How Shall We Then Live

You can’t expect people who remain in bondage to sin to understand the freedom that Jesus brings to those who are born again by His Spirit. Jesus said, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). To “see the kingdom of God” means to know the one true God, to believe in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and to live in this world seeking to please your Father in heaven through the work of His Spirit within you. THIS is FREEDOM!!! … but those without the Spirit can’t “see” that … can’t understand that. They see only rules that keep them from doing what they want to do, not realizing they are in bondage to a sinful nature that is blind to the reality of their condition. As Paul wrote in Romans 3:10: “None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Praise God that He does not leave those whom He has chosen in that horrible state of bondage! Instead, by grace through faith, God reconciles us to Himself, uniting us to Christ and empowering us by His Spirit to seek after righteousness, knowing that in Christ He already sees us as “saints” … “holy ones”!! Freedom, for true believers, no longer means indulging the sinful nature, but rather, overcoming temptation and finding joy in serving Jesus, becoming more and more like Him. No longer slaves of sin, we are now “slaves of righteousness,” “slaves of God,” while at the same time being “children of God!”  What every parent desires is children who WANT to obey them because their children love them. The Spirit of God produces that desire in the hearts of those who are born again.  The fruit of our union with Christ and our freedom in the Spirit is ultimately perfection and life in God’s presence! May the knowledge of God’s grace in Christ spur you on toward holy living as you experience the joy of true FREEDOM!!