Ephesians Day 9
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.
Ephesians 1:7
I want you to imagine something very foreign to us. Imagine being a slave. Imagine not having a say in what you do (or what is done to you). You don’t get to choose when you wake up. You don’t get to choose when the work day is done. You don’t get to choose what to eat.
One of the most profound statements of Jesus is in John 8. “Whoever practises sin is a slave to sinâ€. We think we are the most free people that have ever lived. But what if actually we (outside of Christ) are just as enslaved as anyone has been?
What if we are slaves to sinful impulses that cause us to reject God and reject His ways? That cause us to enjoy breaking God’s laws. That cause us to make ourselves or something other than God the centre of our lives. And what if we just can’t stop - because we are slaves.
In the ancient world. Redemption was the act of purchasing a slave's freedom. And the proclamation of Jesus is that though we are slaves to sin, “if the Son sets you free, you are free indeedâ€. If we look to Jesus, we have redemption through His blood.
It’s forgiveness for our sins. But it’s also redemption. In Christ we are no longer slaves to sin. We may continue to sin, but this is a sad force of habit, a throwback to the old-self. Instead, we now have the freedom to live as we should. That is, to live for righteousness instead of sinful desires.
This too is the riches of God’s grace to us. That we might be free. Not free to live however we like - but free to live as we should.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is rich in grace and lavishes it on us. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who sets us free from sin through His blood. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others live in freedom to follow Christ faithfully.
Ephesians 1:7
I want you to imagine something very foreign to us. Imagine being a slave. Imagine not having a say in what you do (or what is done to you). You don’t get to choose when you wake up. You don’t get to choose when the work day is done. You don’t get to choose what to eat.
One of the most profound statements of Jesus is in John 8. “Whoever practises sin is a slave to sinâ€. We think we are the most free people that have ever lived. But what if actually we (outside of Christ) are just as enslaved as anyone has been?
What if we are slaves to sinful impulses that cause us to reject God and reject His ways? That cause us to enjoy breaking God’s laws. That cause us to make ourselves or something other than God the centre of our lives. And what if we just can’t stop - because we are slaves.
In the ancient world. Redemption was the act of purchasing a slave's freedom. And the proclamation of Jesus is that though we are slaves to sin, “if the Son sets you free, you are free indeedâ€. If we look to Jesus, we have redemption through His blood.
It’s forgiveness for our sins. But it’s also redemption. In Christ we are no longer slaves to sin. We may continue to sin, but this is a sad force of habit, a throwback to the old-self. Instead, we now have the freedom to live as we should. That is, to live for righteousness instead of sinful desires.
This too is the riches of God’s grace to us. That we might be free. Not free to live however we like - but free to live as we should.
For Today:
- Do you see people enslaved to sin?
- Do you still feel like that sometimes?
- What does freedom to live for Christ look like today for you?
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is rich in grace and lavishes it on us. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who sets us free from sin through His blood. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others live in freedom to follow Christ faithfully.
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