Free At Last
by Leonard A. Deane Jr.

Romans 8:1-4 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Sin Cannot Claim You

The first thing we need to understand is that sin cannot claim us. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8-1:2)

But knowing we are free, and walking in that freedom is difficult. Our primary difficulty is dealing with the old nature. It is the struggle. The struggle itself causes us to feel condemned.

To be in Christ means that God now sees us united to His Son Jesus. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we are free from sin's dominion and adopted into the family of God. We are now children of God. We are His sons and daughters, with all the rights and privileges inherent in being in that relationship.

The truth of what the Scripture is saying is that in Christ we have been set free. That is the truth. It is the truth whether you believe it or not. This is the key.

We are personally free in Christ. Sin cannot claim us. We are in Christ, and Jesus Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. Sin cannot claim us because we are personally free in Christ.

Sin Cannot Condemn You

“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man.” (Romans 8:3)

The next thing we need to see is that sin cannot condemn us. We have just read that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Why? Because Christ condemned the sin, not the sinner. By Christ's work on the cross, he judged sin. He paid the penalty for sin. He released us from the condemnation of sin, by His death. Jesus did what we could not do.

Jesus was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin. He came as a man to live victoriously over all the bondage of sin. He was sinless. But He not only came to live a sinless life, He came to die a sacrificial death.

What Jesus Christ did when He went to the Cross could be called the greatest moment in history. There He made a complete payment for our sin. Jesus Christ took our sin on Him on the Cross. The things you have done wrong, the things you are ashamed of, the things you have struggled over, the things you have been guilty over, Jesus bore on the Cross.

That is tremendous! Not only did Jesus bear every sin we have ever committed, but Jesus bore every sin we shall ever commit.

Neither is God angry at us when we sin, because we are still becoming what God wants us to be. God does not get angry with us when we fall. We are still learning. None of us has arrived. God loves us. There is no rejection, because God's love is not based on our performance. We must see that.

Sin Cannot Control You

“And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3c-4)

Finally we need to understand that sin cannot control us. We struggle with sin, but we have the victory. We have the victory because we are in Christ and also because God is presently at work in us. It is not simply because of something that happened 2,000 years ago on the cross of Calvary that we are able to live in freedom. God is now at work in us. Sin cannot control us because God is at work in us to change us.

Walking in the Spirit means that we live our lives in total dependence upon the leadership of God. We see this clearly in the life of Jesus.

In John's gospel, John 8:28, “I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.”

The New Covenant means that everything comes from God, and nothing comes from me. The New Covenant frees us from the tyranny of having to be perfect. It frees us to walk by the leadership of the Spirit.

Walking in the Spirit means we consult with God about our priorities. Walking in the Spirit means that we can give up trying to do it on our own. Walking in the Spirit liberates from the clamoring demands and expectations of others. Walking in the Spirit means our one priority in life is to please God, not by being perfect, but by being His.

By Christ's death on the Cross He has freed us to be His.

Article Date: 3/8/11

 

Leonard A. Deane Jr. is a Calvary church member and the Coordinator for our Employment Support Group.

Additional Articles by Leonard A. Deane Jr.

• 5/7/11: Inspired and Challenged by the Word of God, Luke 4:18
• 5/4/11: National Day of Prayer: Prayer for Job Seekers
• 4/8/11: Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..."
• 3/13/11: Crying Out To God
• 3/8/11: Free At Last
• 12/29/10: Our Test This New Year: Are you ready to give yourself away so Jesus can use you?
• 12/22/10: Our Test This Christmas Season: Stay in the Presence of the Lord.
• 1/8/10: Pray and Never Give Up

 

 

     

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