“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” - Romans 6:18
The Bible’s book of Romans reads like a movie screenplay. It has a director whose name is Paul, a great setting – the world, an amazing plot line – grace, and an interesting and varied supporting cast – all of humanity. Not only does the plot depict what grace is, how it works, and why we need it, but it also perfectly describes the predicament of both the human race and followers of Jesus.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you have probably learned that you have been changed by God’s grace in Christ. The old you is no longer the “real you” that God sees. You are a brand-new creation. While this is an incredible truth, it can also be where a lot of frustration plagues the lives of believers. Too often, the “new you” lives like the old you. Even though we have been forgiven from the penalty of our sins, we fail to understand that grace also gives us the ability to overcome the power of sin in daily life.
It is as if there is a civil war going on inside our souls once we are saved. We find ourselves doing what we know we shouldn’t do and not doing what we know we should be doing. This is a defeating and exhausting way to live…and definitely not the abundant life that Jesus spoke of giving in John 10:10. “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
We are all born enslaved to sin, and because of our sin, we are all under the wrath and judgment of God. At the cross, Jesus paid the price for our freedom by taking the pain of God’s wrath and bearing the penalty for our sin. You cannot separate Jesus as Savior and Lord. He did not die just to save us from sin’s penalty. He also died to free us from slavery to sin. We are no longer under the lordship of sin but of Christ. He is both Savior and Lord.
Father, thank You for saving me from sin’s penalty and sin’s power. I acknowledge that You are both Savior and Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Grace
