Book 4 of Musings Conviction and Condemnation

There is a difference between conviction and condemnation.

The Holy Spirit does not condemn us if we are serving the Lord faithfully; but He certainly convicts us of sin when we are behaving in an ungodly manner.

I preach a lot about getting rid of sin. I tell whoever will listen that we are to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. When He points out a part of our behavior that is not pleasing to the Lord we are to promptly confess it as sin. denounce it as evil, turn away from it with all the strength we have, and then draw near to the Lord for fellowship and grace.

As a result of my emphasis on righteousness and holiness I have been accused of preaching condemnation. Perhaps people do feel condemned, but they need to understand they are not condemned but convicted. God is not condemning them, He is inviting them to be partakers of His holiness. The altar in our church is always open. People can come up in the middle of the service if they so desire. I always give an altar call, and I tell the people that they must not leave the service feeling condemned but are to remain at the altar until they feel renewal from the Lord Jesus.

Grace has been preached until it is way out of balance. God's people are not accustomed, I guess, to a preacher telling them that godly behavior is not an option. Grace is not God's excuse for the sins of His people. Grace is not an alternative to righteousness of conduct.

Condemnation is not a good thing. Paul tells us that if we are following the Spirit of God we are not under condemnation. Condemnation leaves us with a feeling of guilt, and this weakens our ability to lead the victorious life in Christ.

Conviction, on the other hand, is desirable. It guides us as we escape the bondages of the world, of bodily appetites, emotions, and lusts, and self-will and personal ambition.

Sometimes when we decide that we are going to walk in open repentance and confess our sins, Satan takes advantage of this and accuses us of all sorts of things. We have to ask ourselves, "Am I really guilty of this or is this the voice of the accuser?" It requires experience as a Christian before we can distinguish between genuine conviction and the voice of the accuser. The elders of our church can help us with this if they are living a godly life.

The joy of the Lord is our strength. The victorious saint absolutely refuses to live in a state of condemnation, because he realizes the sense of guilt and depression is not coming from the Lord. But he embraces conviction of sin, knowing that the Holy Spirit is watching over him with a godly jealousy that He might present him as a pure spirit to the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1)