The Freedom from Sin

Wednesday, October 16



There's something so powerful about this scripture:

"Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." - Romans 8:1-4

Reading this and studying this, most Christians will say they know the Truth of freedom from sin and what exactly that encompasses. Even I myself thought I knew what 'overcoming' sin meant, but in reality it is something much farther than just the image and actions of flesh. Overcoming sin is much more about the power and completeness of Christ, the oceans of grace, and the desire and will of God that our hearts align with as believers. Like that scripture states, Christ came to set us free. He did not come to 'sometimes' free us, to mock us, or to condemn us. Christ came to lift that heavy burden of sin that we are too weak and broken to lift ourselves. Christ died as an offering; an offering which we cannot make because of our sinfulness. For believers who have been renewed in Christ, we are now free to be complete in the Spirit.

"So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." - Romans 8:12-13

So what is living in the Spirit then, and dying to the flesh? This is literally living in the Spirit; to walk with Christ, to live in prayer, in scripture. To die to our flesh is unchaining the death of sin and the power that sin has over us. When I first learned this, and even on occasion, I tell myself 'overcoming' sin means to never sin. This is bizarre, and unrealistic, and defeats the purpose of the cross. To set such a standard of saying, "I have physically overcome sin" is not possible. Our flesh is full of sinfulness. It is full of brokenness, which is exactly why Christ tells the pharisees, "Healthy people don't need a doctor - the sick do." (Matt. 9:12) What Christ did to set us free was remove the burden of guilt, remove the condemnation of sin, and to let us glorify and worship His grace, His power, and His ultimate love for us. When I lay the burden on myself of attempting to physically overcome sin, I am only going to condemn myself for failing to reach something that is unattainable. But by understanding and believing Christ has set me free, it allows me to not be controlled and mastered by sin. Sin has no power over me. I am free from the chains of flesh and the chains of this world. With the power of Christ, sin has no control over my Spirit.

Paul puts it so beautifully when he says, "But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me." - Romans 7:23

We are at war with our flesh. When we became believers, we did not do so to set this goal or standard of being absolutely sinless to. Rather, our Spirit overcame that sin that is inherently bad and living in our flesh. Christ died to fight and win the war that we wage against our flesh. So why do we set ourselves up for failure by placing the burden of being sinless? I know I tell myself, "Don't do this again. Geez, Taylor! Why can't you just get over that already?" Instead, I should be preparing my Spirit to overcome my sinful flesh. I should be seeking Christ, so that I may be mastered by my Creator and not become a slave to my flesh.

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