We shall continue with our theme on Freedom from Condemnation with the topic-Conviction
Versus Condemnation in this Episode.
There are two ways we can respond to our own or other people’s errors or mistakes- By
condemning or feeling condemned or by conviction or feeling convinced that we did wrong.
We saw in the last Episode that condemnation focuses on punishment, guilt and shame. It
implies judgment against us. It is accompanied by a sense of unworthiness and it originates
from the devil whose goal is to accuse and discourage us.
However, God is not in the business of condemning us. His objective is not to condemn and
punish us for our mistakes, but to save us and help us to be transformed into better Christians.
This is contrary to the strategy of the devil and some of us who are in the ministry of judging and
condemning others.
Convicting us of our wrong doing and sins is the work of the Holy Spirit. He convicts us of our
sins and mistakes and guides us towards repentance and growth. While the goal of
condemnation is to punish us for our sins and to raise a barrier between us and God, the goal of
conviction is to create an awareness of our sins and mistakes and to stir us towards growth and
change. Conviction is accompanied by repentance about what we did wrong and a desire to
learn from our mistakes and improve on them. In convicting us, the Holy Spirit helps us to turn
to God to ask for help with our shortcomings, confident that we will receive help to grow and
improve.
In the story of the woman caught in adultery found in John 8, the teachers of the law and the
Pharisees had condemned the woman and were ready to mete out punishment.
But In verse:10, Jesus said to the woman, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no
one condemned you?” She said, “No one, LORD.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn
you; go and sin no more.”
The truth is that the woman committed the sin but Jesus did not condemn her. Rather He
encouraged her to turn around from her life of sin. This is what is meant by conviction.
John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him.”
God doesn’t hold our past, our sins, our mistakes, or our poor choices against us.  His goal is to
save us, not to condemn us. 
So the next time you think in your heart that God is the cause of your problems and challenges,
because He is punishing you for something you did wrong, remember how Jesus responded to
the woman caught in adultery. Religion has ingrained it in our hearts that God uses bad things
like sickness, pain and suffering to correct us and teach us lessons. But this is not scriptural. In
2 Timothy 3:16 Paul tells us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. That scripture doesn’t say that sickness and
pain and suffering are useful for teaching, rebuking, corrections and training in righteousness.
God rebukes and corrects us by His Word through the teaching and conviction of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible states clearly in John 10:10 –The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have
come that they may have life, and have it to the full. God desires to bring good, joy and
fulfillment into our lives while the devil seeks to bring destruction, death and despair to us.
Romans 8:1 says you are free from condemnation so God cannot turn around to condemn you
by sending you pain and sickness. Pain, sickness and evil is from the devil. God does not
punish us for our wrong doings. He convicts us to do better. So reject it when you are taught
that God is punishing you because of your sins and mistakes.
In his 2 nd letter to the Corinthians 7:10 , Paul said to them: Godly sorrow brings repentance that
leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. Paul commended the
Corinthians, for being sorrowful about the wrong practices he drew their attention to and their
conviction to make the required change. He pointed out that this type of sorrow does not lead to
regrets and death.
Whose voice do you hear more often? Does Satan’s voice of condemnation get more attention
in your head than the Holy Spirit’s voice of conviction? If so, 1 John 3:20 tells us – “If our hearts
condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
 When you feel guilty and condemned by your own heart, God knows your thoughts and
intentions. He knows how to help you to turn your thoughts from condemnation to conviction if
you can trust in His love, mercy and understanding.
Brethren we have been freed from the law of sin and death. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to guide
us through our imperfection and weaknesses, out of a life of fear and guilt and into a life of
freedom found in the perfect love of Christ.