Verse of the Week: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Truth of the Week: What is sin? Consider this definition: Sin is seeking our satisfaction somewhere other than the glory of God. It is thinking that there is something else that I need, other than what God offers me in Himself, to find joy and purpose and fulfillment in life. Sin is rejecting the life-giving, soul-satisfying water that is found in our Savior and drinking instead from the broken cisterns of the world.
Jesus came to set me free from sin. His death on the cross has forever set me free from the penalty of sin – I no longer stand condemned. His promise of heaven assures me that there will come a day when I am set free from the very presence of sin – enjoying nothing but glory for all of eternity. And as I walk my journey upon this earth, I have a sovereign Savior who sets me from from sin’s power and dominion in my everyday life.
So how does this work? How does freedom become a reality in my moment to moment living? Jesus does not break my bondage to sin (my insistence on seeking and settling for less than the glory of God) by giving me a list of rules to keep, commands to follow, or sins to avoid – although all of His commands are righteous and wise; instead, He offers me something infinitely more satisfying – Himself. It’s as if Jesus says, “Come and feast on me and you will will lose your appetite for lesser things.” Defeating sin will never take place through sheer will power and self determination; any victory sought in that manner will be, at best, but a breath. True freedom from the slavery of sin comes from drinking deeply from the river of delights that is found only in Jesus Christ. Sins’ tentacles lose their grip the more I lay hold of the treasure that lies hidden in the Son of God.
Quote of the Week: “How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose!…You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure.” (Augustine, Confessions)
