SCRIPTURE: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:” (Rom. 8:1-3 KJV)
QUOTE: “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” – Apostle Paul
NOTE:
What a folly to think that our good deeds may one day outweigh our bad deeds. First, it is not true. Even our good deeds are defective, because we don’t honor God in the way we do them. “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” Without Christ-exalting faith, our deeds will signify nothing but rebellion. Second, this is simply not the way God saves us. If we are saved from the consequences of our bad deeds, it will not be because they weighed less than our good deeds. There is no salvation by balancing records. There is only salvation by canceling records. The record of our bad deeds (including our defective good deeds), along with the just penalties that each deserves, must be blotted out–not balanced. This is what Christ suffered and died to accomplish (Colossians 2:13). He endured my damnation. He is my only hope. And faith in Him is my only way to God.
ILLUSTRATION:
Before salvation, we had no choice. We had to serve our sinful nature (‘the old man’), which is susceptible to all Satan’s lies and tricks. But now, because of Christ’s sacrifice, we have been freed from sin’s dominion. In other words, Christ’s death on the cross freed us to become the people our Creator designed us to be. God intends for us to be vessels of his love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, patience, and goodness (Galatians 5:22-23). He has ordained us to be ambassadors of his truth, justice, forgiveness, and hope.
REFLECTION:
- What is your definition of freedom?
- Does your freedom in Christ have limitations or restraints?
TWO YEAR BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 4:1 – 43, Psalm 100