2 Corinthians 10:5
…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Have you ever felt condemned because of a bad thought you have had? You could be in the middle of church when suddenly a dirty thought enters your mind. Actually, it is the devil who puts such thoughts in your mind. Then, he steps back and puts another thought into your head, saying, “How can you call yourself a Christian and still think such thoughts?”
If you feel that you have to confess every bad thought and seek God’s forgiveness, remember that is not what God’s Word exhorts us to do. You see, God wants us to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”. Now, whose obedience are we to focus on? We are to focus on Christ’s obedience and not our own obedience! So what is “the obedience of Christ”? It is His obedience at the cross, where “by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19) Jesus shed His blood for us on the cross. This means that when our thoughts condemn us, we are to focus our thoughts on Jesus’ obedience at the cross.
The devil can only make inroads into our minds when he gets us to focus on our obedience. His strategy is to point us to our obedience or the lack of it to determine our standing before God. But just as our position as sinners is not based on what we do, but what the first Adam did, in the same way, we are forever righteous today not because of what we do, but because of what Christ, the last Adam, did on the cross.
So the next time your thoughts seem to condemn you, say, “I am righteous whether I have good or bad thoughts. My righteousness has nothing to do with my obedience. Jesus’ obedience at the cross made me righteous.” Then, go ahead and pray, knowing that you have access to God and His favor, and that He hears the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)
