Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form.

24: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Powerlessness and Fear

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Fear and a sense of powerlessness are two lie-based strongholds that plague many people. The fear-power salvation paradigm is one with which many people can identify, especially Muslims.

People who live in cultures which practice animism and other forms of spirit worship need to know that followers of Jesus receive authority from Christ and power from the Holy Spirit to overcome the fear associated with being powerless against evil spirits.

Witch doctors and other shamans try to hold people in bondage through the fear of spiritual reprisal should anyone break from the established or traditional order of things to follow Jesus. Jesus sets us free.

Those who experienced sexual and other forms of abuse during early childhood may still be haunted by a nagging sense of powerlessness when around their former tormentors or if they are put into a situation that reminds them of the abuse. Even though they now may be quite capable of defending themselves, they may “feel” quite inadequate still because of the embedded lie that they cannot. Jesus can liberate us from this type of bondage!

Before Jesus defeated Satan’s power through His death and resurrection, we all lived under his evil tyranny.

Satan gained authority over humans by duping Adam into sinning and transferring his God-given authority to him. Although God is the Sovereign over all creation, Satan gained a temporary and limited authority to wreak havoc upon mankind until the coming of the Messiah.

His kingdom of darkness cast its dreary shadow over the entire world. Only Israel, God’s chosen nation, offered any glimmer of hope, as they clung to God’s promise of a coming Messiah who would defeat this oppressor.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

When Jesus walked this earth in public ministry, he used his innate authority over the enemy as God’s only begotten Son to liberate oppressed people.

Jesus lived in obedience to his Father and did what He told Him to do. He never swerved from obedience and never relinquished his status as God’s Son, unlike Adam.

And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT)

The power that enforced the authority of Jesus’ words came directly from God’s Holy Spirit.

God’s plan was to equip Jesus’ disciples with the same authority and Spirit of God so that they might be proper ambassadors for God’s Kingdom, too.

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Luke 10:17-19 (NASB)

This power and authority was shared with His disciples who ministered in His name while Jesus remained physically here on earth. The real victory was won, however, when Jesus died on the cross and subsequently rose again.

At Calvary, Satan was stripped of his authority that he had usurped from Adam. All authority in heaven and earth was vested in the Son of God who became the Second Adam, the progenitor of a new creation, via His resurrection.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NIV) 

 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18 (NASB)

When a person is born again into the family of God, he or she receives a permanent transfer from the realm of Satan into Christ’s benevolent Kingdom.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14 (NASB)

To be delivered from fear and powerlessness, the first thing a person must know, believe, and confess is that Jesus has released us from the kingdom and power of Satan.

The devil has no “right” or authority to rule our lives any longer. Satan, however, is a liar and an accomplished bluffer. He will do everything he can to convince us that we are not free at all. This is why we must “stand” on God’s truth, regardless of how we feel about it or what we may experience. Jesus is Lord over Satan and all demonic forces, and we are under his protection.

In addition, all believers receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of “power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Jesus also wants every follower of His to receive what He calls the “baptism in the Holy Spirit.”

This is another experience with God’s Spirit by which we become “immersed,” so to speak, in the Spirit of God. It can be compared to standing under a waterfall, which would effectively submerge us under the “outpouring.” God wants us to operate in the same anointing that Jesus had when he walked this earth.

We, too, are to become liberators of those who are oppressed by Satan.

This is a great privilege and an opportunity to reverse things against our former tormentor by devastating his kingdom of darkness through the preaching of the gospel, using the authority of Christ, and operating in the gifts of the Spirit.

But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NLT)

When we are filled with God’s Spirit, we have the authority of Christ which overcomes the power of the enemy and  the power of the Holy Spirit within us to enforce Christ’s authority.

We thus become dynamic liberators in Christ’s name. This power, however, resides in imperfect “vessels.” God, in His wisdom, chooses to let His power be perfected in our weakness.

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB)

Christians live in the tension of power combined with weakness so that we might learn to always rely on Christ and never on ourselves.

This is very perplexing to some who find it to be difficult to accept by faith that they have authority and power in Christ despite their human weakness. Instead of focusing on Christ’s power and authority, they only see their own weakness. This is made worse in some cases by past experiences of powerlessness when God seemed to be nowhere around. For these people, believing that God has delivered them from powerlessness seems like just so many empty words. What can help these people experience Christ’s victory?

I believe the key is for us to trust in the loving sovereignty of God. Romans 8:28 tells us that God is working all things together for good in our lives. This means that even the things that seem to be “bad” are being turned around to work “good” for us. When Jesus was crucified, it seemed as if the kingdom of darkness had won the day. Nevertheless, God sovereignly ruled over everything, even at the cross, so that Christ’s apparent defeat in death resulted in a resounding triumph via the resurrection.

To experience Christ’s victory, we must make the decision to view life through the lens of Romans 8:28.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NASB)

If we choose to trust and even praise God during our most difficult and confusing times, we become overcomers. Praising and acknowledging God during difficulties and perplexities takes faith and elevates us above our current situation so that we can see things more clearly from God’s perspective.

If we experienced something awful in our past or even now in our present, it is vital that we take that part of our personal history and acknowledge that God is sovereign over it and is in the process of making it work out for our good and His glory. As Joseph did so long ago, we can proclaim with assurance, that although what was done to us may have been meant for evil, God will make it result in our salvation.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

When we gain the confidence that God is our Keeper and nothing can slip by Him, we have a secret to overcoming fear and any sense of hopelessness or powerlessness.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Besides having a sense of powerlessness, what are some other reasons people suffer from chronic fear?
  • What have you discovered is essential to experiencing deliverance from fear?
  • Have you ever used Romans 8:28 as a basis for acknowledging and praising God amid even the worst things that have befallen you, knowing that he is working everything out for our good somehow? What was the result?
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23: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Defilement

[Jesus Christ] who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:14 (NASB)

Now we will look at another salvation paradigm – clean versus unclean. The Jewish ceremonial law made a clear distinction between that which was holy or set apart and fit for God’s service and that which was not. Animals, people, and objects could be clean or unclean. Unclean people and objects could become clean through ritual washings and other prescribed acts. Some of the things that could make a person unclean are listed below.

  • Touching something that is unclean – Lev. 5:2
  • Menstruation (issue of blood) – Lev. 12:2
  • Leprosy (skin disease) – Lev. 13:3
  • Bodily Discharges – Lev. 15:2
  • Eating an unclean animal – Lev. 20:25
  • Sexual activity – Lev. 15:18
  • Sin – Ezra 9:11
  • Demonization – Luke 9:42

The unclean person or thing had to be isolated to prevent the contamination of those who were ritually pure.

In this way, you will keep the people of Israel separate from things that will defile them, so they will not die as a result of defiling my Tabernacle that is right there among them. Leviticus 15:31 (NLT)

If a person was in a state of being unclean, he or she was not fit to serve the Lord. This was one reason the priest refused to help the injured man in the parable of the good Samaritan. He would have contaminated and disqualified himself from priestly service.

Say to them, 'If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the LORD. 4 'No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean... Leviticus 22:3-4 (NASB)

In light of this, it is understandable why the woman with a bloody discharge was terrified when she was asked if she had touched Jesus’ garment. Under the Law, her action would have defiled Jesus. And consider that Jesus was and is God’s tabernacle, where God dwelled in all fullness. She would have been worthy of death for touching the tabernacle! But what actually happened?

But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." Mark 5:33-34 (NASB)

This account reveals that Jesus has the power to deliver us from uncleanness. Instead of being defiled by being touched by this unclean woman, Jesus healed and restored her to ritual purity.

Jesus also taught us that uncleanness does not come from what we touch or eat but from what is within us.

And He said* to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." Mark 7:18-23 (NASB)

The Old Covenant type of ritual defilement pointed to the much larger issue of internal defilement through sin. Sin is what separates us from God.

Going much deeper than individual sins, our “sin nature,” which is sometimes called the “old man” or the “flesh,” is the internal inherited cesspool of corruption that generates our lawless behavior.

Every human being is born into this world in a state of uncleanness because of original sin.

For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. Psalms 51:5 (NLT)

Jesus redeemed us from this internal defilement by taking our defilement into himself when he hung upon the cross.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

Thus we see the divine exchange. Christ took our defilement, and we received His cleanness.

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NASB)

Sanctification is a state of holiness or being set apart to God, the opposite of defilement.

It is essential that we accept by faith what Christ has done for us. Our holiness does not depend on our own performance, nor can it be accurately discerned by how we feel.

A person, who has been made to feel “dirty,” “tainted,” or otherwise defiled must bring that to the cross and leave it there. In addition, such a person must retrain the mind and conscience to accept our God-given state of holiness in the Lord.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:13-14 (NASB)

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • How would you minister to a victim of sexual abuse who still feels “dirty” because of what was done to him or her?
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The Spiritual Roots of Abortion, Homosexuality, and Transgenderism

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual authority derives from God alone, who created all things and consequently has every right to do with his creation as he sees fit. In his wisdom, our Creator delegated some of his authority to Adam, when he commissioned him to govern the earth.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28  Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it...” Genesis 1:27-28 (NLT)

Adam was responsible to use this God-given authority for good, just as his Creator does. Satan, who has no inherent authority, since he is also a created being, desired to have the authority delegated to Adam in order to use it destructively. Satan is a hater and loathed the humans God had created. Perhaps he had an inkling that they were destined to share God’s throne one day, something Satan tried to snatch for himself.

God gave Adam the choice to love and work in harmony with him or not. He put both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. He was free to eat the former but forbidden to eat the latter. The tree of life would impart eternal life; but the other one, death. Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to go their own way, swallowing the serpent’s lie that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make them like God, allowing them to be independent from him.

The essence of sin is found in this lust to be independent from God.

By submitting to Satan instead of God, they relinquished the delegated authority God had vested in them and turned it over to Satan, thereby becoming his slaves.

Satan uses usurped authority in a completely different way from God. Whereas the Creator imparts life and blessings, the devil only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10)

Once Satan acquired authority over mankind, he set about to destroy us. Since he cannot possibly harm God, he attacks men, women, and especially children, the most defenseless and guileless. He is working to deform and pervert us through sin and deception in order to eliminate as many people as possible from earth and heaven. Essentially, he is working to nullify God’s very first commandment, which is to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.

Those who actively serve Satan today are doing everything possible to keep people from bearing children and raising them to glorify God. Instead he is trying to kill, pervert, and recruit children into his service.

Never before have we seen such things.

Satan can employ his stolen authority and power over us when we surrender to his lies and temptations.

He must continually convince us to chose him and his ways over God and the good news of the gospel – lies over truth and death over life. A case in point is the abortion issue.

Child sacrifice was long ago enshrined in the worship of Chemosh and Molech in the Old Testament. We know from Scripture that such gods or idols represent demonic beings hiding behind the facade. (1 Corinthians 10:19-21) These evil beings have not gone away. All demons serve Satan, including those connected to Chemosh and Molech. They demand the blood of infants. People then willingly sacrificed their children in order to gain some sort of occult spiritual advantage. There is one particularly intriguing passage at which we should look.

When the king of Moab saw that he was losing the battle, he led 700 of his swordsmen in a desperate attempt to break through the enemy lines near the king of Edom, but they failed. 27  Then the king of Moab took his oldest son, who would have been the next king, and sacrificed him as a burnt offering on the wall. So there was great anger against Israel, and the Israelites withdrew and returned to their own land. 2 Kings 3:26-27 (NLT)

In this instance, evil power was released against Israel when the king of Moab sacrificed his eldest son to the devil. This man willingly killed the heir to his throne to enlist Satan’s power to defeat God’s people, which apparently was granted. This was an extreme case which we may consider barbaric, but was it any less gruesome and horrific than modern day mothers choosing to execute over 60 million of their own unborn babies in the United States alone since 1973? The king of Moab wanted victory over his enemies. What do modern Americans want? Most of the time mothers kill their unborn babies to avoid embarrassment, inconvenience, career interruptions, or economic hardship. Most of these women probably have been deceived, as was Eve, into thinking that these babies are not really human beings at all, just blobs of tissue. They do not understand that God says he knows us before the creation of the world and personally forms us in the womb. (Jeremiah 1:5) Those unborn infants may be just tissue to these mothers, but to God they are beloved children. Some have declared that they rejoice in their abortions, but many others rue having aborted their child or children. Thankfully, God offers forgiveness, if we turn to him with a repentant heart.

Not only does Satan kill and destroy, he also steals. One way he accomplishes this is through homosexuality and transgenderism. If we accept the premise that God created us to bring glory to himself and joy and fulfillment to us, how could we ever believe that he would create humans who somehow were mis-sexed or mis-gendered? It is not surprising that atheists might come to such a conclusion, since they believe humans are an imperfect accident of evolution. If we came to be purely by random chance, how can we have any confidence at all that we are what we are supposed to be? In fact, how can we have any confidence in anything? But if God created us, as the Bible records, and what he created was “good,” then we have been made perfectly in line with his benevolent will and purpose.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16  You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Psalm 139:13-18 (NLT)

It is obvious to any thoughtful person that our reproductive organs were given to us to bring new humans into the world. In the process they also bring pleasure, joy, and fulfillment to us, a wonderful blessing from a gracious Creator. Their chief purpose is the multiplication of humanity, as commanded in Genesis.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28  Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Genesis 1:27-28 (NLT)

It is obvious that abortion is a blatant attempt to circumvent this commandment. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is a more roundabout way to defeat God’s purposes. Sin has caused a great amount of trauma, damage, and perversion of God’s creation and purpose. As a result of Adam’s first sin, because of the nature of inheritance, we are born into this world with a predisposition to sin called the “flesh” or sin nature in the Bible. Some of us are bent toward anger, fear, alcoholism, etc.

All of us are skewed sexually by sin, some more than others. It’s all part of Satan’s evil scheme to pervert what God made beautiful.

To take the “easy” way out by claiming that God deliberately created some of us with a desire for others of the same sex makes him appear to be unjust and slanders his integrity. Sin has done this, and the lie is being propagated that this is normal and a good thing. People are enormously susceptible to lies, especially when they allow us to do what we wish. These lies are designed to convince us to give ourselves over to sin instead of resisting it with God’s help. The warning issued to Cain still stands.

You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:7 (NLT)

We all must engage in resisting whatever sin easily besets us. We all have some areas which are more troubling to us than others. In the case of homosexuality, using basic logic, God would not create people in a way that sets them up to violate his first commandment to be fruitful and multiply. This is a ploy of the devil, which seems to be gaining momentum, which must be renounced and overcome with God’s help, just like any other sinful propensity. I am not making light of this. Sin is a human condition. Overcoming it cost Jesus his life, and it will cost us as well, but with God’s help we can be victorious.

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14  Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:12-14 (NLT)

The claim that God puts the souls of men into women’s bodies and vice versa also takes a swipe at God’s benevolence and wisdom. God would not do that, but the devil seeks to convince us that this is the case. Pagan religions have long promoted transgenderism. We know that the demons behind these false gods report to the devil. Ashtoreth, an ancient female deity whose worship and cult goes back thousands of years, claimed to have the power to transform men into women. Her followers engaged in all sorts of sexual perversion. The devil seeks to take God’s benign and beautiful purpose for sex in marriage and mutilate it into something ugly and defiling, just as he promotes the mutilation of sexual organs in the quest for abandoning how God made us to become something else.

When we rebelliously or naively abandon God and the purpose for which he created us, we open the floodgates of evil and confusion.

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25  They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26  That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27  And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Romans 1:24-27 (NLT)

That being said, there is hope. God cannot be defeated, and his plan for the people he created will yet come to pass. That is why he sent his Son, Jesus the Messiah, to wrest delegated authority back from Satan into the hands of man once again. The Book of Revelation gloriously announces this turn of events.

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16  The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17  And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. Revelation 11:15-17 (NLT)

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. (Matthew 28:18) Jesus shares this authority with his born-again people in the church. Consequently Satan no longer has authority in our lives, and his influence in the rest of the earth will soon be terminated.

When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” 18  “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19  Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20  But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20 (NLT)

Let us remember that our ultimate battle is a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12) between the kingdom of God and the realm of darkness and evil ruled by Satan.

We understand that even though Christ dealt a death blow to Satan and his kingdom when he rose from the dead, God in his wisdom has permitted us, his people, to be part of the “clean up operation” here on planet earth. It is our Lord’s intention that we his people will have the privilege of crushing Satan under our feet (Romans 16:20), just as he used Moses to crush Pharaoh.

All will be over when Jesus appears in the clouds with great glory, just as he promised. Until then, we are living through an intense contest between two opposing kingdoms for the hearts and minds of people. Each kingdom is enlisting the consent of people to be governed by their respective kings. 

God’s kingdom is enlarged as more and more people declare allegiance to the true King, Jesus the Messiah.

The gospel is a proclamation that God will forgive the rebelliousness of those who repent for serving self and Satan. He will transfer them into his glorious kingdom, if they will accept his offer to be reconciled to God through Christ.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12  always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13  For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14  who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.Colossians 1:11-14 (NLT)

The acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord, therefore, is the goal of the gospel and the undoing of our alliance with Satan.

As more and more people consent to be governed by the Lord Jesus, Satan’s power and authority on earth is further weakened. Therefore, the proclamation of the gospel is our greatest spiritual weapon. The door is still open for people to change sides and come back to God. Which side are you on? Time is running short. When Jesus appears in the clouds as he promised, the time for deciding will be over. Choose life and God now, before it is too late.

Prayer

O God, forgive me for allying myself with Satan. I did not understand what I was doing, but now I see. I choose to surrender my life to the Lord Jesus. I receive forgiveness for my sins, eternal life, and reconciliation to you, Father God. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit to live in and through me. Use me to help others escape from the kingdom of darkness. Amen.

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22: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Shame

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalms 34:5 (NLT)

Shame can be either a painful negative emotion for having done something specific that was wrong or foolish, or it can be a general pervasive negative emotional state resulting from a chronic sense of self-reproach or sense of failure. The latter may originate in childhood and is more difficult to alleviate.

Some of our shame is well-deserved. If we sin against God and others, shame can be the consequence. It certainly was for Adam and Eve.

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7  At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Genesis 3:6-7 (NLT)

Sin reveals the unseemly side of us that most of us wish to conceal, as did Adam and Eve.

We usually try to hide if we are threatened with our shame being exposed.

This can make relating to others a big challenge, since they/we often go to great lengths to cover up any areas for which we might feel ashamed. We fear that, if we are truly known, we may be despised and rejected, which is sometimes the case, as it turns out. As a result, sometimes we grow to like or love someone based on the façade presented to us, rather than the real person. This can be unnerving to the person who is hiding because of the fear of one day being exposed. It is also a problem for all of us because we wonder if we truly know the one we love. This kind of hiding can involve big issues or small.

Eventually who we really are will surface, however, and that is when relationships get tested.

This process can end in disillusionment which allows us to get rid of our illusions about the other person and face the truth. This is often a necessary step in building a great relationship or marriage.

Deep friendships and great marriages can develop when people take down the façade and continue to love one another despite knowing the other person’s weaknesses and sin.

Conversely, friendships and marriages can rip apart if the deception and resulting disillusionment are too great. This can also happen in a church.

Often we cannot truly know a person until after we have had a disagreement with them or go through a crisis together. How we weather those storms can more perfectly reveal the nature and depth of our relationship. One of my mentors once told me that he never truly trusted a person until after he had a fight with him. Whenever a new person or family joins our church, I am usually excited to get to know them. My hope is that they will prove to be good friends and valuable assets to the kingdom. In the back of my mind, however, is the realization that one day they may turn out to be just the opposite.

Disappointment and disillusionment are risks we take when we dare to love people.

There are countless numbers of believers who are drifting with no church home because at some point they were hurt and disillusioned by members of some local church. What makes this particularly sad is not so much that offenses and disappointments take place in the church. Rather, it is because people do not realize that this is to be expected in any group of humans, even the church. Believers must be prepared to encounter and work through these things. If we are going to survive and thrive in a very sinful world, we must come to terms with the fact that people are not always who they pretend to be.

One person who is incapable of being disillusioned is God.

God knows us completely and anticipates our every thought, word, and action. Nothing we ever do surprises him. King David knew and wrote about this truth.

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2  You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3  You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. 5  You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)

God’s omniscience makes it even more remarkable and encouraging that he chooses people to belong to him even before they are born.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:3-5 (NLT)

Adoption is never by accident. It is an intentional act of love. Every child, whether biological or adopted, is a treasure. Parents may have some idea of who their biological children are, but the full revelation comes over time. Adoptive parents have less idea of who their children may be because they usually have no idea what family traits may have been passed down. But God knows everything about all of us. He will never step back in disgust or disappointment after we make a huge misstep or sin, thinking that he made a mistake in choosing you or me.

God knew ahead of time all we would ever think, say, or do, and still chose to love us. This is a big antidote to shame.

Abandonment and rejection are at the root of much shame. These two things signify that the other person is of little value. Sometimes the reason for the abandonment or rejection is understood; sometimes, not. In the latter case, the affected person is left to imagine the reason. Little children are quick to assume blame, thinking that there must be something wrong with them. This can lead to the development of a pervasive since of shame mentioned in my opening definition.

Sometimes shame can be associated with sinful things we have done or were done to us. People who commit sexual abuse, for example, should feel shame for their actions; that is, until they experience the forgiveness and cleansing provided by our Lord Jesus. Children who are preyed upon by abusers also experience a sense of shame in many cases, even though the abuse was not their fault. Unfortunately, many predators tell their young victims that it was their fault, establishing a “lie-based stronghold” in that young one’s mind. This sort of lie must be replaced with the truth in order for shame to be eradicated.

Whether our shame was earned through our own sinfulness or improperly thrust upon us by some predator, Jesus has done everything necessary to set us free.

When Jesus hung naked upon the cross, enduring scorn, rejection, abandonment, injustice, and disgrace, he took that shame on our behalf, along with the shame attached to our sin. Just as He carried our sin and guilt to the cross, He also bore our shame there.

...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)

Because He carried our shame, we do not have to bear it.

Here are some promises.

"Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, 5 for your Creator will be your husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth. 6 For the LORD has called you back from your grief—as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband," says your God. 7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back. 8 In a moment of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. Isaiah 54:4-8 (NLT)

But the LORD will save the people of Israel with eternal salvation. They will never again be humiliated and disgraced throughout everlasting ages. Isaiah 45:17 (NLT) 

Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 1 Peter 2:6 (NKJV)

But that is now. Did Jesus ever liberate anyone from shame during his three-year itinerant ministry? The answer is “Yes!” He set free the demoniac, who endured the shame and disgrace attached to his condition. He was forced to live alone in the tombs away from society. Jesus healed lepers who had to isolate themselves and cry out “unclean” whenever they moved about. Jesus allowed the adulteress in John Chapter 8 to walk away forgiven and with dignity after rescuing her from those who would have stoned her to death for her publicly exposed sin. He forgave and restored Peter, who shamed himself and his Lord by denying him publicly three times. When Jesus walked the earth he delivered people from shame and continues to do this today.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

Therefore, we who follow Christ can know that our shame was carried away by Our Lord Jesus Christ and we no longer must bear it. Jesus came to liberate his followers from shame. To believe and live out anything less is unbelief. We can throw off any oppressive weight of shame by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross.

Now we have the privilege of honoring the One who was shamed for our sake.

We can make it our aim to honor and glorify God by putting our full trust in him and his promises and by boldly declaring the Gospel and name of Christ without fear of any shame the world may attempt to thrust upon us. If we are proud of our Lord, he will return the favor at the Last Judgment.

Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33  But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 (NLT)

Let’s trust the Lord to help us to be bold witnesses for Christ. Whenever we may fall short, let’s quickly repent and receive forgiveness and cleansing from our sin and shame and have another go at it.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

 

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • For you, has disillusionment ever been a necessary step in growing deeper in a relationship?
  • How important is shame in determining how a person relates to God and other people?
  • If you were ministering to someone riddled with shame, how would you counsel them?
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21: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Death

Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)

The gift of eternal life means that in an ultimate and fundamental sense the power of death has been defeated.

Jesus told Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. 26 They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?” John 11:25-26 (NLT)

Jesus did not deliver us from experiencing a physical death, but He did liberate us from the second death, the one that lasts forever.

And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15 (NLT)

If we are born once, we die twice. If we are born twice, we die once.

That means that those who are born again by the Spirit through faith in Christ will never experience the second death. Those who are not born again will.

Fear of eternal separation from God after being found wanting at the judgment seat of Christ is what is behind the fear of death in many people.

By delivering us from the threat of eternal condemnation, Jesus also set us free from the bondage produced by the fear of death.

I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 25 "And I assure you that the time is coming, in fact it is here, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted his Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge all mankind because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to judgment. John 5:24-29 (NLT)

After assuring his disciples that they would never be condemned, Jesus spoke of the coming judgment and resurrection from the dead. It is vital that we see the connection even as Jesus did.

Confidence at the judgment seat of Christ depends upon our conviction that we have been set free from the threat of the second death.

And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us. 1 John 4:17-18 (NLT)

For believers, physical death will be an instant transition into God’s manifest presence where we will experience the extreme joy of being with God and the extended family of born-again believers.

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (NLT)

Once again we are encouraged to be confident when we stand complete in the righteousness of Christ before God at the judgment. We have nothing to fear. For believers, judgment will not determine heaven or hell. That has already been decided in Christ, since he took our condemnation and judgment upon himself.

For us who trust in and follow Christ, the judgment will be a place where God will reward our works of faith and love done in cooperation with God’s Holy Spirit.

It is extremely important that we do not allow Satan to rob us of our freedom from the fear of death by implanting his lie that God will ultimately reject us. We are accepted in the beloved, the eternal Son, Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we live. Death has been defeated through His resurrection!

For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. 54 When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die—then at last the Scriptures will come true: "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:53-55 (NLT)
Click here to see the other articles in this series.
 
Questions for Further Study and Discussion 
  • What is the only thing that can prevent our being cast into the lake of fire?
  • What are some of the reasons a person might fear death?
  • How does Christ set us free from these fears?
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20: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Dead Traditions of Men

And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God. Matthew 15:6 (NLT)

This verse records Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees for allowing men to donate money or land to the synagogue that otherwise would have been used to support their aged parents, thus relieving them of their duty to provide for them. God is not impressed when we dodge a clear command to honor our parents under the pretext of being generous in a religious way. I remember counseling a young man who ducked into a denominational church wearing a hat. His hair was a mess, and he was embarrassed to remove his hat. The gate keeper of the church asked him to leave if he would not remove his hat. That young man was seeking after God, but the roadblock of a religious tradition barred the door. Sure, if he had been more mature, he would have swallowed his pride and uncovered his head. However, he was not that mature, and neither was the gate keeper. It ended poorly because tradition triumphed over mercy and love. When I spoke to this young man, another stumbling block had been erected in his life. Hopefully he forgave that man and moved on. Sometimes traditions of men keep us locked in bondage.

Nowhere is the deviousness of the human intellect so clearly seen as in our religious traditions that we think are expressions of devotion to God, but which defeat the clear intent of His Word.

Every group has traditions, even those who profess to be free from such things. Non-tradition can easily become a defining tradition. When Luther distanced himself from the Roman Catholic Church, he was careful to try to retain everything that he deemed was not a contradiction to Scripture. Others were more iconoclastic and rooted out anything they considered was not clearly found in the Bible. Hence, Lutherans have a more formal liturgical type of worship service somewhat reminiscent of Catholic tradition, while some more radical groups did such things as banning musical instruments from worship services, since the New Testament nowhere mentions them. The question we must ask ourselves is: “Which philosophy is correct, retention or iconoclasm?”

To answer this question requires that we step back and examine our presuppositions. The Protestant Reformation protested flagrant abuses and errors found in the Catholic Church at that time. Luther found much good in the church but could not abide certain things. Thus, he posted his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg to launch a religious and political upheaval. He was careful to not “throw out the baby with the bath water”, so to speak. Others did not have his love and appreciation for the Roman church. They hated it and found it rotten to the core. Their version of the Reformation was much more an overthrow of the entire system. Centuries later, it is interesting that the church polity and style we follow more resembles the radical reformers than the Lutherans.

The Catholic Church adopted a theology that gives as much weight to church tradition, including ex cathedra pronouncements by the Pope, as it gives to the Holy Scripture. Evangelical Protestant tradition insists on sola scriptura, meaning the Bible is our only infallible source for doctrine and practice. As children of the Reformation, sola scriptura is an established doctrine. Things break down a little right off the bat, however, because not everyone interprets the Bible the same way. Different Protestant groups have established their own church traditions based on their interpretations of the Bible. Hence, some groups rally around what is called “Reformed” doctrine, based on John Calvin’s teachings. One group may make its stand on the proper mode of water baptism, which divided the Baptists and Methodists during the great early camp revivals in our nation. Other groups believe resolutely in the present-day baptism in the Holy Spirit and the operation of the spiritual gifts, while still other groups declare that these things are no longer in operation and are “of the devil”. Depending on the group to which you belong, you will think the other group has man-made religious traditions that nullify God’s Word. Christians have been fighting each other for centuries over doctrinal disputes. What is a person to do?

Some people get confused and rattled by all this wrangling. They wonder how anyone can determine what is right, or if there is a “right” side to the argument.

Jesus came to set us free from men’s traditions that conflict with the Word of God.

The core of God’s Word can be summed up in two commandments – love God and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40)

God has given us unity with our spiritual brothers and sisters based on our being children of the same Father, servants of the same Lord, and indwelled by the same Holy Spirit. Whether or not our doctrine is perfect does not affect any of these core unities.

Even if we dispute the meaning of certain scriptures, we are to maintain a unity of heart and Spirit.

Some doctrinal differences are so great, however, that they must be resisted vigorously.

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4  I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3-4 (NLT)

Deciding what doctrines are pernicious is the responsibility of church leaders who are guardians of the truth.

Anything that detracts from God’s glory, Jesus’ lordship, or the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives, leads us to disobey God’s clear commands, or promotes immorality cannot be from God and must be heartily resisted because of their destructiveness.

The truths enunciated in the early church creeds are a good starting point for identifying what is essential.

However, if we allow a non-essential doctrinal tradition to separate us from our brethren, it is wrong. Honest God-fearing Christians see things quite differently.

If we hold to our own interpretations and traditions with a high regard and show respect for those held by others, and we refuse to allow our hearts to be divided from other groups because of these things, it shows that we have been redeemed from the power of tradition. Doctrine divides, but God’s love and the Holy Spirit unite us.

I believe God has made His Word deliberately ambiguous in certain areas to test our hearts. I do not suggest biblical truth is relative or malleable, but I do believe our ability to grasp the enormity and complexity of God’s truth is limited by our imperfect human minds. To make the human intellect the measure of what is true is gross arrogance. To insist that our group is the only group that really “gets it” is an expression of an ugly form of pride. To hold to one’s own convictions with magnanimity of heart towards those who disagree is an expression of spiritual maturity. Let’s use the following maxim as our guide.

IN ESSENTIALS UNITY, IN NON-ESSENTIALS LIBERTY, IN ALL THINGS CHARITY

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. Romans 14:1 (MSG)

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

  • Can you name a man-made tradition that you or your church holds that is not clearly in Scripture.
  • Can you name any areas in which you have observed a man-made tradition lead someone to disobey clear biblical teaching?
  • If we find ourselves in a dispute over a particular doctrinal point of view, such as the rapture, what is the best way to handle it?
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19: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Lawlessness

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:1-2 (NASB)

Lawlessness is the opposite side of the coin from legalism. Legalism and lawlessness are both forms of rebellion against God. Lawlessness rejects God’s standard of righteous living altogether. It fully embraces sin and gives free rein to the sin nature. Legalism, as we have seen, embraces God’s standard of righteousness but rejects God’s way of attaining it through faith in Christ.

When we first hear about how Jesus set us free from the power of condemnation, the carnal mind is tempted to draw the conclusion that we are now free to be lawless, or, as Paul put it in the verse above, “to continue in sin that grace may increase.” A person who thinks this way has not yet experienced the transformation of the mind through the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. The regenerated person receives a new heart that desires to serve God and be pleasing to him. The old nature inherited from Adam will always desire to sin; therefore, we should not be surprised when these sorts of thoughts occur to us. However, we must resist these temptations to believe a lie.

Spiritual maturity is the condition of thinking and living in harmony with God’s Spirit and Word.

God has not abandoned his desire for his people to live according to his ways. The only thing that has changed in the New Covenant is how we get there. The new way of the Spirit produces in us the obedience and purity of heart that the Law could not. All the Law can do it expose how far short we fall.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2  And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3  The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4  He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NLT)

A distinguishing characteristic of those who serve God and those who refuse God is the fear of the Lord.

Part of the fear of the Lord is a regard for the consequences of our actions. Those who fear God fear his judgments against sin.

God’s born-again children should properly fear the Lord. We know that God loves us, and we love him back, but we still stand in awe of him and the discipline he may bring should we defy him.

A person who flaunts his or her sin is either not regenerated or still is yielding actively to the sin nature for some reason. Regardless of the reason, a lawless person embraces that which nailed Jesus to the cross. Such a person may be ignorant of the truth, or may be bitter or offended with God in some way, using that as an excuse for sin, or may be trying to cover up his or her pain by “self-medicating”. The answer for the unregenerate person is to put his or her faith in Christ and surrender to his lordship. This article is aimed at the born-again believer who still is living a lawless life.

“Walking in the Spirit” is a phrase Paul uses that describes the condition of allowing the Holy Spirit to live His life through us in such a way that makes us obedient and pleasing to God.

The gospel not only provides forgiveness: it also provides the power to live a new kind of life.

The best defense many times is a strong offense. If we actively seek after God by doing the things that promote deepening our relationship with him (worship, prayer, meditation on God’s Word, etc.), we are less likely to give ourselves over to sin.

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 (NASB)

Walking in the Spirit produces an obedience that legalism cannot because it begins from a position of resting in our having already obtained God’s favor and blessing through Christ, instead of working to gain that favor through our performance.

If what we are doing is producing in us the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, etc.., we can be sure it because we are resting in God’s grace. Legalism, in contrast, is an attempt to gain God’s favor and blessing through our own performance, proving, so to speak, that we deserve it. Legalism cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. Usually it results in frustration, discouragement, pride, impatience, and judging others.

Walking in the Spirit makes us aware of God’s graciousness toward us and encourages us to show appreciation and love to the One Who has done so much for us.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:2-4 (NASB)

The only way obeying God is not a heavy burden is when our love and appreciation for him is coupled with his grace toward us through faith.

When Jesus lives through us, we can serve God willingly.

I believe our Lord described what this is like better than anyone else.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

Refusing to let the Holy Spirit have His way in our lives is the fundamental sin of self-directed living.

When the Holy Spirit directs us, He also gives us the power to perform what He shows us to do; whereas, the Law leaves us to our own devices.

Jesus described our predicament under legalism as follows, speaking of the Pharisees who represented legalistic self-righteousness:

They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden. Matthew 23:4 (NLT)

Grace is God’s power via the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life.

The Christian’s highest calling in life is to bring glory and honor to God. Anything that dishonors God can never be a product of grace or true righteousness. Grace was never meant to be an excuse for sin or permission to sin. Quite the opposite, it is the reason we do not have to sin any more after being born again. Through our identification with Christ in His death, the sin nature lost its power to dominate or rule us.

Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace. Romans 6:14 (NLT)

The lawless Christian is deliberately yielding once again to the domination of sin, which is a contradiction of the efficacy of the cross. Such a person’s life is actively testifying to all who know him or her that the cross of Christ is powerless to deliver someone from sin.

What do you think God should do about that? The lawless Christian should be in fear and trembling, wondering what God may do to preserve the testimony of Christ.

How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:29-31 (NASB)

Since Christ took our punishment for sin on the cross, he is not required to punish us as our sin deserves any longer. (Psalm 103:10)

When God disciplines a lawless son or daughter, it is the stern love of a Father who wants the best for his child.

God will chasten or discipline a rebellious person with three ends in mind: (1) to draw us to himself in love, (2) to make our lives match the truth that the gospel sets people free, and (3) to transform us into Christ’s image and likeness.  Everything God does is motivated by his love for us and will work for our good and his glory. (Romans 8:28)

God knows when to be gentle with us and when to be stern.  (Romans 11:22)

Even though God’s mercy is great, sin is no light thing, and it is very unwise to put God in a position where He may need to do something drastic to preserve the integrity of his name and the gospel.

Living by grace requires that we walk in the tension created between knowing that God does not demand perfection from us in keeping “the rules,” but He does expect us to surrender our lives to him and make a sincere effort to walk in cooperation with and obedience to his Spirit.

Jesus has set us free from legalism and lawlessness so that we can bring glory to the Father through heartfelt obedience.

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. Romans 1:5 (NLT)

 

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

 

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

  • Do you think that most believers are surprised when they discover that the “flesh” can never be rehabilitated?
  • Can you describe how legalism and lawlessness are both examples of rebellion against God?
  • How would you explain to someone that lawlessness in a Christian is a contradiction of the effectiveness of the cross of Christ and the truth of the gospel?
  • Can you give an example of how an unbeliever might use the contradictory lifestyle of a lawless Christian as an excuse to reject the gospel?
  • Does it make sense to you why God disciplines his children who are lawless?
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18: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Performance-Based Living

Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2  Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3  How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4  Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? Galatians 3:1-4 (NLT)  

Legalism or performance-based living is one of the greatest evils propagated by well-meaning people in cooperation with the devil. Paul likened it to being under the power of witchcraft. Legalism mesmerizes those under its sway. It is fueled by our pride and reinforced by rules that are used to measure people’s righteousness before God.

Performance-based living cannot give us the peace we desire because it is based on the lie that it is possible to gain and maintain a right relationship with God through our own effort.

Because of the effects of sin, most of us realize that something is missing in our relationship with God. Religion is man’s attempt to connect with God, but the Bible makes it clear that any restoration of that relationship must be initiated by God himself. We are quite incapable of pulling it off.

Just as the people of Israel thought they could fight against the Canaanites on their own, we are under the delusion that through trying hard we can please God without his help. The Israelites who followed Moses, illustrated this principle.

So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the LORD had commanded him. 8  And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the LORD. Exodus 19:7-8 (NLT)

They thought they had the capacity to obey. All they needed was to know what to do. The truth of the matter was that they were fatally flawed at the core of their being because of the devastating effects of sin. Even though they professed to want to obey God, they had no ability to follow through on their promise. God knew this, but they did not – yet. The same is often true for us. We imagine that if we just try a little harder, we can pull this off. But we cannot.

Most Christians understand that before being born again we desperately needed Christ. When we realize that we are unable to save ourselves, the gospel becomes most welcome news. Jesus died to take our punishment for all the sins we ever committed! God is willing to “let bygones be bygones” and erase or forgive all the marks against us on the great blackboard of life.

Those who do not fully understand the gospel tend to stop here with forgiveness, thinking that once we get a fresh clean slate, now it is our responsibility to make the most of it. After all, “God helps those who help themselves.” (This is probably the most quoted non-scripture ever!) This way of looking at things misses the point. We could not save ourselves before we turned to Christ, and we cannot do it after.

The good news is much more than simple forgiveness. God gives those who trust in Jesus his Spirit to live the Christ life in and through us!

This means that we need God’s grace to operate in every aspect of our lives from the beginning to the end.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1-2 (NLT)

Under legalism, we get into the kingdom by grace, but we remain in God’s favor through our obedience. In other words, we earn it. Grace thinking is quite different. We enter the kingdom by grace, and become obedient through grace. The result is the same, but how we get there is very different. Legalism requires self-effort.

Grace requires faith that Christ has already provided us with a permanent right standing with God. Our obedience stems from our love for such an amazing Savior and a desire to please and bring him glory.

For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4  For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. Romans 10:3-4 (NLT)

Legalistic thinking in earlier times led some to postpone water baptism until their deathbed. That way they would have the cleanest slate possible when they approached the judgment seat of Christ. The early Jewish believers in Christ often added a slightly different twist: people get into the kingdom by faith alone, but if you wanted to be a true follower of Christ, you then had to keep the law and be circumcised.

The key idea in legalism is that salvation comes through faith in Christ plus something else. The true gospel is that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone.

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2  Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3  I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4  For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. Galatians 5:1-4 (NLT)

Every God-fearing person who has tried to keep the Law knows what it is like to feel the desperation of condemnation. Before faith in Christ, all of us were under condemnation and wrath because all have sinned.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23  For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:22-24 (NLT)

No one has ever escaped this judgment, because no one apart from Christ has been without sin. Condemnation comes because of the Law.

The Law is God’s righteous standard of holiness that points out and defines sin in our lives. Its job is to place us under condemnation so that we will understand our desperate need for a Savior. It is our servant to lead us to Christ.

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Romans 3:20 (NLT)

Once a person places his or her faith in Christ, this condemnatory role of the Law in our lives is finished forever.

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. 1 Timothy 1:8-11 (NIV)

Christ took upon Himself all the condemnation that the Law placed upon us. He bore our sin and the penalty for our sin. When we placed our faith in Christ, we were justified by the Father, which means we received Christ’s perfect righteousness as a gift. This means in God’s eyes we already have the righteousness that comes from perfect obedience unto death over a lifetime. That is why we are no longer subject to condemnation.

Freedom from condemnation is a big key to victorious living by faith.

The strength of sin is the Law’s power to condemn. (1Cor.15:56) If we allow ourselves to be condemned because of our sins and failings after becoming a Christian, we are giving power to sin to rule us, even though it has no right to do so.

Until we decide to focus instead on Christ’s righteousness given to us instead of on our own sinfulness and weakness, we will struggle with a condemnation-induced power of sin in our lives.

Therefore, it is just as important to understand and believe that we are free from condemnation through dying to the law in Christ as it is to believe we are free from the power of indwelling sin through our identification with Christ’s death to sin and resurrection in life.

The Law will never go away. Its righteous standards are eternal. We had to “go away” by dying so that we could be married to someone else whose name is Jesus Christ. Just as our union with the Law brought forth evil fruit due to our corrupt sin nature, even so, our union with Christ produces good fruit out of our new nature in Christ.

The new nature cannot be joined to the Law because the two are incompatible. We must jettison old performance-based thinking and accept the new way of the Spirit.

But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit. Romans 7:6 (NLT)

The only way this will work is if the power of grace and the indwelling Spirit is strong enough to overcome temptation and the desires of the sin nature, which still reside in us in diminished strength. According to Romans 8, this is indeed the case.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NLT)

If this sounds too good to be true, it is because we have never understood the true gospel of grace. Instead, we have been living to some degree or another under a form of legalism or performance-based Christianity. Yes, it is vitally important to obey God, but we don’t do it to gain a right standing or acceptance from Him. We do it because we already have those things. Love and appreciation are far more powerful motivators than fear and condemnation. If we have any doubts about this, consider the story of the woman caught in adultery in John Chapter 8. She expected to be killed by stoning for her sin as required by the Law, but…

Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11  “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:10-11 (NLT)

She was able to walk in victory over sin because God forgave her and released her from condemnation. If we have only known serving God out of fear of judgment, we really should give this new way of living condemnation free in the Spirit a try. We will never go back!

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

 

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • How did God deliver us from the power of condemnation?
  • Why is condemnation so antithetical to living by grace?
  • Why is it just as important to understand and believe that we are dead to the law’s power to condemn as it is to know that we are dead to indwelling sin’s power to rule us?
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Can We Know if We Are Going to Heaven?

Over the years I have asked many people this important question. If you were to die today, would you go to heaven? The usual answers are: “I hope so,” “No,” and “Yes.” The follow up question helps me to know how to proceed in the conversation. “Why do you think that?” Some respond by saying that they feel that they are basically good people. Others say that they go to church or try not to hurt anyone. Those who have heard the gospel and understand it reply that they have put their faith in Jesus to save them. Some who say that they have believed in Jesus are not sure whether they will go to heaven. Does God want us to be sure, or does he hold us in suspense in order to motivate us to keep on the “straight and narrow?” This begs a larger question, can we be truly saved and then lose that salvation, or are we permanently saved once we are born again? If the former is true, then we cannot know for sure if we are going to heaven until our last breath is exhaled, even if we are believers. If the latter is correct, then perhaps our eternal destiny can be known while we still live and breathe here on earth. 

In his first letter, John wrote that we can know for sure.

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 (NLT)

This verse hinges on the meaning of two words: believe and eternal.

Faith consists of at least four components: revelation, trust, allegiance, and obedience.

It is not mere mental assent to a set of doctrinal facts, as some suppose.

Faith is the result of an interaction in our hearts between the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

The words of God carry within them an explosive capability to release revelation and faith. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and “sparks” a divine internal “explosion,” which results in our being able to “hear” or truly understand, receive, believe, and respond to what God says or what is written in the Bible. Some people call this interaction the “rhema” word of God, as differentiated from the written or logos word of God. The key thing I want us to grasp is that people can read or hear what is written in the Bible without any attendant revelation or faith. Unless the Spirit of God is at work in a heart that is open and receptive, God’s words fall on deaf ears.

For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ Matthew 13:15 (NLT)

When an open heart truly hears and believes God’s Word, a trust in God forms. This is because we begin to see or understand who God really is and what he has done for us and will do. Love for and loyalty to God follows, along with a developing obedience.

Real faith always produces obedience, even if it takes a while to develop. Faith without loyalty and obedience to God is not genuine faith. Probably it is mere mental assent or an emotional response without any substance. Jesus spoke of this in his parable of the sower and the seed.

The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. Luke 8:13 (NLT)

Since faith grows out of a revelation of who God truly is, faith results in our knowing God.

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 (NASB)

This is a spiritual knowing. It is one thing to know about God and quite another to truly know him. It is akin to how a married couple comes to know one another after making their vows. Sex in marriage results in a deep “knowing” that establishes a strong emotional and spiritual bond and, when everything is working properly, children or “fruit.” Our knowing God is in the spirit as a result of our spirits and God’s becoming one (1Cor. 6:17), which allows us to commune with him and know him.

Knowing God produces spiritual fruit in our lives called the fruit of the spirit. Our fruit will also be new people coming into the kingdom of God as a result of our testimony.

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4 (ESV)

When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives when we believe, he bears witness with our spirits that we are God’s children. 

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:15-16 (ESV)

Now that we have explored the meaning of “believe,” let’s think about the word “eternal”. Its meaning is clear based on other teachings of Jesus. On many occasions, he taught his followers that those who believe in him will never die.

Simply put, having eternal life means we will never die, or as our Lord said in John Chapter Five, we have passed from death to life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:24 (NASB)

This important verse also tells us that those of us who truly believe in him will never be condemned to death for our sins. Jesus already took our condemnation upon himself at the cross. A debt never has to be paid twice. As a result, we have already passed from the realm of death into eternal life.

Those who truly believe in Jesus already have eternal life and will never die.

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26  Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” John 11:25-26 (NLT)

Even though our pre-resurrection bodies will eventually cease to function, since they are still part of the old order of things because of Adam’s sin, the spirit within us, the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) which has already been born into God’s kingdom, will never die. It cannot because it is united with God’s Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17) It has passed from death to life and from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s Son. (Colossians 1:13) We are now seated with Christ at God’s right hand. (Colossians 3:1-4) He is in us, and we are in him. (John 14:20) As children of God, we are part of the family of God forever. (John 8:35)

The Holy Spirit is God’s seal of ownership that he puts on all who belong to him.

And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14  The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:13-14 (NLT)

God knows those who belong to him.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29  for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30  The Father and I are one.” John 10:27-30 (NLT)

So do the angels and the demons.

Not only does the Spirit mark or seal us as God’s own possession, he is a type of down payment or earnest money guaranteeing that God will finish what he began in our lives.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

When we are born again, we receive the first installment of our “great salvation.” This part of our salvation might be called justification and is based on Christ’s past finished work on the cross. After being born again, we begin a daily process of being transformed so that our thoughts, words, and actions come into greater conformity with what is already true in our spirits. Some call this sanctification. It is a process requiring fresh grace or help from God moment to moment. The last installment will happen at the resurrection when our Adamic bodies will be transformed into new spiritual bodies that will never die.

The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46  What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47  Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48  Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49  Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 (NLT)

Ephesians 1:14 tells us that the Holy Spirit is given as a pledge to those who were purchased by God and who now belong to him.

God purchased us by using the precious blood of his Son. We no longer belong to ourselves.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

To conclude, our wonderful salvation consists of three parts that work together to convince us that we indeed have been forgiven, saved, given eternal life, and belong to God.

For there are three that testify: 8  the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree... 10  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself... 1 John 5:7,10 (ESV)

The blood is the price paid for our salvation. God the Father chose us from before the foundation of the world to be his children. (Ephesians 1:4-5) He sent his Son Jesus to die for our sins, shedding his precious blood in the process, which was the price paid to satisfy the wrath of God against our sins, provide forgiveness, allow Christ’s righteousness to be given to us in a great exchange, reconcile us to himself, give us eternal life, and make us his children.

The water refers to our declaration of faith and allegiance to Jesus our Lord which takes place at water baptism. God declared his love for us by sending his Son. (John 3:16) We declare our love for him by confessing him before men. This confession agrees with what God did for us through the blood of his Son.

The Spirit is God’s seal of ownership in our lives which inwardly testifies that we belong to him. He is the source of life and all blessings we have in Christ. He lives Christ’s life through us, something we could never accomplish on our own.

When we put our faith in Christ and his finished work, confess him before men, and receive the Spirit, these three things work together to convince us that we belong to God, have eternal life, and that God will indeed raise us from the dead as he promised.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4  and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5  And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT)
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17: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from the Power of Sin

The blood of Jesus provided for our overall redemption. It is the price that was paid to secure our freedom from every form of bondage.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)

The blood of our Lord provides us with forgiveness of sins. This aspect of redemption can be equated with salvation in general.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

Here we have an overlapping of propitiation and redemption. In this mediation, we will focus on how Jesus redeemed or set us free from the power of sin.

Our identification with Christ in his death and resurrection is the divine mechanism that sets us free from sin’s enslaving power.

The following scripture verse clearly shows this.

Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:6 (NLT)

Many, if not most, Christians do not understand or even know about the importance of the principle of identification. Instead, they are usually only familiar with the idea of substitution.

Most believers know and believe that Jesus died FOR their sins, in their place, but they do not grasp that the believer died WITH Christ and lives IN Christ so that the sin nature or “old man” might lose its power to rule our lives.

Not only are we identified WITH Christ, but the Bible says that we are IN Christ. We are in him, and he is in us.

If you love me, obey my commandments. 16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18  No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19  Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:15-20 (NLT)

The principle that we are “in Christ” is found throughout the New Testament. In fact, we are united with Christ in the Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:17) Here are a few verses for us to consider.

being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Romans 3:24 (NASB) 

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 (NASB)  

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NASB)

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NASB)  

nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NASB)  
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1:4 (NASB)  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3 (NASB)

There are literally dozens of verses containing this small and often overlooked prepositional phrase “in Christ” which contains one of the most important concepts in the Bible.

God ingeniously inextricably linked our salvation to a Person. All we have from God is in His Son. By being in Him and his being in us, we have everything.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:12 (NIV)

Therefore everything that is true of Christ, is true for us believers, aside from His divinity and unique role as the only begotten Son of God. He shares his life, his power, his holiness, his authority, and his freedom from sin’s power with us.

Because Jesus is free from sin, so are we.

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:10-11 (NASB)

For this freedom to be fully experienced and enjoyed, we must understand and believe it. Satan seeks to rob God’s children of our freedom and authority through ignorance and deception. He wants us to rely on our own experience and feelings to determine if we are indeed free from sin, instead of believing what God’s Word says.

Since the Bible teaches that Christ has indeed set us free from the power of sin, we are responsible to believe it and ask the Holy Spirit to make it our experience.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

 

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Explain in your own words what it means to be “in Christ”. (Hint: 1 Cor. 6:17)
  • Why is being in Christ fundamental to our freedom?
  • Is it right for us to claim that we are “dead to sin” even if we still commit sins? (Hint: Our true identity is who we are “in Christ.”)
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