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Being Confident Of This

Grace for the work-in-progress woman

The Truth About Freedom in Christ

June 19, 2015 by jstults 8 Comments

You may have heard of the “license to sin” as some call it – that tendency to swing the pendulum so far to the side of grace that sin holds little weight. I think a more apt description of this problem is this: the desire to be your own boss.

In mankind the desire to be the boss revealed itself at the very beginning of time. I can just hear Adam and Eve’s thoughts now…It’s my choice. It’s not going to hurt anything to take just one bite. Besides, it looks really good, and why would God want to keep us from something that is soooo gooooood if He really loves us?

Here’s the problem as we see it in our culture today.

We have elevated grace to the false position of self-rule and thus minimized sin.

We believe we can make our own choices because Jesus already paid the price, right? We’re already forgiven.  Besides, there’s that verse in Galatians 5 that says “it is for freedom that Christ came to set us free…” (Gal. 5:1)

We use the word “freedom” to justify our own sin.

How sad that we allow the Enemy to use a beautiful thing like freedom to turn us away from Christ and toward our own fleshly desires!  Such a move is reminiscent of the Screwtape Letters.

The problem with such thinking lies in the meaning we assign to the word freedom. We like to think that freedom means self-autonomy – nobody can tell me what to do!  That’s what the world teaches us to believe.

Yes, it certainly is for freedom that Christ came, but not just any freedom and certainly not the type of self-serving freedom that the world teaches.

Often Christians use freedom in Christ as permission to be their own boss, make their own choices. But the truth about freedom in Christ is the great paradox of grace.

 

Christ came not for the freedom to do whatever we want but for freedom from the slavery of sin itself. That’s the part that we so often get wrong, friends, and I’m just as guilty.

We make believe we have no master but ourselves when we choose our way over God’s way. Ironically, when we do so we open the door to the master of sin, Satan himself. We return to slavery of our own free will.

Romans 6:15-16

“ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (emphasis mine)

If we persist in sin by denying its power over us or downplaying its effects, then we deceive ourselves.

We willingly choose to let the enemy have his way with us.

And that, my friends, is a dangerous choice.  Sure, we know our eternal destination is secure if we’ve truly accepted Christ as our Savior, but that does not make us exempt from the present reality of worldly consequences.

In the same chapter of Galatians where we read about freedom in Christ, we find this admonition:

Galatians 5:13

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

And in the next chapter of Galatians we find this verse about reaping what we sow:

Galatians 6:7-8

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

A quick examination of sin in the early church demonstrates deadly consequences of sin here on Earth:

  • When the Corinthian church misused the Lord’s Supper, Paul claimed that sin was the reason for illness and even death among them. (I Cor. 11:30)
  • When Ananias and Sapphira acted hypocritically by lying about a field they sold and holding back a portion of the money that they claimed to give to the church, they were struck dead on the spot, one right after the other. (Acts 5:1-11)
  • In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul cautions that Old Testament stories of God’s wrath against sin serve as warnings to us now.
  • Even certain New Testament men were mentioned by name and “given over to Satan” so that they might learn their wrong and be restored. (1 Cor. 5:5, 1 Tim. 1:20)

Can you imagine any worse consequence than being given over to Satan for a lesson?

We may believe that our sin isn’t hurting anyone else but ourselves, but we would be wrong on that count, too. We can bet that the enemy will seize any chance to lead us back into bondage… and drag a few others along with us.

Consider the generations upon generations upon generations of mankind separated from Life itself by a  single choice? What an accomplishment that was for the snake.

And won’t the enemy be giddy with delight when sin does come to light?  Relentless guilt. Reputations ruined. The lost turned away from truth, stumbling over our hypocrisy. People disillusioned, maybe even wounded.

Sometimes whole churches and ministries, yes even nations and civilizations, fall simply because of our desire to rule ourselves, be our own bosses.

Thus, we fall prey to Satan’s great deception.

The truth is that the often misquoted and misused “freedom in Christ” found in Galatians is about so much more than freedom from rules and freedom from sin; it is freedom to relationship with the God of the universe.

The veil has been torn!

We no longer require a priest to help us with our sin-debt, to mediate between us and God. We are no longer separated by sin! Because of Christ, we come to the Lord directly, and in return, He gives us life.  We are part of His family.

Even more, our Father gives us every good thing we need to avoid sin and do right! (I Cor. 10:13, Heb.13:20-21)

According to the Word, real freedom is found by letting Christ be our master and making ourselves slaves to righteousness.

It’s the great paradox of grace. 

Only by choosing the Living God as our boss can we be released from the bonds of self and sin which ultimately lead to death.

True freedom in Christ, then, is a direct result of the grace that rescues us from death and plunges us into new life.

Romans 6:1-2

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

How?

How can we live in it any longer?

This is grace, friends, that the Creator of the Universe would choose a lowly sinner and mold him into the image of His most precious and perfect Son.

Anything less and we limit the power of grace – we miss out on the best aspect of the gift of Salvation!

Do you long for true freedom, friend?

Quit deceiving yourself.

Heed the Word

and make Christ the boss of you.

Jen 🙂

Sharing with: Grace and Truth, Missional Women, The Weekend Brew

Filed Under: Christianity Tagged With: Biblical truth, Christ-centered living, freedom in Christ, Grace, license to sin, slaves to Christ, slaves to sin

Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    June 23, 2015 at 17:19

    You’ve nailed this, my friend. Thank you for such a thoughtful post on a timely topic. Love you!

    Reply
    • jstults says

      June 23, 2015 at 21:19

      Thank you, Jennifer! I appreciate the encouragement from you and others.
      Jen 🙂

      Reply
  2. jenn says

    June 25, 2015 at 15:22

    Amen, amen, amen, sister! So perfectly said.

    Reply
    • jstults says

      July 1, 2015 at 21:47

      Thank you, Jenn! I appreciate the encouragement!
      Jen 🙂

      Reply
  3. Joanne says

    July 1, 2015 at 21:40

    This is something that, once I understood it, I can’t believe I ever thought differently about. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on it!

    Reply
    • jstults says

      July 1, 2015 at 21:47

      It really makes a difference, doesn’t it, Joanne? It’s like God’s boundaries for us – once you understand His character and the why behind the boundaries, they seem less like restrictions and more like Love. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
      Jen

      Reply
  4. Luna says

    July 3, 2015 at 16:46

    Wow! This is the first time I hear somebody NOT saying that the LAW was crucified with Jesus and we live under Grace only. I believe for what I read in the scriptures that we live under Grace and, Jesus didn’t come to change Law but to fulfill it. The law just points at our sins, but doesn’t saves us. Just Jesus do. (Correct me if I’m wrong)
    I have a question though, why Christians worship on Sunday? 4th commandment says, Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy. Why a Sunday and no Saturday? Thanks, Luna

    Reply
    • jstults says

      July 7, 2015 at 01:38

      Luna, thank you for stopping by here! I think you and I are on the same page about the Law if I’m understanding you correctly. The Law did indeed (and still does) serve to shine light on our sin and need for a Savior. It is by grace we are saved, not just from sin and death, but from separation from our Creator God. When we trust in Him for salvation, we are once again where we belong – right back in His family. 🙂 I do believe that Jesus came to fulfill the OT Law, and in fact, He held us to even higher standards (don’t murder, but beyond that, don’t even hate your brother). Jesus took sin straight to the heart issues. However, I don’t believe we are held to the standards of OT ceremonial law (different from moral law), such as only eating certain types of meat, etc. As for worshiping on Sunday, I believe that changed when Jesus rose from the dead, but I’d like to do some research first and send you some links later with more detailed information, if that’s ok? If you prefer, I can send them via e-mail instead.
      Jen 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Jen: a work in progress. I'm imperfect - a mom of four, pastor's wife, discipler, and sinner saved only by grace. I like to sing, read, write, teach, and smile. I have a heart for encouraging women everywhere to understand God's limitless love for them and what His grace means for everyday living. Welcome! :) Read More…

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