Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ because we are set free by God (paraphrased). I don't know about you but I've done things that even though I knew I had been forgiven, I still felt condemnation sometimes. There are a couple of things that I want to touch on briefly that I hope will help someone.
First, if you don't want the condemnation, you can't stop at Rom 8:1. You have to get to Romans 8:5 that says "...but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." As you grow in Christ, you have to realize that you no longer have any rights or ownership of property. When you mature in Christ, you know that everything we have belongs to Him and you no longer have personal rights because you are a slave to Him. To grow into that realization you must have your mind not only on God (the Spirit in v.5) but you will also have your mind fixed on what He wants. When we do this, the condemnation must go away because God has forgiven us, so we don't have the right to feel condemned by sin even though He has forgiven us for it.
Second, let's face it, once you have committed a sin it doesn't go away. I can be forgiven for murder till the cows come home but that won't bring back the person that I killed. I know that is an extreme example but the same holds true for all sin. Sin has an effect. Whether it is lying, stealing, murder, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, or jealousy, there is always a scar left behind by sin. David said my sin is against you and you alone (Psalm 51:4), so why is it that someone else felt the pain of my sin? That's what I mean when I say that sin has an effect. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though we are forgiven of our sins as soon as we ask for forgiveness and repent (turn away from), we still must live down the effects of my sin.
If I steal from my boss, God will forgive me but I will probably still get fired. If I shoplift from Wal-Mart God will forgive me but I will still go to jail for shoplifting. If I lie to my friend God will forgive me but it will be a while before my friend trusts me. Where the devil tries to steal our joy and victory is when he tries to convince us that this act of living down the effect of our sin is condemnation. If he can do that then he can then begin deceiving you that either A) the bible was wrong, there is condemnation in Christ or B) you really aren't forgiven.
Now comes the hard part; the people that feel the effects of our sin the most (or the one's we have hurt), tend to remind us about our sin even after they have forgiven us. Ouch! It can really be hard when other people are effected by our sin because people are the best tools that the devil has to steal our victory and create strongholds. For that matter, let an old-fashioned church find out about your sin. You'll never get away from the looks of contempt, you'll never forget your sin. People are cruel and they forget that they have been forgiven and, like you, they aren't perfect either.
I know I could talk for days about this topic but I shouldn't so I'm gonna sum it up like this; if you have been forgiven you are not condemned. Others will remind you of your sin but don't let that steal your victory. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. Help others get past your sin by proving to them that you are worthy of their forgiveness by being Godly.
Let me know if you have an opinion on this or if you would like me to go deeper.
God loves you and I do too!
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