And this is the condemnation

condemn: sentence (someone) to a particular punishment, especially death

condemnation: the action of condemning someone to a punishment; sentencing.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.“

This is a pretty familiar portion of scripture for those who are familiar. For those who aren’t, the above is found in John 3:16 through 19.

Now, I can’t tell you how many times in my evangelical upbringing I have heard and even memorized this passage of scripture and glossed right over these words and then took them to mean something other than what they are saying right there in plain print.

The condemnation (sentence or punishment for rejecting Jesus- or so I was always taught) we are supposed to be avoiding is hellfire and brimstone.

Save souls.

The entire point of Jesus living and serving and then dying and being raised again, and then these words being penned is so that we can reach others and share the gospel message of his life, death, and resurrection with them before it’s too late.

Except, that’s not what the words are saying at all.

What the words are saying is that the condemnation we are supposed to be avoiding is loving darkness more than light. and that those who don’t believe are condemned already.

That doesn’t sound like literal hellfire to me. That doesn’t sound like a fear of the rapture, anxiety-inducing, fear of death, repent before you run out of time kind of message.

We love darkness more than light when our deeds are evil, and we don’t want our deeds to be seen by others.

Because the darkness hides, but the light uncovers.

When we choose to believe in Jesus, we are not condemned because we are choosing the way of light. We are choosing to see the evil for what it is and we are choosing to stop hiding it. From ourselves, and from others. We are choosing the way of love.

When we choose to not believe in Jesus, we are already condemned because we had a chance to choose love, to choose light, and we preferred to continue living in darkness because we liked the benefits of our sin more than the benefits of giving up our sin.

It’s not hellfire and brimstone. It’s a condemnation of deeds.

People who are good and love do good and loving things.

People who are bad and don’t love do bad and unloving things.

And sometimes it’s more complex- with hurt people wanting to do good things and not knowing how or not understanding how their actions ultimately cause pain and suffering- and grace covers that.

Matthew 7-15 states that by their works they shall be known.

John 13:35 states that if you love one another, you will know you are His disciples.

Jesus himself says in John 14: 15 “if you love me keep my commandments” and then in John 15:12 he tells us that “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you”

God loves us, and we have a chance to experience that love without limitations. We have the choice. The condemnation isn’t some far off experience to avoid. It’s every minute we live without love in our lives knowing we don’t have to.