That Christ Freedom

1There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the ccarnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8: 1 - 11 NKJV

We talk alot about our new lives through Christ Jesus in our weekly discussions.  The fact that we who have accepted Christ not only have our sins forgiven, but now live each day as Christ Jesus who is within us.  This can also be a very liberating realization when we come to realize just who we really are.  For the world around us will continue to try and instill in us that we are but sinners saved by our Lords grace.  Well, only half of that statement is true.  We were ultimately saved by our Lords love and mercy.  However, the fact that we remain sinners runs cotrary to what Jesus did for us all on that cross.  Jesus not only gave Himself that our sins would be erased for all eternity, but He also tackled the core issue of our salvation.  This being the very sin nature which we were born into.  When Christ Jesus became sin on our behalf, He did away with the guilt, shame and condemnation which so often plagued us.  For there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  On account of our sin nature, God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, that He might do away with the sin which plagued us.  Because of Jesus, we live.  Because of Jesus, we are free.  Not only are we free from the guilt and condemnation, but free as well from the bondage which we had to our sins.

 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, creckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

Notice the gift of Christ Jesus which the apostle Paul tells of in Romans 6.  That the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slave to sin because he who has died has been freed from sin.  I believe that one word we can use to describe our new lives in Jesus is...freedom.  As Paul tell us, we are now free from the sin nature which once enslaved us.  Trust me, before I knew Jesus I did not feel like a slave, but I was indeed a slave to my sin nature.  My only way out, and your only way out, is through the sacrafice and shed blood of Jesus.  Paul describes Jesus as the "Likeness of sinful flesh," for if He wasn't then His sacrafice would have been for not.  This He did for us all.  Dennis has asked me more than a few times just what this freedom in Jesus feels like.  To me, freedom in Jesus is not needing to time and again seek my heavenly Fathers forgiveness for what I've don, Christ paid that price already.  I can best describe living under the penalty of sin akin to walking in eternal punishment.  A life lived on death row, if not for Jesus.  I used to view Jesus as seperated from Gods children, watching down from heaven as we went about our lives.  This is yet another part of our freedom in Jesus, for we now live each day as Christ who is within us.  We walk, see, and experience life AS JESUS.  Talk about freedom!  As Dennis adapted the scripture of Ephesians 4:13, not only can we do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us, Christ Jesus IS OUR STRENGTH!  On this truth we stand.

~Scott~