One Simple Truth - Day 10: There is no true freedom outside of Christ.

“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most people are aware of the power of addiction. We’ve all seen lives, families, hopes and dreams, destroyed because of addiction. Many of us have even seen family members suffer because of addiction. Sometimes we are the one who has fallen into the trap of addiction.

We understand all too well the power and pull of chemical addiction with alcohol and other addictive drugs. We’ve also seen addictions that involve things like food, or even being addicted to things having to be done in a certain way (compulsive behavior).

Some people are addicted to pornography, or even to social media. Have you noticed that when you are “scrolling” on your phone, it is sometimes difficult to stop? Even that behavior is self-perpetuating.

Now, an aspect of sin of which many people are unaware, is the addictive nature of sin—any sin. And, the more sin someone commits, the more they are compelled to commit sin.

The irony is that people who want to do whatever they want to do without regard to whether it is sinful, equate that with freedom. What they fail to realize is that with every sin, the hold sin has on them is further tightened.

The bottom line is that without the freedom that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, we are addicted to sin and can’t break loose from it.

In our opening scripture we see that the religious leaders were offended when Jesus said that He offered truth that would make them free. After all, their father was Abraham!

Jesus’ answer to them pointed out a simple truth: Those who sin are enslaved to sin. Sin cannot be “managed.” We must die to sin by identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Only then can we follow after righteousness. Only then are we free to become like our Lord.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Make no mistake, if we are not submitted to Christ, we are necessarily slaves of sin. And sin, leads to death. But if we do submit ourselves to Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we can say no to sin and pursue righteousness.

Only when the Son has set us free from the power of sin, are we totally free!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim

#onesimpletruth