Unfinished Faith: Relearning God.

Week 33:

The bit where I introduce:

We live in a world that is remarkably quick to judge. A comment taken out of context, a mistake made publicly, a difference of opinion between family or friends, can quickly become a reason for criticism and condemnation. Social media has made it even easier, we form opinions about people we barely know, often without knowing their story.

And sometimes, if we are honest, the voice of judgement isn’t only around us, it can be within us. We replay our failures, compare ourselves with others and quietly decide we are not enough.

Yet the bible speaks a radically different word: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

The bible does not pretend that sin, failure or brokenness don’t matter. Rather, it declares that our failures do not have the final word. In Christ, we are not defined by our worst moment, our biggest mistake, or someone else’s judgement of us, to that I say Thank you God!

Jesus calls us to truth, repentance and holiness, but never to a life of shame and condemnation. And perhaps receiving that grace for us is what enables and encourages us to extend it more freely to others.

In a world that is quick to condemn, if you are a Christian, we are called to become people who are quick to show grace, sometimes easier said than done.

The bit where I refer to the Bible and ask a few questions:

8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² And because you belong to him, the powerof the life-giving Spirit has freed youfrom the power of sin that leads to death. ³ The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

⁵ Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷ For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. ⁸ That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you lifebecause you have been made right with God.

If we read the chapter before, Romans 7 describes the frustration of knowing what is right yet still experiencing the pull of sin and human weakness. Paul asks, “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24).

 Romans 8 begins with the liberating declaration: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The answer to our failure is not greater self-condemnation, but His grace and the freedom of the Spirit.

 Paul contrasts living according to the flesh with living according to the Spirit. Those who belong to Jesus are invited into a transformed life shaped by God’s Spirit, not driven by fear, guilt or shame.

In real life, we wrestle with condemnation in two directions. We can be our own harshest critic, who hasn’t replayed failures, carried shame over past choices, and believed we should have done better, in our relationships, our work, our family? Yet we can also become quick to condemn others, forming opinions from limited information, judging their choices, appearance, relationships or mistakes without knowing the story behind them. Is this something you wrestle with? Think of the last time it happened.

Some of the thought behind it is we do it to deflect our own shortcomings and also to feel a sense of power over something or someone, so as not to reveal ourselves as weak or insignificant. But there is an out that Jesus offers. When we belong to him, trust in Him and follow his ways, we are no longer defined by those mistakes and bad life choices. Nor are we defined by the judgement of others! Phew, what a relief. I have seen how crippling it can be with people I’ve known that have come under the judgement of others and literally brought them to their knees at times.

But in Romans 8:3-4 it tells us we have an alternative and don’t need to live under the weight of our sin and the sin of others. Jesus took it upon himself on the cross to ensure we are free from all that and given us an alternative way, one that is life giving. Here’s the amazing and easy part, we get to choose again and again and daily remind ourselves of what has been done for us, through Jesus.

So, part of that gift is to offer that freely to others, that’s the easier said than done bit. Because I would say we don’t do it freely, not in the world we live in today.

We find grace difficult because judgement often feels safer and simpler than compassion, doesn’t it?  An opinion allows us to make quick conclusions, while grace

 (grace is undeserved favour and mercy) asks us to slow down, listen, acknowledge that we may not know the whole story, and resist the urge to place ourselves above someone else.

Practising grace means choosing curiosity over criticism, prayer over assumption, and compassion over condemnation. It doesn’t mean ignoring truth or excusing harmful behaviour; it means remembering that we too live by grace, not by our own perfection. And we are far from perfect!

Perhaps the challenge of Romans 8 is not simply asking, “Do I believe there is no condemnation for me?” but also, “Am I willing to stop condemning myself and stop condemning others?”

It is too easy to receive grace when we are the ones who need it, but much harder to extend that same grace when someone has disappointed us, hurt us, challenged our beliefs, or simply lived differently from us, remembering that the person in front of us is someone God loves and so are we.  Maybe our maturity is seen not only in what we believe about grace, but in how freely we give it.

The bit where you get to think about stuff: Questions for the week.

Where am I still allowing my own mistakes or failures to condemn me, despite God’s grace?

 Whose story right now might I be judging without knowing the whole story?

 Can you commit this week to offer grace where you would normally offer an opinion?