November 26, 2008

Freed from Sin

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be [in the likeness] of [His] resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [Him], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans 6:1-7 NKJV)
 

Sometimes it is hard to understand this statement fully. I do not feel free from sin but quite the contrary. I hate the fact that I continue to make the same mistakes over again. However, we need to understand that Paul is not saying we are free from the presence of sin.

Sin will be our constant companion as long as we live with the flesh. There is no perfection until we see Christ face to face and we are set free from this body of sin.

However, we are free from the dominion of sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. This means that if we sin, we do so against our new nature. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians.

“And you [He made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3 NKJV)

We now have a new capacity even if it seems like we are always failing. Our understanding of sin has changed. A large part of our freedom from sin is our ability to recognize sin for what it is—a heinous crime against God and man.

Our ability to see sin for what it is makes our failures all the more grievous. Before salvation, I almost never gave sin a passing thought. Now sin wearies my soul with each transgression.

This is as it should be, not that we continue in sin, but that our failures way heavy upon our hearts. Praise God if you can see sin for this is evidence of your salvation. Amen