FREEDOM TO NOT SIN

I Peter 2:16 You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as God’s slaves.

As believers, we are not slaves to sin; we are free from them. What this means in a practical sense is that our attitude towards sinning changes when we are in Christ. Instead of looking for ways to sin, we look for ways to not sin. We strive to avoid those things which lead us into sin. We avoid fellowship with those who will lead us into sin. We take responsibility for our souls and strive to not sin.

We are the protector and guardian of our souls. It is our duty to help ourselves keep our hearts pure. Only Christ makes us righteous before God, but only we can take actions that keep us righteous. The Lord does not give us a free pass to heaven that allows us to excuse sin in our lives. We must do the work that accompanies salvation.

Being free to live as God’s slaves means that we live the life and not just talk the talk. We live under the authority of God’s Word. We conform ourselves to His holy life. We become living witnesses and servants of Christ. We actively minister in a dark world God’s amazing grace. We seek always to do what is right in God’s eyes, not excusing ourselves when we don’t.

Many who proclaim Christ as their Savior live as if they are still in bondage to sin. They just don’t seem to get a handle on this. They struggle with sin and never seem to get victory over it. They seem to be content with their bondage believing that since they are "saved" they are forgiven and all is well. But, such living is not appropriate or acceptable for children of God. Christ saves us from our sins and changes our attitude about sin. We no longer are okay with sin. We no longer ignore it. We confess it and strive to not repeat it in our lives.

Christ redeems us for His glory and it is essential for our salvation that we live to glorify Him.