The Book of Romans ~ Lesson Thirteen

"True Freedom"

Romans 6:15-23 (Message) So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!
   I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
   As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.
   But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.

"Offer yourself to sin... and it's your last free act." That doesn't sound right from the world's point of view. It would seem freedom is doing what you want to do when you want to do it. But, God's Word says different. It tells us, "freedom never quits." What does that mean?

1 Corinthians 15:54b-56 (CEV)"Death has lost the battle! Where is its victory? Where is its sting?"Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!

"Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin." From the moment of the first disobedient act of man and woman, death entered. It's like the sting of a black widow spider. First, comes the bite and then the necrosis of the place bitten (that's the death of that area where you were bitten). Sin is far deadlier because the bite of sin without God's redemptive power leads to ultimate death. The death I'm talking about is the eternal death resulting in separation from God and all that's good.

The NIV Bible says it this, "...you are slaves to the one whom you obey." If we aren't slaves to God, having a right relationship with Him, then we are slaves to sin. Obedience to God leads to life. Obedience to sin, leads to death. Paul uses the example of slavery to drive his point home to his readers. We all know what slavery is. It is being bound by another power. What power do you want to be bound by? Sin, which leads to death or God, who leads to life.

1 Corinthians 7:23 (CEV) God paid a great price for you. So don't become slaves of anyone else. 

God did pay an awful price for our freedom from sin's death grip on our lives. He gave up the perfect sacrifice that made a way for us to have the freedom to enter into His presence wherever and whenever we want. He paid the price by giving His Son Jesus. I could never offer my son for you. NEVER! But, God did and that should prove His love for you. Our freedom is because Jesus purposefully became bound by sin's hands and died as a result of its enormous weight. He rose again by the hand of God and lives forever seated at His Father's right hand.

We live forever free when we come to Him. We are offered His eternal life. One day there will be no more sorrow or pain. Jesus will return and set up His Kingdom on this earth that will be fully renewed. The Garden of Eden and the perfection it had will return, only this time there won't be a serpent. God will make all things new under the rule and reign of His Son Jesus.

If you don't know Jesus, I urge you to let Him in. Become obedient to the One who promises your freedom from death. Sin offers nothing but death. Without Jesus we are nothing. The bite of sin and the resulting necrosis is all we will get. Give you heart to the One who can set you free and experience true freedom.