No GSC! By Bryan Craig
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 ESV
You are most likely wondering what GSC stands for in the title of this devotional. These 3 letters stand for the 3 ways that I continually see the enemy working to get us off course in our walk with Christ.
The first is G for GUILT. Satan, also called “The Accuser of the Brothers” is always laying guilt upon us. He first tempts us to sin, making it seem so enticing, and then, once we fall, he’s the first one to make us feel guilty about it. He is the one who always makes us feel like we are not measuring up, causing us to either give up or to fall into the performance trap, trying to do religious things to feel better about ourselves. This is not from God. The Holy Spirit does not lay guilt trips. The Holy Spirit convicts, which is altogether different. The Lord is a loving Father, friend, Counselor who speaks hard truths to us, but always in love. He wants us to know how much He loves us so that our actions will reflect that love, rather than actions coming from a guilty conscience. Remember, this:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV
The second letter S stands for SHAME. Think of Adam and Eve, living in Paradise with God, which is a great picture of Abiding, by the way. They were naked and unashamed. As soon as sin occurred, out of their obedience to the Lord, their eyes were opened. Suddenly, they knew they were naked, and they not only wanted to hide their nakedness, they also wanted to hide from God. They felt Shame. The Lord had to punish the disobedience, for He is a holy God, but there is line in Genesis 3:21 that showed His love and compassion. He made clothes for Adam and Eve to cover their shame. And though He had to expel them from the Garden of Eden, He loved them so much that He made a way for them (and us) to get back into fellowship with Him by sending Jesus as the sacrifice for their (our) sin.
“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.” Isaiah 54:4 ESV
The third letter C stands for CONDEMNATION. Again, going back to the Garden of Eden, the Accuser tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and then, he watched as they were condemned to a life apart from God, as they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. The Enemy revels in this, and he works feverishly to try to keep us separate from God, always feeling condemned. He knows what scripture says, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Isaiah 59:2 ESV Yes, apart from Christ, we are condemned. BUT because of Christ’s sacrifice, we who are in Christ Jesus are FREE from condemnation as Romans 8:1 says above… “There is NO Condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
So, for those of us who have accepted Christ and abide with Him, we can renounce the Enemy’s attempts at Guilt, Shame and Condemnation. Christ took those away from us and nailed them to the Cross. Do you understand this? Good.
The next thing I want to ask you is this. Are you laying Guilt, Shame and Condemnation on others? Be honest with yourself. How can we who have been forgiven so much, and delivered such freedom from Christ, turn around and deny this grace to others. Jesus speaks out about this in the parable in Matthew 18:21-35, as he describes a man who was forgiven a huge debt by the king. The next thing he did was to go and choke a man who owed him money, a much less amount, demanding repayment. The king found out and was angry and threw the man in prison, until he could pay his original debt.
Let’s walk in freedom in Christ, free from Guilt, Shame and Condemnation, but let’s also be quick to set others free by withholding Guilt, Shame and Condemnation. In this way, we give not foothold to the devil and his schemes.