Saturday, February 15, 2014
Romans 6:17-18 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
CHIEF OF SINNERS THOUGH I BE -- BY FAITH I NOW AM FREE
Who doesn't love a good underdog story? The tales of those who have gone from "rags to riches" and "zero to hero" inspire us in our lives. Even though most people don't know it, the greatest underdog story really is the message of the gospel. In this piece of good news, God takes ordinary humans who are headed toward death and grants them eternal life. Is there another example in the world of such an unprecedented turnaround?
But the problem as many in the world see it is that the Christian faith doesn't seem to be all that special. For example, in our verses for today, the Holy Spirit promises that Christians go from being slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness. That doesn't sound all that enticing does it? After all, doesn't real freedom mean that I am now in control of my life, that I no longer must serve anyone? Going from slave of one thing to slave of something else doesn't feel like much of a change.
Yet, like many profound truths in life, the real answer isn't always on the surface. It helps to dig a little deeper. The Holy Spirit reveals the real difference right in the middle of the two depictions of servitude. He says, " ... have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin ..." This is the great turnaround of faith; the victory and freedom come from what God has done for us, not in what we perceive about the simple title that describes who we are. God has forgiven our sins through the righteousness of His own Son. Because Jesus credits believers with His perfect record of keeping His Father's standard, we too can claim by faith that we are obedient to God's teaching. That's what it means to be forgiven. It doesn't just include that which is taken away, but also that which now becomes ours. Sins gone forever, and righteousness gained for eternity!
With such an understanding in our hearts, it's easy to see that true freedom does not come from serving our own passions and desires any more than it comes from being under bondage of the Law. Since Jesus is our Savior we rejoice to have the status as "slaves of righteousness," because only through serving and honoring His name in holiness can we know what true freedom really is.
