Monday, November 1, 2010
Galatians 5:18 ... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
FREEDOM FROM SIN, NOT FREEDOM TO SIN
Lord Acton once remarked, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." A stroll through history confirms this axiom to be true. People who attain power and authority often consider themselves above the law.
But what if you really were above the law?
What if you didn't have to look down at the speedometer when you saw a police car in your rear view? Wouldn't that be liberating? Above the law. Never afraid of punishment. Totally free.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul penned this intriguing statement: " ... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" (Galatians 5:18 NIV).
Some people are very uncomfortable with this idea. They view "religion" as merely a machine that tries to make people better. They say, if you tell everyone their sins are forgiven for free, then they won't have any reason to behave. They'll just run around with a license to sin.
Paul was aware of this flawed response to the Gospel. In Romans 6, after explaining that forgiveness comes through faith in Jesus, Paul says: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:1-4 NIV).
The forgiveness that we have through Christ's cross is free. It is complete. But it is freedom FROM sin and sin's punishment, not freedom TO sin. A repentant heart does not use God's love and forgiveness as an excuse to live in sin. Instead, a repentant heart rejoices in the all-forgiving love of Christ, and seeks to mold itself to God's will.
