so many voices trying to define who you are and what you should do. Every culture has its own rules and expectations of how you should behave. But as followers of Jesus, we don’t take our cue from what the culture around us dictates. We don’t pattern our lives after the world, we pattern our lives after Jesus.  

The first step to this transformation is to understand and accept the wonderful mercy of our God. It’s because of this grace that we are not condemned. Like Paul, we don’t have to be defined by our failures or our worst mistakes. Our identity needs to be defined and shaped by who God says we are. 

3. Renew your mind with God’s Word. (Romans 12:2)

“..but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will “

I recently came across a study from the Center for Bible Engagement about the effects of reading the Bible. The interesting thing is that those who read the Bible 1-3 times a week saw no discernable results. However, those who read the Bible 4 or more times a week, discovered massive behavioral changes:

• Getting drunk = 57% lower odds
• Sex outside marriage = 68% lower odds
• Pornography = 61% lower odds
• Gambling = 75% lower odds
• Sharing faith with others = 228% higher odds
• Discipling others = 231% higher odds
• Memorizing Scripture = 407% higher odds

We need to allow our minds to be transformed and informed by the Word of God. The way we know who we are and whose we are (as children of God) is by abiding in His Word (John 8:31). Reading one verse every couple of days isn’t abiding in His Word. It’s not enough because we have many other voices trying to define what is good for us. The loudest voice in our lives needs to be the Word of God.

It’s in His Word that we understand the abundant life God has for us. And as we renew our minds, we will be able to know and understand His good and perfect will for our lives – without any baggage holding us back.

Here’s the amazing truth: You don’t have to carry those bags anymore!

Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And the moment you accept this wonderful truth, you experience the freedom that Jesus gives us. Through Him, we can drop the bags of condemnation and walk freely in His grace.