Are you a lover of this world? Are you striving to impress others on a regular basis or the type of Christian regularly persecuted for your faith? These are pertinent questions that every believer must address. God wants all of us, and our everyday decisions to reflect our allegiance to Him. However, when we lose our confidence, because of condemnation relating to a past sin issue, things get difficult. Condemnation is very real, and many believers struggle with it. Join Carl now as he discusses the distinct differences between condemnation and conviction. This explanation will encourage you…
Here is a complete transcript of the broadcast (below)…
I hope you’re enjoying our study of the first epistle of John, and let’s get right into it today. In chapter 3, verse 13, it says, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death into life because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” Again, a reference to Cain, that we spoke extensively of yesterday, right? The fact that Cain was a murderer, he harbored that spirit inside of him. And this should be nothing to do with us Christians, all right? We love the brethren. That is our marker, an indication that we’ve turned to Christ. But friend, is the world loving you? Are you a lover of the world? It says, “Marvel not, if the world hates you.”
Friend, if the world loves you and you’re not receiving any persecution for Christ, I would question your walk. I would question your spiritual walk. If all men say good things of you and there’s no persecution, I would question your Christian walk at that point, because you’re in tandem and in unison with the world system, the cosmos that is against Christ. Something to consider. And then John goes on in verse 18, talking about taking care of people in need. And that’s obvious, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.” Now, get ready to hear this verse, friend. It is so powerful. Verse 20, “For if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.”
Verse 21, “Beloved, if our hearts condemn us not, then we have confidence towards God, and whatsoever things we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” Now, friend, this is the crux of the matter. Many Christians fail to receive from God because they’re not confident. And we have to ask ourselves, why are we not confident? And the reason often is, is because even though you’ve confessed your sin, you still don’t feel forgiven. In other words, your heart is still condemning you, and this is a dangerous place to be in, because you lose that assurance that your father, your heavenly father, is taking care of you. Now, there is a difference between conviction and condemnation. I’ve spoken about this at length in other broadcasts. The Holy Spirit convicts, and Satan condemns primarily, okay? Now, in John 16, verse 8, it says “the Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin.” And if you look at that word reprove, it is actually a word for convict in the modern vernacular. So it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to get you to feel remorse when you sin, alright? That’s normal. If you didn’t feel remorse, I would be concerned for you, alright? But because you do feel bad about sinning, and you’re like, oh Lord, I don’t feel good, that’s a good thing, because you’re responding to the Holy Spirit, amen? Now, when we do sin, we need to acknowledge that we’re guilty, and that we are sinners.
And then we confess it, and we allow the Lord to minister to us, and restore our conscience, and restore our confidence. But the trouble is the enemy condemns you after the sin. He says, you’ve done it too many times, God’s not going to forgive you this time. But friend, I love that verse, remember I talk about it often, where Jesus said to Peter, you must forgive 70 times 7. That’s 490 times a day. If Jesus was requiring that of Peter, that means our Heavenly Father is willing to forgive us that many times in a day. It is a lie to listen to the condemning thoughts of Satan that tell you that you’ve sinned too many times, and God has given up on you. That is a lie, friend. But it’s this condemnation of the heart that keeps us bound up, and keeps the receiving channel blocked. Yes, it’s right to have a sense of remorse and sorrow when we sin, but it is not right to stay on the ground, and get beat up by Satan, and condemned by him. And you know friend, it works both ways, all right? Now you may even believe that God’s forgiven you, but you haven’t forgiven yourself, and you have massive regret internally. Oh why did I do that? Why did I do that? And sometimes if sins are egregious publicly, then other people are aware of them, and then everybody knows about it, and you feel so much more worse. You know an old minister told me one time, the only people who remember sin are the devil and other people.
God has put it in the sea of forgetfulness, all right? And so we have to know that we have to give account to him first and foremost, not other people. And so I’ve seen it down the years. It’s even happened to me where I’ve had a failure, and you know, you just feel so bad about it that you can’t get back up off the mat. And you can stay and wallow around in self-pity, and condemnation, and a lack of assurance, and an identity crisis, and whatever else you want to call it, where God’s given up on you, and I guess I’ll just die, and get judged, and I’m not gonna press in anymore, I’m not gonna win souls for Jesus. I’m speaking to somebody out there. There’s somebody out there right now on this radio program who’s given up on God, because they think that they’ve gone too far, they’ve sinned too many times. Oh, but the love of the Father. The prodigal son was a typology of the loving father, who killed the fatted calf, and put the ring on the son’s finger, and said, welcome home, welcome home son. Yes, you were wallowing in the mire with the pigs and the husks, but now you’ve returned home, and that’s all that matters to me. It’s the adversary Satan who doesn’t want you to feel that union with your Heavenly Father again. And condemnation from the enemy is like, you’re not worthy to receive this prayer, right? The enemy is always working on worthiness, because he’s an accuser, he’s an adversary, accuser of the brethren, who’s always slandering our character, saying we’re not good enough. Well here’s the deal, you’re in Christ Jesus, you’re a part of the body of Christ, therefore you are good enough.
Because if you’re attached to Christ, you have his identity in you, and your character is enough, amen? And John indicates that if we have condemnation in our hearts, we have no confidence, particularly in prayer. There’s people out there believing for stuff down the years, and they flat-out quit because of some sin that’s plagued them. And I say friend, that that besetting sin can be conquered, it can be overcome. It’s like a weight that comes upon us repeatedly, trying to influence the outcome of whether or not we can fully do what God has called us to do. And Paul says, you know, we should lay aside this besetting sin, and the weight that accompanies sin. You know, when you’re a marathon runner, you want the minimum amount of weight on you. You want to have light sneakers, or trainers, or whatever you want to call them. If you’re running a race, you can’t be burdened with extra weight, and this is the weight that you need to put off. You’re running a race for Christ Jesus, you’re running the race of your calling, and you need to lay aside the weight, and burdens that are upon you, okay? In 2nd Corinthians 7:1, Paul says, “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit. We need to be in a cleansing and purifying form.” We need to have a clear conscience. If we mess up, reconnect with the Father immediately.
Don’t wallow in the mire with the pigs and the swine. Get out of the mud, because the Father is waiting with open arms to embrace you at any moment. Yes, even 490 times a day. And these fleshy sins are mentioned in Galatians 5, where it talks about the fruit of the Spirit, certainly, but the fleshy sins are mentioned there as well. And there is a filthiness that comes with those sins. When we do them, we feel filthy, that our garments are stained, that temporarily we have been stained with the work of the enemy. But friend, 1st John 1:9 again says we can confess those sins, and we can release them, and be restored from all unrighteousness, amen? It is only through the blood of Christ that this can be done. Father, I pray right now for my brother or sister who feels condemned and cannot escape the enemy’s accusations against them. They have already confessed their sin, and I speak to Satan, I say you are bound off of their lives right now. And today, after this broadcast, several people are gonna be restored to the calling that God has for them, and they are no longer gonna wallow in the mire with the pigs, but they’re gonna stand up and understand their sonship in Christ Jesus, and embrace the spoils and inheritance that the Father has bestowed to them already. I thank you, Lord, that they are restored this day in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Whoo! Amen. Verse 23, “and this is the commandment that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave His commandment.” There it is again, loving God vertically, loving people horizontally. If you do those things, you can have confidence that you will receive when you ask of your Heavenly Father, amen? Verse 24, and He that keeps the commandments dwells in Him and He in Him, and hereby we know that He abides in us by the Spirit which He has given us.
We can’t do any of this in and of ourselves, it’s only by the Holy Spirit anyway. Now chapter 4 verse 1, “beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Now we may not be accustomed with false prophecy as they were in the Old Testament. There were many false prophets who were given to their own spirit, and they started prophesying lies, and all they would do is prophesy wonderful things to the king. Oh king, you’re gonna be victorious in this next battle. Oh king, you look so wonderful in your garments. Oh king, all of your allies are for you, etc. etc. etc. Sounds like some politicians maybe in the halls of Congress telling everybody how wonderful they are, but secretly they don’t believe a word of it because they’re trying to gain favor with people. And friend, there are people who could try and gain favor with you, but you need to test their spirit, amen? You need to try their spirit. In other words, what is the motivation of why this person is telling me how wonderful I am? You know, some people will flatter you to gain trust with you, okay? And maybe that’s a word for somebody, I don’t know, that’s kind of a strange tangent I went down there. But the trying of the spirits is putting them to the test to discern. And remember, there’s no such thing as the gift of discernment, that’s not even in the Bible, but there is the gift of the discerning of spirits. And the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you will help you discern the spirit of that person.
So we have the spirit of the person within them, then we have demonic spirits, and finally we have angelic spirits. So there are several spirits at work in the unseen realm that we need to discern, alright? So when we’re discerning, we’re discerning the source of attitudes, the source of spoken words or actions. This is extremely important because all spiritual activity does not originate from God. But you know, Christians are subject to quite flagrant diversities in their speech. Think of Peter in Matthew 16 where he’s saying to Jesus, “you are the Christ, you’re the Son of God, you know, you are the one.” And then later on he’s saying, no, you’re not gonna go to the cross Jesus. No, no, don’t do that. And then Jesus rebukes Peter by saying, Satan get behind me, alright? And Satan spoke through Peter. And then Jesus is rebuking Pharisees and Sadducees. In Luke 9:55 he says, “you know not what manner of spirit you are of.” In other words, they had a critical, Pharisaical, judgmental spirit. And that can be upon people.
And you need to be discerning in life, friend, as the Holy Spirit helps you to test and try these spirits because they’re not all from God, as the Apostle John says. And again, this discourse here in the first verse of chapter 4 is really talking about Gnosticism. Because in verse 2 it says, “hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.” And remember what I said, the Gnostics claimed that Jesus didn’t come in the flesh because God would never manifest himself in physical form. He would never come down to our level, our weak worm of the dust level. That’s what the Gnostics claimed. But this was a lie. Verse 3, “And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And that is the spirit of Antichrist. Whereof you have heard that it should come and even now already is in the world.” The spirit of Antichrist is manifesting in many religions. And this spirit of Antichrist that you need to try and test will also manifest through government institutions that will teach our children that gender is a choice, that it’s good for women to go into men’s bathrooms and vice versa. These are attacks against our core Christian values. And we need to take a stand, friend. Discern the spirit that is behind the mandates that come from these institutions. Until tomorrow, good night, God bless, and remember to spread the good news.
https://carljosephministries.com/podcast/did-god-preserve-his-word/
https://www.preceptaustin.org/1_john_commentaries
Title: The Book of 1st John: Part 5
Related keyword searches:
The spirit of the antichrist
What’s the difference between conviction and condemnation
Did Jesus come in the flesh
Did the Gnostics believe Christ came in physical body
Condemnation
Conviction
Why do I feel condemned
Pharisees and Sadducees
Six Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the difference between condemnation and conviction?
Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and draws us closer to God, urging us to repent and restore fellowship. Condemnation, however, comes from the enemy (Satan) and drives us away from God, making us feel unworthy, ashamed, and hopeless, even after repentance. Conviction leads to healing; condemnation leads to spiritual paralysis.
2. Why do many believers struggle with confidence in prayer and their walk with God?
Lack of confidence often stems from internal condemnation—even after confessing sin, believers may still feel guilty or unworthy. This ongoing guilt blocks the assurance of God’s love and hinders effective prayer (1 John 3:21–22). God desires us to walk in freedom, knowing we are forgiven, restored, and loved.
3. Can a Christian be forgiven repeatedly for the same sin?
Yes. Jesus told Peter to forgive 70 x 7 times per day (Matthew 18:22), which reflects God’s abundant mercy toward us. As long as there is true repentance, God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). It’s a lie of the enemy to think you’ve exhausted God’s grace.
4. What should I do when I feel like I’ve failed too many times to be used by God?
Recognize that feeling as a condemning voice, not God’s truth. Like the prodigal son, God welcomes you home with open arms, not shame. Your failure doesn’t cancel your calling. Restoration is available immediately when you return to God with a repentant heart.
5. How can I tell if I’m truly living for God or just blending in with the world?
1 John 3:13 reminds us: “Marvel not if the world hates you.” If your faith never provokes resistance or persecution, you may need to examine whether your lifestyle aligns more with the world than with Christ. True discipleship may lead to rejection—but also leads to eternal life and purpose.
6. What does it mean to “test the spirits,” and why is that important?
To “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) means to discern the source behind a message, person, or action—is it from God, from man’s spirit, or from demonic influence? Not everything spiritual is from God. The Holy Spirit gives believers discernment to recognize truth, avoid deception, and stand firm in faith, especially in a world full of false messages and ideologies.
Carl is an authority. He is a biblical scholar, minister, author, husband, father, and life coach. In his mid-twenties he had a powerful encounter with God and saw miraculous healings as a result. Carl is a unique researcher who investigates current affairs, societal trends, prophecy, technology, cults, and end time events, all through a biblical lens.
Carl holds a Doctorate in Theology (Th D). His Alma Mata includes: Salford University, Manchester, UK, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK, Rhema Bible Training College (Tulsa), and Southwestern Christian University (Oklahoma City).
Carl Joseph Ministries empowers believers in Christ to fulfill their God given potential. Join Carl every other Monday on the Lions Unchained Podcast, available on Spotify, iTunes and other mainstream platforms.
He currently resides in Colorado, with his lovely wife Amy, and their three children.
