“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:17 NIV
The verse before this is probably the best known in all the Bible. God loved us so much that He gave His only son so that we could have everlasting life - the fantastic hope of the message of Jesus! So often however we stop at verse 16...
It is remarkable that so many people feel condemned when they think about their relationship with God. But here we see that the message of Jesus should have exactly the opposite effect. Jesus did not come to condemn you but to give you new life and new hope. He did not come to tell you how bad you are but to show you how good He is. Jesus came so that our sin could no longer separate us from God.
We are so quick to condemn wrong behaviour in ourselves and others and for many of us it is very hard to accept that God does not act in the same way. No matter where you are today or how bad you think it is - God is not interested in condemning you.
God loved you so much that He gave Jesus for you - not to condemn you but give you life. Allow this truth to shift your thinking from a place of condemnation to one of freedom in Him.