Mike Focht 2/6/2026
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.
Romans 8:1
To discern the difference between the condemnation of the devil and the conviction of the Holy Spirit is an essential step of spiritual maturity for all of God’s children.
Conviction is always from the Holy Spirit. What Paul teaches us here is that condemnation never comes from the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not in the business of condemning us for the very sins He already paid for. We are not cursed with a curse already broken. God the Father is not drawing near with the sins that He has already separated as far as the east is from the west.
The conviction of the Spirit is simply seeing the reality of our sins in the light of God’s truth. Conviction is the still small voice of Jesus Christ whispering to our souls: That sin is something I had to die for. Conviction causes us to see our sin, call it what it is, and leave it at the cross where it belongs. Then the Holy Spirit will cleanse us afresh and conform us into the image of the One we are beholding in all His love, forgiveness, and grace.
Ultimately, the conviction of the Holy Spirit draws us away from sin and draws us closer to Jesus Christ, the answer to our sins. Conviction is a blessing from God that helps us move from sin and grow past it. Conviction will always bring me closer to Christ.
Condemnation is always from the devil. Satan is known as the accuser of the brethren. The devil is constantly seeking to tempt us away from Jesus Christ. He doesn’t want us to walk in the paths of the Holy Spirit. He hates it when we are abiding in Christ.
Once our enemy tempts us away from Christ into the path of various sins, he will then employ condemnation as a means of keeping us from drawing near to Christ. First, he will whisper that whatever sin we are playing with won't harm us, or anyone else, and shouldn’t matter that much. Then once we sin, he will point the finger at us, scream about our wickedness and filth, shame us, condemn us, and try to make us see ourselves as unforgivable, unholy, and unrighteous.
All of Satan’s condemning is meant to keep us from turning back to Jesus, the only One who won’t condemn us and the only One who can cleanse our conscience. Condemnation pushes us away from Jesus Christ. It is meant to convince us that we are too sinful for the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Since we are all sinners, we must learn to discern when God is convicting us through His Holy Spirit and when Satan is seeking to condemn us. The reason that we carry our sins to Jesus quickly is that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus! For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Here is some practical instruction:
1) Whenever we sin and begin to feel like we are too wicked to read the Bible, pray, worship, or go to church, we must recognize those feelings as the condemnation of the devil. Those feelings are pushing us away from God. We must recognize isolating feelings as the condemnation of the devil.
2) When we realize the devil is condemning us, we need to ask for Christ’s forgiveness and do the very things our flesh does not want to do. When we don’t feel like praying, reading our Bible, worshiping, or fellowshipping, it is the most important time for us to seek God in simple obedience and faith.
3) When the Holy Spirit reveals our sin, and we realize we have been wrong, and we feel the need to turn to God in humble repentance and confession, those feelings are good. We need to humbly embrace conviction and push toward our Savior and Redeemer. Godly sorrow is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When convicted, run to God by the most direct path possible, and allow Him to cleanse your conscience and life afresh in the blood of Jesus Christ.