I agree that self-condemnation will do all that are stated above but what exactly is self-condemnation? Does feeling bad about our sin amount to self-condemnation? Inability to properly define what self-condemnation is has created a situation where people, in an attempt to stop self-condemnation have inadvertently killed their consciences. They have mistaken the voice of conviction for condemnation and have become incorrigible. Such are people today who are very loud about the power of God, manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the finished work of Christ but completely ungodly in their business, relationships and pleasures.
Some time ago I came in contact with a man who leads a house fellowship in a ministry that teaches against self-condemnation in ways I consider to be false. This man wanted to relocate to a western country and become a citizen of that country. His strategy for fulfilling his dream was to divorce his wife in Nigeria and travel out, on arrival marry a citizen of that country in order to become a citizen and eventually divorce the second wife, remarry his first wife and bring her to live with him. To my surprise, his wife accepted the plan. They both saw nothing wrong in divorcing each other, deceiving another person into an ill motivated marriage and telling lies to the authorities. Their consciences have been seared through a constant training that labelled any form of conviction as condemnation. Their faith was anchored on the word in Romans 8:1 but without the concluding part that demands a walk in the Spirit. That scripture says "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (NKJV). Is their attitude and conduct a true representation of what this passage teaches?
The Bible teaches that a Holy Spirit ruled conscience is what God uses to convict or make Christians know that they have sinned against God. Paul in his letter to the Romans said in Romans 9:1 "I am speaking the truth; I belong to Christ and I do not lie. My conscience, ruled by the Holy Spirit, also assures me that I am not lying". When a Christian realizes that he has sinned, that is not a condemnation but a witness from his conscience. When he accepts it, it provokes in him a godly sorrow that makes him carry his sins to God for cleansing. If he rejects it, it becomes in him a bad conscience that will eventually lead to a shipwreck of his faith. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 1:19 (GNB) "and keep your faith and a clear conscience. Some people have not listened to their conscience and have made a ruin of their faith".
Now you can't just help but feel bad when you realize that you have sinned against the person you really love. This is what godly sorrow is all about. Jesus taught us that obedience to His commandment is the way to show Him love. It is written in black and white in John 14:15 (NKJV) "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Therefore when you are sorrowful, it means you are unhappy about the fact that you have sinned against God whom you love. This is not self-condemnation at all. Apostle Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV) "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." So godly sorrow is good because it leads to salvation. It is a sorrow that point you to Jesus as the solution. It is a sorrow that ends in joy, believing that all our sins have been forgiven through the finished work of Christ.
In 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) God said that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Understand that confession is not a condition for forgiveness of sin but a condition for receiving the forgiveness already secured by Christ Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross. However, the word confession (omologÅmen in Greek) means to speak the same, to agree. By requesting confession of sins as a prerequisite for experiencing forgiveness, God is simply saying, if you refuse to accept the conviction of your conscience that what you did was wrong, you cannot benefit from the forgiveness that has already been bought for you. Walking together in fellowship is what the Lord want to have with us. However, we can't have that if we are not in agreement. God asked through Prophet Amos in Amos 3:3 (NKJV) "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" Sin is missing the mark or the way while confession is God's method of making us rediscover the mark and the way and come back to it.
Therefore, confession is not sin consciousness neither is godly sorrow a form of condemnation. If we become aware of our sin, feel bad about what we have done but refuse to confess and accept the forgiveness that Jesus has purchased for us, then we are into self-condemnation. Self-condemnation is a worldly sorrow because it is rooted in pride that exalt our opinion above the written word of God. If we have confessed our sins and God in His word says He has forgiven us, then our problem is prideful believe in ourselves rather than the word of God. When we exalt the opinion of man, including ourselves, higher than the word of God, we can't have faith. Jesus upbraided the Pharisees in John 5:44 (NKJV) "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" So, self-condemnation is rooted in pride. Rather than destroying our conscience, let's deal with our pride and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Let's believe the word and live it out.
What will be your attitude to these two offenders? You rebuked the first one for accusing you falsely and he simply said, "sorry, if what i did was wrong". You rebuked the second person for the same offense and he said "You are right. It was wrong of me to accuse you before verifying the report. I am sorry to have spoilt you name and hurt your feelings. Please forgive me". Which of the two will you readily accept as truly repentant? Which of the two will you readily restore friendship?
Conclusion
Do not let men destroy your ability to keep good conscience by telling you that conviction of conscience is condemnation. Test the conviction of conscience with the word of God. If you have gone against the commandment of God, repent, confess your sins to God, claim your forgiveness in Jesus name and continue with a good conscience.
written by Ifiok J. Ukobo
