Post Camp Day 12: Carrying God’s Presence through His Freedom Life Lesson from Paul
Read: Romans 6:1-14 As Paul writes, we are able to now live by the spirit and not of the flesh. No longer bounded by the chains of sin, but set free by the blood of Christ. As we live in a brand new life in Christ, we still sin, and struggle daily, but we can choose not to be bounded or tied down by it. The powerful thing about the blood of Christ is that it has the power to overcome the depths of all sin. That empowers us a whole lot and makes us no longer slaves of the law, because God lives in and through us. We don’t have to earn God’s acceptance by keeping His Law, neither do we have to observe religious rituals because these human efforts will all go to waste. When we simply put our faith in Jesus, He justifies us—he declares us to not be bounded only by guilty, but to experience freedom from sins in Jesus. And this is not because we have become righteous in our behaviour, but because through Jesus’ death he has paid the full penalty for all of our sins. But what constitutes a ‘struggle’? In reality, sin does not become a struggle unless we work towards its exact opposite – holiness. The term only comes about when we have decided to set our hearts apart for God and thus, making the eradication of sin in our life a constant battle. As humans, we’re all limited in our own ways. Somehow or another we experience the effects of these limitations on us in the form of struggles in sin. It might be struggles in fear, struggles in being honest, struggles with consistency, or struggles with discipline. And the list goes on. But God’s character is just amazing in the way that His abounding love stretches out and covers all multitudes of sin. When we understand how much God would still unashamedly give His love toward us even in our most sinful state, we then realise that there is freedom in that knowledge. It unlocks the chains that bind and gives us freedom to heal and grow in Him. Galatians 5:16-18 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Reflection Station: Are there certain areas of my life that I have been in constant struggle for? How can I experience freedom from these struggles through my relationship with Jesus?