John 8:33-36

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” vs. 36

Jesus says that he is able to free us from the slavery of sin. That’s a bold and rash statement and, unfortunately, not many people believe it. We’ve gotten so caught up in the old maxim that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin that we’ve pretty much stopped believing that anyone can be sin free. Now it is true that we are going to be sinners for as long as we live in this broken and chaotic world, but we forget that in Christ we are set free. If then we have been set free from sin, why can’t we live as righteous persons instead of as sinners?  Otherwise why would Paul have written to the Galatians, “For freedom Christ has set you free, stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”  Of course we will back slide as we move from sin to freedom from sin, but we don’t have to stay there! We’ve got all the tools we need–prayer, confession, absolution–to quickly move back onto the path of righteousness. We might start out with a 50-50 ratio but with the changing power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives we should be able to reach 80-20 without any problem at all. Think how great it would be to freely walk in righteousness for large portions of the day and night! This is what the beautiful life is like!

Thought for the Day: What’s my righteousness ratio right now?