Topical Encyclopedia
Condemnation, in the biblical context, refers to the act of declaring someone guilty and subject to punishment. It is a significant theme throughout Scripture, highlighting the consequences of sin and the need for divine justice. The concept of condemnation is intricately linked with God's holiness, human sinfulness, and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
Old Testament ContextIn the Old Testament, condemnation often arises from the violation of God's laws. The Mosaic Law provided a clear standard of righteousness, and failure to adhere to these commandments resulted in condemnation. For instance,
Deuteronomy 27:26 states, "Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice." This curse signifies the condemnation that comes from disobedience.
The prophets frequently warned Israel of impending condemnation due to their idolatry and injustice.
Isaiah 5:20 declares, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil," illustrating the moral inversion that leads to divine judgment. The Old Testament underscores that God's condemnation is just and stems from His righteous character.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the theme of condemnation is further developed, particularly in relation to the coming of Jesus Christ.
John 3:18 states, "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." This verse highlights the pivotal role of faith in Christ as the means of escaping condemnation.
The Apostle Paul expounds on this in
Romans 8:1 , "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." This profound statement assures believers that through Christ's atoning sacrifice, they are freed from the penalty of sin. Paul contrasts the condemnation brought by Adam's transgression with the justification available through Christ (
Romans 5:18-19).
The Role of the LawThe law serves to reveal sin and, consequently, condemnation.
Romans 3:20 explains, "Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin." The law acts as a mirror, reflecting humanity's inability to achieve righteousness on their own, thus underscoring the need for a Savior.
Judgment and Eternal CondemnationScripture also speaks of a final judgment where eternal condemnation is pronounced on those who reject God.
Revelation 20:15 warns, "And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." This eternal separation from God is the ultimate form of condemnation, reserved for those who persist in unbelief.
Deliverance from CondemnationThe gospel message is one of deliverance from condemnation through Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:34 assures believers, "Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us." Christ's intercession and His victory over death provide believers with the assurance of salvation and freedom from condemnation.
Practical Implications for BelieversFor Christians, understanding condemnation is crucial for appreciating the depth of God's grace. It fosters a sense of humility and gratitude, recognizing that salvation is a gift, not earned by human effort. Believers are called to live in the light of this truth, extending grace and forgiveness to others, as they have been forgiven.
In summary, condemnation in the Bible is a multifaceted concept that underscores the seriousness of sin, the justice of God, and the profound grace available through Jesus Christ. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of sin and the hope of redemption for those who place their faith in the Savior.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) The act of condemning or pronouncing to be wrong; censure; blame; disapprobation.
2. (n.) The act of judicially condemning, or adjudging guilty, unfit for use, or forfeited; the act of dooming to punishment or forfeiture.
3. (n.) The state of being condemned.
4. (n.) The ground or reason of condemning.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
CONDEMN; CONDEMNATIONkon-dem', kon-dem-na'-shun:
1. In the Old Testament:
(1) The causative stem of rasha` "to declare (or make) wrong," "to condemn," whether in civil, ethical or religious relations. Taken in this sense the word needs no comment (Exodus 22:9 Deuteronomy 25:1 Job 40:8); "Who then can condemn?" (Job 34:29, the King James Version "make trouble").
(2) `anash, "to fine." "Condemned the land" (2 Chronicles 36:3 the King James Version; the King James Version margin "mulcted"; the Revised Version (British and American) "amerced"; the American Standard Revised Version "fined"); "wine of the condemned" (Amos 2:8; the Revised Version (British and American) "fined" (unjustly)).
(3) The active participle of shaphaT, "to judge." "From those that condemn his soul" (Psalm 109:31 the King James Version; the Revised Version (British and American) "that judge his soul").
2. In the New Testament:
The New Testament usage is much more complicated, both because of the greater number of Greek words rendered "condemn" and "condemnation," and because the King James Version translates the same word in several different ways, apparently with no rule whatever.
(1) The most important word is krino, "to judge." From it are a number of derivative verbs and nouns. the Revised Version (British and American) has rigidly excluded the harsh words "damn" and "damnation," substituting "judge," "condemn," "judgment," "condemnation." This is proper, since the word damn (Latin, damnare, "to inflict loss" upon a person, "to condemn"), and its derivatives has, in process of time, suffered degradation, so that in modern English it usually refers to eternal punishment. This special application of the word for some centuries ran side by side with the original meaning, but even as late as Wycliffe's version the word "damn" is usually employed in the sense of condemn, as in Job 9:20, "My mouth shall dampne me." It is even applied to the condemnation of Jesus by the chief priests and scribes (Mark 10:33). This degeneration of the word is perhaps due, as Bishop Sanderson says, "not so much to good acts as to bad manners." Krino is rendered uniformly "judge" by the Revised Version (British and American), even where the context. compels the thought of condemnation (John 3:17, 18; John 12:47 Acts 7:7; "might be damned," 2 Thessalonians 2:12 the King James Version; Romans 14:22 James 5:9).
(2) The more specific sense of condemn, however, is found in katakrino, "to judge one down" (Matthew 12:41, 42 Mark 14:64): "is damned if he eat" (Romans 14:23 1 Corinthians 11:32 the King James Version; the Revised Version (British and American) "condemned"). See also Mark 16:16 2 Peter 2:6.
(3) For "condemnation" there is the noun krima, or krima (for accent see Thayer's Lexicon), in a forensic sense, "the sentence of the judge" (Luke 23:40 Matthew 23:14, omitted in the Revised Version (British and American); "condemnation of the devil" 1 Timothy 3:6; 1 Timothy 5:12 Jude 1:4).
(4) Much stronger is katakrima, "condemnation" (Romans 5:16, 18; Romans 8:1) with reference to the Divine judgment against sin.
(5) krisis, "the process of judgment," "tribunal" (John 3:19; John 5:24), with reference to "the judgment brought by men upon themselves because of their rejection of Christ."
(6) A stronger word is the adjective autokatakritos, "self-condemned" (Titus 3:11; compare 1 John 3:20, 21).
G. H. Trever
Greek
2633. katakrisis -- condemnation ... condemnation. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: katakrisis Phonetic
Spelling: (kat-ak'-ree-sis) Short Definition: the act of
condemnation ... //strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2633.htm - 6k1345. dikaioma -- an ordinance, a sentence of acquittal or ...
... an ordinance, a sentence of acquittal or condemnation, a righteous deed. Part of
Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: dikaioma Phonetic Spelling: (dik-ah'-yo ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1345.htm - 8k
2631. katakrima -- penalty
... Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: katakrima Phonetic Spelling: (kat-ak'-ree-
mah) Short Definition: punishment following condemnation Definition: punishment ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2631.htm - 7k
2917. krima -- a judgment
... kree'-mah) Short Definition: a judgment, verdict, lawsuit Definition: (a) a judgment,
a verdict; sometimes implying an adverse verdict, a condemnation, (b) a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2917.htm - 7k
2920. krisis -- a decision, judgment
... condemnation, damnation, judgment. Decision (subjectively or objectively,
for or against); by extension, a tribunal; by implication ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2920.htm - 7k
2613b. katadike -- sentence
... 2613a, 2613b. katadike. 2614 . sentence. Transliteration: katadike Short
Definition: condemnation. Word Origin from kata and dike ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2613b.htm - 5k
4098. pipto -- to fall
... Transliteration: pipto Phonetic Spelling: (pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall, fall
under Definition: I fall, fall under (as under condemnation), fall prostrate ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4098.htm - 8k
1347. dikaiosis -- the act of pronouncing righteous, acquittal
... justify") -- justification (divine approval), emphasizing Christ's full payment
of the debt for sin which liberates the believer from all divine condemnation. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1347.htm - 8k
3680. oneidismos -- a reproach
... to () . In the NT, 3680 ("reproach") suggests condemnation, ie which does
not "hold up" after the situation () . See 3679 (). [3681 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3680.htm - 7k
3781. opheiletes -- a debtor
... of life rather than it. Indeed, the blood of Jesus removes all the (condemnation)
of sin (Jn 19:30). Word Origin from opheilo Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3781.htm - 7k
Library
No Condemnation
... VOLUME I: PSALMS I to XLIX NO CONDEMNATION. 'None of them that trust in
Him shall be desolate.' "Psalm 34:22. These words are very ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/no condemnation.htm
The Condemnation which Condemns the Judges
... THE CONDEMNATION WHICH CONDEMNS THE JUDGES. 'And ... justice. II. Christ's majestic
witness to Himself received with a shriek of condemnation. ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture d/the condemnation which condemns the.htm
The Condemnation of "The Three Chapters. "
... VII."The Condemnation of "the Three Chapters.". A sketch of the life of
Theodoret might well be supposed to terminate with his death. ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/vii the condemnation of the three.htm
Of the Non-Condemnation of Accused Persons Without a Hearing Of
... the divine institutes Book V. Of Justice. Chap. I."Of the Non-Condemnation
of Accused Persons Without a Hearing of. Their Cause ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap i of the non-condemnation of.htm
Excursus on the Condemnation of Pope Honorius.
... Excursus on the Condemnation of Pope Honorius. ... 1. His condemnation is found
in the Acts in the xiii^th Session, near the beginning. ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/excursus on the condemnation of.htm
Condemnation of the Greek Legislation.
... Chapter XXVIII."Condemnation of the Greek Legislation. On this account
I reject your legislation also; for there ought to be one ...
/.../tatians address to the greeks/chapter xxviii condemnation of the greek.htm
Condemnation of the Ignorant.
... Homily X. Chapter XIII."Condemnation of the Ignorant. "But if judgment
follows upon disobedience to instruction, much more shall ...
/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter xiii condemnation of the ignorant.htm
The Condemnation Sent by the Holy and Ecumenical Synod to ...
... The Canons of the Blessed and Holy Fathers Assembled at Antioch in Syria. The
Condemnation Sent by the Holy and Ecumenical Synod to Dioscorus. ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/the condemnation sent by the.htm
"There is Therefore Now no Condemnation to them which are in ...
... DISCOVERY MADE OF THOSE GLORIOUS PRIVILEGES OFFERED UNTO THE PENITENT AND FAITHFUL
UNDER THE GOSPEL: UNFOLDING THEIR FREEDOM FROM DEATH, CONDEMNATION, AND THE ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon i there is therefore.htm
"There is Therefore Now no Condemnation to them which are in ...
... DISCOVERY MADE OF THOSE GLORIOUS PRIVILEGES OFFERED UNTO THE PENITENT AND FAITHFUL
UNDER THE GOSPEL: UNFOLDING THEIR FREEDOM FROM DEATH, CONDEMNATION, AND THE ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon ii there is therefore.htm
Thesaurus
Condemnation (30 Occurrences)... 3. (n.) The state of being condemned. 4. (n.) The ground or reason of condemning.
Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CONDEMN;
CONDEMNATION.
.../c/condemnation.htm - 20kDamnation (11 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary In Romans 13:2, means "condemnation," which comes
on those who withstand God's ordinance of magistracy. ...
/d/damnation.htm - 18k
Damnable (1 Occurrence)
... means (a) judgment in general like krino, and is so used about 17 times, besides
14 times in the phrase "day of judgment"; (b) "condemnation," like katakrino ...
/d/damnable.htm - 14k
Damn
... means (a) judgment in general like krino, and is so used about 17 times, besides
14 times in the phrase "day of judgment"; (b) "condemnation," like katakrino ...
/d/damn.htm - 13k
Condemn (43 Occurrences)
... 6. (vt) To doom to be taken for public use, under the right of eminent domain.
Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CONDEMN; CONDEMNATION. ...
/c/condemn.htm - 24k
Judging (141 Occurrences)
... Psalm 36:6). Man's consciousness of guilt inevitably associates God's judgments
as declarations of the Divine justice, with his own condemnation, ie he knows ...
/j/judging.htm - 39k
Widows (33 Occurrences)
... Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (WEB). ... These will receive greater
condemnation." (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/w/widows.htm - 17k
Result (73 Occurrences)
... us do evil that good may come"? The condemnation of those who would so
argue is just. (See NIV). Romans 3:28 For we maintain that ...
/r/result.htm - 27k
Devour (118 Occurrences)
... Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (WEB). ... These will receive greater
condemnation." (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/d/devour.htm - 37k
Pretense (9 Occurrences)
... prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (WEB). ... prayers.
These will receive greater condemnation." (WEB WBS YLT RSV). ...
/p/pretense.htm - 9k
Resources
What does it mean that there is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1)? | GotQuestions.orgHow can an elder come under the same condemnation as the devil (1 Timothy 3:6)? | GotQuestions.orgWhy does the Bible contain so much condemnation? | GotQuestions.orgCondemnation: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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