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Tag: No condemnation in Christ Jesus

The Daughter of Jacob :: Dinah (and Jesus Christ)

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On August 28, 2017

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Dinah was the only daughter of Jacob and her name is mentioned only once in the Bible (Genesis 30:21). She was born to Leah as Leah’s seventh child and Jacob’s eleventh child. She was the last born of Leah and Jacob and her name Dinah means “avenged” or “judged”. Dinah is the feminine form of Dan and both have their roots in the Hebrew word “din” which means to “judge” or “plead”.

It is plausible that Leah may have so named her daughter, Dinah, for she may have felt avenged by the Lord as her husband Jacob did not love her as much as he did love Leah’s sister, Rachel. Later we shall see how Dinah was avenged for the crime of Shechem the Hivite against her, wherein her brothers, Simeon and Levi took matters into their own hands.

Points to ponder:
God is judge. It is he who avenges. When life seems to unjust to us, let us rely on him to avenge and not take matters into our own hands. Jesus is the Judge over all for the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son (John 5:22) and we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; so that every one will be “judged” according to what we have done; good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). Those who have walked according to the Spirit of God and not according to the flesh, to them who are in Christ Jesus, to them there is no condemnation when Christ the Judge judges (Romain 8:1).

Genesis 30:21 (KJV)
21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

John 5:22 (KJV)
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

2 Corinthians 5:10 (KJV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Romans 8:1 (KJV)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

God’s covenant – all inclusive to …

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On April 4, 2014

In Christian, Genesis, Professional Speaking, Through the Bible

Genesis 9:8-17 gives the account of God making a covenant of never again destroying (condemning) the world with water. What is interesting to note it that while we often think of this covenant as having been made between God and Noah, the account actually states that God made this covenant with not just Noah, but with Noah and his sons, and with their children (seed) after them (Genesis 9:8-9). Even more intriguing is that God does not limit his covenant with just man, but includes every living creature (fowl, beast) that came out from the ark (Genesis 9:10,16).

Points to ponder:
God’s covenant is not limited but all inclusive – not just to one generation but to generations that follow – for man and for all living creatures that came out from the ark. All those who came out from the ark were included in God’s covenant. Jesus Christ is the Ark of God who saves and all who are part of him are included in God’s covenant to be never condemned (Romans 8:1).  Are you included in God’s covenant? In other words, have you believed in Jesus Christ?

Genesis 9:8-17 (KJV)
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Ctrl+Z, says God

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On December 4, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, HackFormers, Tech Talk Christianity, Through the Bible

In computing, most software use the combination of the control (Ctrl) key along with the “Z” key to undo the last operation. In Genesis 6, God repents for having created man because man had willfully chosen to be sinful and totally and solely evil (wicked) perpetually and the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7) In other words, God states that he will undo his creation that were upon the face of the earth, which included man, the beasts, creeping things, and the birds of the air, because of man’s perpetually and total wickedness.

Points to ponder:
When we believe and abide in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are made a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17) and if we walk according to the Spirit of God and not according to the flesh, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). But after we have the foreknowledge of the Sacrifice and Salvation of Jesus for our sins, if we continue to walk according to the flesh, willfully choosing to be wicked (evil), then there remains no sacrifice by which we can be saved, but only a fearful expectation of God’s impending judgment (Hebrews 10:26-31). Let us not live our lives in such a manner that it would grieve the heart of God, so much so that he will would have to Ctrl+Z (undo) us, his creation. Let our prayer, today, be “Search me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Genesis 6:5-7 (KJV)
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Psalm 139:23-24 (KJV)
23. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The ‘Naked’ Question

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On June 25, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

When God asked Adam, “Where are you?”, Adam responded that he was hiding because he was naked. God followed Adam’s response with two additional questions. He asked Adam, “Who told you that you were naked?” and secondly, “Have you disobeyed my commandment to refrain from eating the fruit of the forbidden tree?”

From Genesis 3:7, we learn that Adam and Eve had sewn themselves aprons of fig to cover themselves; so physically they were not naked. Then why did Adam say he was (still) naked? It is not physical nakedness that Adam and God are dialoging about here, but spiritual nakedness. Since there are no secret (hidden) sins from the sight of God, everyone stands exposed (spiritually naked) before God to whom we must each give our account (1 Corinthians 4:5; Hebrews 4:13). We are counseled to buy white raiment (clothes/robes) so that we may be clothed and the shame of our nakedness does not appear (Revelation 3:18).

So who told Adam that he was naked? At that point in time, besides God and his creation of living things, which included the plants, the animals, the man Adam and the woman Eve – the other creature that was on earth, was the adversary (Satan). Satan had been kicked out of the presence of the Lord God (Isaiah 14:12) and he established his dominion on the earth as its god (2 Corinthians 4:4). He was walking to and fro on the earth (Job 1:7) as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) and he was in the garden of Eden (Ezekiel 28:13). God did not accuse Adam and Eve, but instead questioned Adam if he had disobeyed God, we can assume that it was not The Lord God who told Adam that he was naked. And since the plants and animals are not known to have natural vocal abilities, the plausible option is to speculate that it was Satan, that could have told Adam (and Eve) of their spiritual nakedness, for he is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). However, this is merely a conjecture as the scripture does not explicitly confirm this.

The Scripture does tell us that the eyes of Adam and Eve was opened and then they realized that they were naked. When Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone” and stooped to write in the ground, the Bible records, that the accusers of the adulteress, were convicted by their own conscience (John 8:9) and they left her, one by one. Jesus also said, that when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon you, he will convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 16:8-11). When the breath of life (Holy Spirit of God) was breathed into the lifeless body of dust (of Adam), Adam became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). It is more plausible that the Holy Spirit convicted Adam and Eve of their sin and of righteousness and judgment; of sin (that they disobeyed God and were beguiled by Satan), of righteousness (that they had fallen short of God’s glory and found themselves to be spiritually naked needing now robes of righteousness) and of judgment (that made them afraid for along with the prince of this world, they would also be judged unless they are clothed in righteousness).

Points to ponder:
There is no condemnation to those who are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit of God (Romans 8:1). It is not quiet as important as to who tells us that we are spiritually naked – be it the accusation of the adversary (Satan), or the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our own conscience, when we sin. What is of critical importance is, that, when God calls for us saying “Where are you?”, will we find ourselves saying that we are spiritually “naked”? – that is the question. Let us be clothed with the white robes of Jesus’ righteousness, being imputed on us, when we believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only son and Savior, so that when The Lord God comes looking for us, we will not have to hide, as a result of our spiritual nakedness. Are you (spiritually) naked (and hiding) – that is the question?

Genesis 3:11 (KJV)
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

Revelation 3:18 (KJV)
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Half Truth :: There is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus

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On May 8, 2012

In Christian, Half Truth

The familiar saying “The is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus” has been the subject of several sermons and messages from the pulpit, and often only half the truth as expressed in the Bible is exposited on. The Bible says that “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (John 8:1). The word ‘therefore‘ implies that there is something of note which precedes this blessed assurance and the preceeding verses establishes the fact that only in Christ Jesus alone is the redemption from the law of sin and the salvation of mankind (Romans 7 24-25). Because of Christ, we now have no condemnation, but what is of note that we ought not to overlook or ignore, is the fact that there is no condemnation now to those who are in Jesus Christ, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit of God.

The half truth is “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus”. The truth is “To those who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh, after recognizing that only in Jesus Christ is the deliverance of their souls from spiritual death possible; to those believers, there is now condemnation.” This is not a license to continue a lifestyle of sin, for when we wilfully sin, we have no more sacrifice left by which we may be saved, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the enemies of God (Hebrews 10:26-27).

Jesus asked the woman caught in adultery, “Where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?” and when she recognized him as “not just another ordinary man, but as Lord”, he assured her that he did not condemn her either, and then proceeded to say, “Go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11). In other words, “I do not condemn you, but going forward, do not sin by walking after your flesh, but sin no more, by walking after the Spirit of God.”

Romans 8:1-2 (KJV)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 

John 8:10-11 (KJV)
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Independence Series :: Liberty not License

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On July 8, 2011

In Christian, Independence Series

Unfortunately, today, many take the grace of God and trample it under foot, by willful disobedience and a lifestyle that displeases God. I will be the first to admit, that I have been guilty of the same. Often we hear sermons, on the grace of God and the fact that there is no condemnation in Christ, but seldom are we told that the suffix to the “no condemnation in Christ” assurance, is that one ought to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. But sadly, the Liberty we experience in Christ, becomes a license to sin. We get churned into a wheel of sin – ask forgiveness – sin – ask forgiveness – ad infinitum.  Although everything is permissible, not everything is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10: 23) and the Liberty we have in Christ is one that must be exercised with restraint, especially if it could end up becoming a stumbling block to someone else.

Point(s) to ponder:
We may be free in Christ, but we are not at liberty to do what we please, even if it is permissible, when it hampers (becomes a stumbling block) another person’s ability to experience that same freedom in Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV)
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

Hebrews 10:26-29 (KJV)
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

No man :: to condemn

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On November 12, 2009

In Christian, No man

The Bible in the gospel accordingly to John in chapter 8 records an ironic question Jesus asked of anyone. When the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery and tried to trick (tempt) Him into condemning her, keeping in line with the law according to Moses or into Him overlooking her sin, thereby giving them a chance to accuse the Lawgiver Himself as a law breaker. Jesus knowing the intent in their hearts, intelligently dismisses them by convicting them of their own sins. He then poses a question to the woman –  Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? to which she responds ‘No Man, Lord’. What is ironic, is that the only man who had any right to accuse her, was standing right there, and He did not condemn. Instead he gave her a second chance, forgiving his sinfulness and commanding her to be no longer a slave to sin; to sin no more. Also, note how the woman responds – She responds saying, no man, Lord. To the scribes and the Pharisees (the so called saints), Jesus the Lord was seen as a man. To the sinful woman, Jesus the man, was seen as Lord.

And now, there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2). No matter what our state is today or how sinful you and I are, when we come to Jesus and we recognize Him as Lord, you can expect Him, the righteous and just God-man to give you and me a second chance. No man can condemn them that have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.

John 8:1-11(KJV)
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

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