Romans 6:6-7 (NIV) “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”
The words ‘set free’ bring to mind all sorts of images. Releasing an animal from a trap it had been caught in; being released from prison after a person had “paid his debt to society” and many others that might come to your mind based on your own personal experiences. So then, with these positive images as a backdrop, what a joy it is to know that if a person has received Christ and His sacrifice as their own they are ‘set free’. And they are ‘set free’ from something very specific. It is not arbitrary*, but rather something very personal. Something you have been carrying as a mill stone around your neck. It is your sin. Those things you have done against God. Oh you more than likely didn’t knowingly say “take that God” while you were doing it, but ignorance has no place here. You see we are all born with a sense of knowing what is right and what is wrong until we are taught differently.
Sin is a cruel task master. It wears you down and wears you out. It is a very heavy weight to carry and over time it will grind you under its’ heel. The Bible is clear on what is considered sin against your Creator and what is not. It is clear as to what God requires of us. It really isn’t much considering the price that was paid to compensate for that sin.
ROMANS 5:6 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
ROMANS 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Before we knew Him; before we were even born, Christ paid the price for our indiscretions.** I lived 24 years of my life without God leading the way. I lived all those years not knowing that Christ was the Son of God and that He died for me … and the truly sad part about that is that I grew up going to a Presbyterian Church in Red Bank, NJ. My mom and I went every Sunday morning. I even sang in the choir until I was 17 yrs old. Never heard anything about Christ being crucified on a cross. How tragic. It was through a campus ministry called Chi Alpha that I came to know the Lord and 32 yrs later I have never turned back. You see, at 12:30 am on my birthday, March 21st, 1979, I sat at the campus ministers kitchen table and prayed with him. In that simple prayer, like a drug user admitting his has a problem, I admitted my need for a savior and He cleansed me in my spirit. The Holy Spirit entered into me and I have never been the same since that day. I am not perfect and the old man tries to take the lead at times, but as long as I look to Him for strength and guidance, the old man remains dead.
It’s like that illustration you may have heard … you have a black dog and a white dog living inside you. The black dog represents your old sin nature and the white dog your ‘born again’ nature. The dog you feed the most is the dog that will be stronger and control the other dog. If you feed your sinful nature with things that are not edifying to your spirit, then you will be inclined to go down a path that you will come to regret. Feeding the new Godly nature results in peace, joy, hope etc. It is not an easy road, this road to heaven. It is narrow and there are many distractions that attempt to pull you off course, but the more you feed your spirit man (or woman), the safer you will be as He leads you home.
You have been set free. Don’t become bound up with ungodly things again unnecessarily. It doesn’t have to happen. God will allow it if you insist on having your own way, but you will learn the hard way that God knows what He’s doing and everything He affords you is for your eternal and many times, immediate benefit.
Knowing all this, WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!
* Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle
** Foolish, rash, thoughtless, reckless, hasty, unwise words or actions.
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