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

As human beings, we are born in a state of sin. We have no righteousness of our own. Therefore, we are condemned to spend eternity apart from God. God’s purpose for sending His Son into the world was not to continue heaping condemnation upon us, it was to bring salvation to the world (v. 17).

Those of us who repent, turn from our sins, and trust Jesus Christ for salvation are spared the condemnation of eternal separation from God. In fact, we now enjoy God’s presence and worship Him forever. We should continually give thanks to God for the work of Christ on the cross to save us from our sins and establish an eternal relationship with God. We should share this eternal hope of the gospel with those who know not Christ.

Those of us who have not repented of our sins and sought the forgiveness of Christ, we are condemned already. This condemnation has many forms, one of which is eternal separation from God. This passage should give any of us pause who have not trusted in Christ for salvation. God desires a relationship with us and Christ provides the only way to God.

As we meditate on this passage, let us give thanks to God for the salvation we have through Christ, for we as believers are no longer in a state of condemnation and instead have an eternal relationship with God.