Comments on: Reason 29 – Jesus Came to Die To Free Us from the Slavery of Sin http://spiritfilledpuritan.com/2009/03/26/reason-29-jesus-came-to-die-to-free-us-from-the-slavery-of-sin/ Living the Spirit-filled Life For the Lord, by Faith in Future Grace Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:03:25 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Art http://spiritfilledpuritan.com/2009/03/26/reason-29-jesus-came-to-die-to-free-us-from-the-slavery-of-sin/comment-page-1/#comment-1287 Art Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:03:25 +0000 http://spiritfilledpuritan.com/2009/03/26/reason-29-jesus-came-to-die-to-free-us-from-the-slavery-of-sin/#comment-1287 Dear Ministry Addict Sorry about the delay on your comment. I just saw it listed in my admin panel. I like your analogy of swimming. Jesus set us free from the bondage of the law, not the need for the law. We are no longer trapped by it's demands for righteousness because of Christ's death on the cross and the Father imputing to us the Righteousness of Christ. This fact allows us to pursue the will of the Father in freedom. We should always be seeking the will of the LORD for which "strokes" are best for His glory. Dear Ministry Addict

Sorry about the delay on your comment. I just saw it listed in my admin panel. I like your analogy of swimming. Jesus set us free from the bondage of the law, not the need for the law. We are no longer trapped by it’s demands for righteousness because of Christ’s death on the cross and the Father imputing to us the Righteousness of Christ. This fact allows us to pursue the will of the Father in freedom. We should always be seeking the will of the LORD for which “strokes” are best for His glory.

]]> By: Ministry Addict http://spiritfilledpuritan.com/2009/03/26/reason-29-jesus-came-to-die-to-free-us-from-the-slavery-of-sin/comment-page-1/#comment-1259 Ministry Addict Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:41:13 +0000 http://spiritfilledpuritan.com/2009/03/26/reason-29-jesus-came-to-die-to-free-us-from-the-slavery-of-sin/#comment-1259 The five competitive swimming strokes as: individual medley, butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle. In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most commonly used is sometimes called the crawl It is hardly surprising that racing swimmers, when given the “freedom” to choose any style they wish, choose the style which allows them to swim the fastest. Likewise, Christians (those who are truly saved by grace through faith in Christ) are given freedom to run the Christian race in a variety of “styles.” “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1) The freedom we have in Christ is freedom both from the yoke of legalistic bondage, and from the slavery of sin. (Lamentations 1:14) But the Christian race is not a short “swim-sprint,” where the swimmer throws himself wildly into the water and violently writhes and thrashes his way to the other end of the pool, flopping out of the water and lying, chest heaving, exhausted and spent for the rest of the day. No, the Christian’s race is more like a long-distance swim, sometimes experiencing pounding waves, sometimes calm sea. One day carried along easily on the current, other times battling his way upstream. At times making progress through a violent storm, at other times treading in place, trying to keep his head above the surface. The Holy Spirit commended, but also admonished, the Galatian believers in Chap. 5, verse 7: “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” If you are a Christian, you are free to swim in any style permitted by Scripture. This is the freedom granted by Christ’s shed blood on the Cross. If, when you were first saved, you made a public profession, joined a church, were Scripturally baptized - if you read your Bible, prayed regularly, told others about the Lord Jesus - then you “did” swim well. But if you have stopped swimming well, you should ask the question, “What has hindered me?” Are you sinking because you are burdened with unnecessary worldly possessions or interests that weigh you down in the water? Are you being slowed down because you haven’t spent enough time training with your Instructor or studying your “Training Manual?” Are you in danger of drowning before reaching the finish line because you lacked physical discipline and enjoyed the pleasure of a heavy meal right before jumping into the pool? Swimmers, set free from rules which require them to swim in a certain style, use the style which allows them to swim most excellently. Christians should recognize their freedom in Christ as an opportunity to strive for excellence, not mediocrity. The five competitive swimming strokes as: individual medley, butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle. In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most commonly used is sometimes called the crawl It is hardly surprising that racing swimmers, when given the “freedom” to choose any style they wish, choose the style which allows them to swim the fastest.

Likewise, Christians (those who are truly saved by grace through faith in Christ) are given freedom to run the Christian race in a variety of “styles.” “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1)

The freedom we have in Christ is freedom both from the yoke of legalistic bondage, and from the slavery of sin. (Lamentations 1:14) But the Christian race is not a short “swim-sprint,” where the swimmer throws himself wildly into the water and violently writhes and thrashes his way to the other end of the pool, flopping out of the water and lying, chest heaving, exhausted and spent for the rest of the day. No, the Christian’s race is more like a long-distance swim, sometimes experiencing pounding waves, sometimes calm sea. One day carried along easily on the current, other times battling his way upstream. At times making progress through a violent storm, at other times treading in place, trying to keep his head above the surface.

The Holy Spirit commended, but also admonished, the Galatian believers in Chap. 5, verse 7: “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” If you are a Christian, you are free to swim in any style permitted by Scripture. This is the freedom granted by Christ’s shed blood on the Cross. If, when you were first saved, you made a public profession, joined a church, were Scripturally baptized – if you read your Bible, prayed regularly, told others about the Lord Jesus – then you “did” swim well. But if you have stopped swimming well, you should ask the question, “What has hindered me?” Are you sinking because you are burdened with unnecessary worldly possessions or interests that weigh you down in the water? Are you being slowed down because you haven’t spent enough time training with your Instructor or studying your “Training Manual?” Are you in danger of drowning before reaching the finish line because you lacked physical discipline and enjoyed the pleasure of a heavy meal right before jumping into the pool?

Swimmers, set free from rules which require them to swim in a certain style, use the style which allows them to swim most excellently. Christians should recognize their freedom in Christ as an opportunity to strive for excellence, not mediocrity.

]]>