Silence the Accuser Today

Posted byRyanRiceSrPosted inChristian Life, UncategorizedTags:, , , , ,

Romans 8 is a beautiful chapter that illustrates for the believer what the results of a new life in Christ have yielded. 

  • No condemnation  
  • Salvation
  • No longer slaves of the flesh  
  • Freedom, the bondage of the law  
  • Adoption into the Family of God, we cry out, Abba Father!  

The results of a new life in Christ are not just spiritual but practical as well. Followers of Christ should live free, taking the spiritual realities and applying them to their daily lives. So, our lives should reflect those who are not condemned and are no longer slaves to sin.

However, as one writer put it, “We are free, but we do not always live free.” Sadly, we often return to put on garments that should remain in the garbage. What garments are those? Well, the garments of shame, condemnation, and despair. 

We have a formidable enemy who steadily tries to accuse the children of God. If we are not careful, we can begin to believe the accuser’s lies instead of the truth of the Word of God. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we must get used to our justification in Christ. What is justification? Theologian Millard Erickson defined it this way, “An individual status change from guilty to not guilty. One being declared righteous in God’s sight of being viewed as fully meeting the divine requirements.- See, the Devil accuses believers all day, but we must remember we are justified in Christ. 

So, if we have been declared righteous, then; as a result, we live rightly! With our records clear, we live with hearts toward the Master, seeking to delight in his way and commands. This one spiritual reality made possible through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ should affect how we live daily. So who can accuse us if we are justified? 

So if we are justified, then we are no longer condemned. Condemnation is the state we are all in before Christ because we sinned against a holy God. To be condemned is to judge someone as guilty and thus subject to punishment. Yet, Christ came not to condemn but to redeem, to pay the penalty for our sins. 

“Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.” John 3:18

Many Christians approach God’s love like a cheezy rom-com. It is the picture of the person with the flower plucking the petals asking, ‘he loves me, he loves me not.’ The Scripture is clear that God showed his love for us in the finished work of Christ on the cross. While we may face the ups and down of the emotions of life, one thing is certain: His love for his people is sure. 

Leon Morris said, “Our hearts may condemn us, but Christ, not our heart, matters in the final resort.” 

See, you may still feel the sting of past sin and even shame, but have you allowed the Gospel to soothe the lingering wound of your soul? When was the last time you looked at yourself in the reflection of Jesus? Have you settled in your heart? 

  • God loves me 
  • I am pleasing to my Father 
  • I am called righteous because of Jesus Christ
  • Because of Jesus, I am a new creation

There is no fear for those in Christ; look at what the Scripture says, 

“God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. “John 4:16-19 (CSB)

See, we have a future hope, and it is that hope that roots us when life is hard. Where there is no hope for the future, there is no hope for the present. The Christian is never abandoned or forsaken. Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this world, and guess what? He walks us through all of it until we are with him forever. The Lord uses the worst circumstances to turn around for His glory and our good.

Today may seem bleak and tomorrow uncertain, but one thing we can be sure of is that the faithful God will always be there. The Lord is the one who provides, justifies, and calls, and if you are in Christ, you are His. 

You may be reading this, and the voice of the accuser is louder than the truth of the finished work of Christ. Instead of plowing forward, look to your Father and His word. 

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 CSB

Published by RyanRiceSr

Ryan Rice Sr. is a native of New Orleans. After studying Mass Communications and Sociology at Dillard University, he proceeded to utilize his skills for communications by working in Corporate Communications, as well as, Training and Development. After sensing a vocational call to ministry, Ryan went on as a children's pastor at a large multi-campus church in Baton Rouge, La. In 2014, Ryan and his family moved back to New Orleans to plant Connect Church in the community of Algiers, where he grew up. Connect Church is now a multi-cultural, multi-generational church that seeks to glorify God, make disciples, and serve the city of New Orleans. Currently, Ryan is pursuing a MA in Apologetics at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Ryan loves trying new cuisines with his wife of 16 years Seane’ and spending time with his four children: Ryan Jr., Brayden, Reagen, and Bailey.

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