Live Under the Freedom of Grace

“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” Romans 6:12-14 (NLT)

What an historic event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall!

For me, it began by attending the U2 concert on Pariser Platz last Thursday night. (Wasn’t that an incredible light show on the Brandenburg Gate!?) Over the weekend I walked the “domino wall” between Potsdamer Platz and the Bundestag. Then on Monday I walked across the Bornholmer Strasse Bridge as did hundreds of others…including Merkel and Gorbachev…commemorating the first breach of the wall on 9. November 1989. On Monday night, our SERVICE group had a “Fall of the Wall” party at our home and we watched the evening’s events on TV as politicians paid homage to all those whose courage led to the collapse of the wall. Most of those who spoke highlighted the freedom symbolized by the fall of the wall and the responsibility for us to knock down the literal and metaphorical walls that are current barriers to freedom. The fireworks that concluded the evening weren’t bad either.

Freedom and responsibility! They belong together…not only in “politics” but also in our “personal” life. The apostle Paul writes about another wall that has fallen—the wall of guilt, condemnation, and sin—because of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Through Jesus we’ve been liberated from our sin and now we live under the freedom of God’s grace. No room for condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That wall has fallen! The tyranny of sin has been broken and we have been given a new life…a live that is ours by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

But along with that freedom comes responsibility. Paul says that our freedom gives us the responsibility of making a choice—i.e. faith—to give ourselves completely to God. We are now free to dedicate every part of our being—i.e. will, mind, emotions, and body—to do what is right for God’s glory. How do wedothat? [Note the emphasis on obedience…or faith in action? Our Christian life begins as a condition of our “being” but is expressed as an action in our “doing.”] We do that in the very same way—by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

In faith we choose to set aside our own selfish, sinful desires and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. By grace God empowers us through his indwelling Holy Spirit to fill us with the character of Jesus Christ, to transform our thinking to conform to the truth revealed in Scripture, and to change our hearts to reflect the emotions of our heavenly Father. Then, as an expression of the Christ-life within we…

• Turn away anger with a gentle response
• Stop someone from sharing gossip by speaking the truth in love
• Share a cup of water in the name of Jesus Christ
• Listen to the hurts of others with compassion
• Inconvenience ourselves to serve a spouse or child
• Choose to give away our money to feed the hungry
• Share how Jesus Christ has changed our lives with a friend
• Pray for God’s justice in the world and then join him to see it accomplished
• Give away our time to support God’s work in the church
• Search the Scriptures to have the mind of Christ

By grace through faith we come into right relationship with God. But it is also by grace through faith we nurture that relationship and obediently live it as we partner with God’s work in and through us. We turn to God in the surrender of faith; God comes to us in the mercy of his grace! We have freedom under his grace. We have the responsibility to come to him in faith. To strengthen your faith and to “draw near” to God, learn the discipline of “holy habits” (core practices) that teach us to live like Jesus. One word of caution: these practices don’t “earn” God’s grace! No, they are an expression of our faith and dependence upon God and his grace. When we engage in these “holy habits” with a heart open to God’s presence, we experience the work of God’s grace in our lives.

May God continue to tear down the wall of sinful desires, “works”, self-condemnation, disobedience, etc. and replace it with the freedom of his grace!

Grace and freedom,

Scott Corwin, Pastor

1 Comment to Live Under the Freedom of Grace

1. 

   Well written, Pastor Scott! What an exciting time for all of us to be living in Berlin during these symbolic days… God has tremendously blessed Germany since the Fall of the Wall, and has placed the responsibility of being a role model to the world on its citizens’ shoulders; may the Christians in this country rise to the occasion with the Holy Spirit’s help…
Karen on November 13th, 2009

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