“It was for freedom
that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject
again to a yoke of slavery.”- Galatians 5:1
Sin is such a hard word to handle. It feels so judgmental.
It feels so, cliché. We as a people really do not like hearing about the
concept of sin mainly because it hits to our core. You might even be tempted to
stop reading because sin is a tough topic, but please hear me out.
We all have a brokenness about us that we know doesn’t feel
right. We all have things we think that make us feel uncomfortable, yet we
continue to allow those actions or activities to have some sort of stronghold
in our lives.
Before we go any further, we need to define sin. Simply put,
sin is what separates us from our Creator. When we sin, we choose to pick our
own desires over the One who created us. We choose to ignore the concepts and
ideas that He put before us in order to do the things we want, even if we know
it is not cohesive with what we know God has designed us for.
This is the hardest part of who we are. We don’t like
hearing what is wrong with us. We don’t like knowing that our choices or
desires might not necessarily be right. In fact, not wanting to hear about sin
is why most people avoid going to church or even discussing faith with
Christians.
Those who have been damaged by the sin message must have had
people who, while talking to them about their brokenness, chose to ignore the
concept of grace. Grace came in and through Jesus so that we can be redeemed us
from the separation from our Creator. He came in order to give us freedom from
our flaws and guilt. He came so that sin wouldn’t reign supreme, but God would.
Sin came forth from a lie, but redemption was birthed through Truth.
Grace is receiving something we do not deserve. Grace is the
essence of life through Jesus. Grace tells us, “Yes, your sin has killed you,
but Christ’s death will bring you back to life!”- and that is power.
So, now that we got those definitions and concepts out of
the way, let’s address the freedom to sin through grace. This seems to be
something many people hold true to. They say, “I’m a sinner set free from
Christ, so I can sin because I am forgiven.” They willingly choose to live a
life filled with the very thing that Christ came to free them from.
Grace was not given in order to continue living a sinful
life. It was given in order for us to maneuver through a sinful life. It was
given so we may be able to focus on what God has in store and not the fact that
we can’t match up to what He desires.
He knows our limitations, but He chooses to love us anyway.
That does not mean we continue living in our own way. Christ
said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his
life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25; NASB). When we choose to keep
our own life going the way we want it, then we will lose it. If we choose to
lose what we desire in order to live for Jesus, then we gain life.
We can justify our sin very easily. We can say, “Well, thank
God for the cross, otherwise I couldn’t do ____”. That is a sad way to look at
the cross.
The cross was the way for life to be given to us, not a way
for us to continue living in what brings us death.
When Christ interacted with “sinners” in scripture they
changed. They reflected on who they were and understood there was something
more. Zacchaeus, the tax collector, said he would return what he stole. The woman caught in adultery was told to go
and sin no more. The woman at the well discovered a new way to live. There are
so many other biblical examples. Sinners are still sinful, but as they turn
their focus on Christ, their desire to sin becomes less.
This is not to say we should never sin again, but to know
that we cannot allow ourselves to continue without repentance or turning away
from that which causes us to lose focus on the cross.
We are made new through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
We are called to be different. When we die to ourselves we are different from
the world. We show that there is a better way to live.
Living for your self is not a Christian concept.
Living for who God wants you to be and has created you to be
is what a follower of Christ strives for.
This means we are free from the guilt
of sin, but not free to live in it.
May we acknowledge the sin in our lives. May we recognize
the freedom received through Christ. May we rest in that freedom, but may we
strive to live for Christ and not ourselves.
Peace and blessings friends.
QUESTION: What do you need to deny in your life in order to move forward with Christ?
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