Should we be concerned about our souls? Yes, but in Christ we do not have to live in constant fear of condemnation. Paul said, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Just like God is with us in our struggles against man, He is with us in our fight against Satan and sin. God said to Israel, “For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13).

God does help us. He has given us everything we need to escape condemnation (2 Peter 1:3-5), beginning with His one and only Son.

John 3:16 (ESV)
¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Let us not forget that the faith mentioned in this popular verse is a comprehensive faith, that is, it involves a doing of God’s will, or what we sometimes refer to as an obedient faith (ver. 36). Now, this obedience does not involve sinless perfection, which, of course, we ought to appreciate since we all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Instead, it involves obeying the gospel (Romans 1:16), and then walking in the light with God (1 John 1:5-7). When we do this, the grace of God saves us in spite of our imperfections (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God not only has given us His Son as a sacrifice for our past sins, He has given Him to us as a Mediator to help us with our present sins. In 1 John, we are taught that when we sin, Jesus is called in to help us.

1 John 2:1 (ESV)
¹ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Now again, because we all sin from time to time, this is a critical part of escaping condemnation. Thank God we have an advocate with the Father to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).

There is more. God helps us to escape condemnation by giving us His precepts to guide and direct us. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:105). With the help of God’s Word, we can know His will and keep it. We do not have to guess at how to live our lives. The Bible teaches us clearly how we ought to be living.

Titus 2:11-12 (KJV)
¹¹ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this pre-sent world;

God has given us many more things such as prayer, the local church, etc., to help us on our spiritual journey to heaven. No, there is no reason for the Christian to fear condemnation. If you have obeyed the gospel of Christ, are fighting off the attacks of the devil with the Word of God, and living according to the will of God, you are in a state of justification, not condemnation.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.