Victory over Sin
George Stiekes
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed. John 8:34-36
Sin enslaves people for two reasons: 1) Because it alienates them from God and 2) Because it establishes sinful patterns (path of disobedience) that make escape impossible.
There are non-Christians who will say that they do not want to be a Christian because they want their freedom. There is a sense of truth in their statement in as much as they do not want to be under the authority of Jesus Christ and true faith in Christ would require their submission to Him.
The problem with their thinking is in the failure to recognize that sin already enslaves them. In fact, they are in a continuous pattern of sin and therefore are not currently free. Prior to their salvation, the Christians in Rome were slaves to sin (Romans 6:17-18). It was their continual state.
Being free from sin does not mean that we are free to sin but that in Christ we have the freedom NOT TO SIN. This is hard for some to imagine, but we DO NOT HAVE TO SIN!
When a person trusts Christ as LORD and Savior, he moves from the path of sin to a lifelong path of obedience. The psalmist prayed, Thou wilt show me the PATH OF LIFE: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11). The path of obedience is a way of life filled with the joy of the LORD and the Word of God will show us the way (Psalm 119:105). In Christ, we have the enablement to walk that path. Our very souls are purified when we walk that path (I Peter 1:22) and the expectation of what awaits us in the future continues that purifying work of the Spirit of God within us making us more and more like unto Christ (I John 3:1-3).
Praise God today for the freedom you have from the slavery of sin. It is as we are in the Word of God that faces us with truth. Jesus said, And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). Knowing the truth will provide even greater strength against sin in your life. Rejoice in the freedom we have from sin and choose to stay in the Word knowing that it will continue to assist you in growing in your relationship with Christ.
George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.