OUR FREEDOM

By Jay Pearson

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God,
ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
(Romans 6:22)

 

Our freedom was purchased at a cost far beyond our full comprehension. Only as we search the scriptures and walk in the direction of our Lord can we begin to grasp the sacrifice made for our redemption, our release from the bondage of sin.

John 8:31–32:
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We are not freed from sin to go on a rampage of new sins. We are freed from sin to serve our Lord Jesus Christ who purchased us, and to him we belong.

Romans 6:6:
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

1 Corinthians 7:23:
Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

John 12:26:
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Our freedom is so wonderful, yet I believe we fail to personalize it in our souls. Our freedom is easily lost in the old thoughts and focus of an old-man nature, a nature that is dead. That old-man nature is the way it was, not the way it is.

Romans 6:11:
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the song "I’ll Fly Away" there is a lyric line: "Like a bird from prison bars has flown, I’ll fly away." Picture that bird joyously, thankfully flapping its wings as fast as it can to get far away as quickly as possible from that imprisonment. Wow! We should be so joyous for our freedom that we never fly back into that cage.

Romans 6:4:
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

How did this redemption, this purchase, this identification happen? Every temptation, every stripe, every insult, every nail, the piercing of his side, and the pouring out of his blood were for you and me and those that will come. Sin was defeated in our lives that we might be free to serve our Lord and our God. Yes, we still sin, but sin is defeated. It has been fully paid for. With three words your sin and mine is paid for in full: "It is finished."

John 19:30:
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Each of us must deal with our daily sin problem. It is necessary to face our sin and seek the Lord’s help in ongoing struggles. There is only room for one king in our lives and that King is Jesus Christ. We can’t allow sin to reign in our lives.

Hebrews 12:1–2:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let’s lift up our eyes looking unto him and walk in the newness of life. Like the bird that from prison bars has flown, let us joyously flap our spiritual wings to his glory and reflect the Christ in us and in every work that God has worked in us to his glory.

Philippians 2:13–16:
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Let’s not continue to be burdened down with the way it was by focusing on our imperfections. Let’s focus on the Lord’s work in us. Let’s deal with our sin appropriately. I believe this next verse is one of the most critical in the Scriptures for the Christian’s well-being. Without this truth the Christian is immobilized and defeated in his or her daily function and breath-life here on earth.

1 John 1:9:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The way to deal with our sins appropriately is to confess them and receive his forgiveness and cleansing. Let’s be thankful and let the Lord be reflected in our smile, our confidence in him, and our daily tasks. We are free to serve and to enjoy this gracious life God has given us. It’s a life more than abundant, not materially, but in length and beauty. It is eternal. What life could be more abundant than eternity? Let’s not reflect our tarnished flesh. Let’s reflect Christ in us and shine as lights to the world.

We can say we are running a race, but we aren’t until we actually run. We can say we are fishing, but we aren’t until we actually fish. We can say we are serving the Lord, but we aren’t until we actually serve him.

James 1:22:
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

We our free to do God’s will. Our freedom has been purchased by a cost incomparable to any and established by the Creator’s hand. It’s a done deal. Let’s walk in this wonderful freedom bringing glory to God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Our old nature bound in sin is the way it was. Our freedom to serve the Lord is the way it is.

 

 

---

From the August 2010 issue of The Vine & Branches