I've been thinking about the difference between condemnation and conviction lately. A house is condemned; a criminal is convicted. These are the situations where we hear these words used most frequently. I am neither a house (though ask me in about 4 more months and I may tell you that I feel like one) nor am I a criminal. But condemnation and conviction effect me on a daily basis. So what's the difference between the two?
It seems to me, for starters, that conviction occurs with the purpose of repenting and restoring while condemnation occurs with the purpose of destroying and obliterating. We convict a criminal of a crime with the hope of punishing him in such a way that he will regret his actions and choose not to repeat them ever again, thus restoring him to the status of law-abiding citizen. We condemn a structure because it is no longer deemed safe and thus must be destroyed. There is hope for the criminal but all hope is lost for the house. I think I'd rather be the criminal:).
So then, who does the condemning and who does the convicting in my life? Well, the obvious answer is that Satan condemns and Jesus convicts. There's more to it than that, though, as I am discovering while digging into the treasure chest that God's Word is. But alas, the baby is wanting some attention. Perhaps a Part 2 will be necessary!
2 comments:
Good post. We need to get together with you folks soon!
You amaze me with your insights. Keep up the good work you're doing, and don't ever think of becoming a lawyer or a building inspector...thought you'd be excellent at either.
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