#4) Chains No More

Over the last month, I have taught on the dangers of sin, the peace of God, and Spiritual growth. All of these together lead to something wonderful. It leads to freedom.

Before we were believers, we were slaves to sin. A slave serves the will of his master. In a spiritual sense, a slave to sin is also a slave to Satan. There was no escaping him of our own will because we were also at war with God. We were hostile towards God.

John 3:20a
"For everyone who does evil hates the light,

John 8:34
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

Just as we were once slaves to sin, we are now slaves to God.

Romans 6:20-22a
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God,…..

While this may sound like a terrible thing, it is not. In the Old Testament, we read of bondservants. A slave would belong to his master for a time. When it came time for him to be freed, he had the option of taking his freedom or, if he felt he was treated fairly by his master, had the choice of remaining a slave for the rest of his life. A man who was a slave by choice was known as a bondservant. His entire life was dedicated to serving his master. While he is now in a lifelong state of servitude, he chose to live this life. Romans 6:22 tells us our benefit comes from being enslaved to God. Being a bondservant of the Lord results in sanctification & eternal life.

Romans 6:20-22a
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All month we have been speaking of the basic promises of God.

Romans 8:21
that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Just as God promises us peace & growth, he also promises us freedom.

Ask congregation to point out the pertaining promise in the following verse:

Psalm 146:5-7
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God;
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;
Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free.

Revelation 1:5b
To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood,

From the moment we are saved, we are seen as the children of God. From this moment, we are freed from the chains of sin. It is only in Christ can one be freed. This freedom is in by the grace of God and not something we earned.

Just because we have this newfound freedom does not mean we are to abuse it.

Romans 6:1-2a
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!

Romans 6:15
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

In Scripture, repetition usually points out important details. Twice within the same chapter Paul points out how we are not to abuse our freedom.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

If we go back to Romans 6 again, Paul tells us why we are not to abuse our freedom of grace. Just as Christ died, we have also died.

Romans 6:1-7
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.

Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Ask congregation what is meant by law of the Spirit of life.

Romans 3:27-28
Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

Ask congregation what is meant by “law of sin and of death.”

Romans 7:12-13
So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

We can see the Law is not to blame. The Law simply pointed out our sin. If there is no Law, one can never be guilty. The law of God is referred to as the law of sin and death because man is sinful and it points out exactly that.

It is Christ who gives us freedom from the Old Testament law and gives us hope in faith.

Romans 6:14
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Ask the congregation to imagine a prisoner who has just been set free. Ask them how the law expects him to act. Answer: Do not break the law and remain free.

1 Peter 2:16
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

Galatians 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Galatians 5:1
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

We were once slaves. We now have freedom in Christ. Take advantage of your newfound freedom. Have peace in this fact!