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"True
Freedom"
There
is a common misconception concerning the nature of TRUE
freedom.
Freedom, as many would define it, means to be
able to do what you WANT,
whatever it is, FREE from ALL restraints.
This
is NOT freedom; this is selfishness. And selfishness is the root of SIN!
The
origin of temptation to sin, as described by James, is
comparable to a fishing analogy (James 1:14-15).
He wrote:
“Each one is tempted…
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“When he is drawn away by
his own desires and enticed” – the
fish is drawn to a particular bait because it is
appealing to the fish.
-
“Then, when desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin” – the
fish has taken the bait!
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“And sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death” – the
fish has been hooked, caught, and is soon to be
eaten!
With
these words, James shows us that - the temptation
process is directly related to our OWN sinful, selfish
desires. And,
if we ACT on our selfish
desires, then we are trapped!
It
is common for us to think of SIN as a SERVANT
rather than a MASTER.
When we CHOOSE to commit sin, we usually do so
because we think that it will SERVE OUR interests –
OUR selfish desires.
SIN is viewed as a tool to bring us
pleasure, and we view ourselves as being in control.
The sin will go no further than WE want it to
go, and we can stop it whenever we want.
But we are naïve.
We are like Eve who only saw the forbidden
fruit as a means to satisfy her desires and ambitions,
but could not see the terrible consequences of her
choice (see Genesis 3).
In
the Bible, God teaches us to look at sin in a
different way. There ARE temporary pleasures
associated with sin (Hebrews 11:25), but ultimately it
leads to pain, death and eternal ruin.
It is like bait to the fish, a tasty morsel that
offers quick and easy gratification, but hidden
inside is the DEADLY
barb!
Once we give in to sin, it takes hold of
us and drags us along.
What we thought of as our SERVANT
suddenly becomes our MASTER.
It takes us places we did NOT plan to go and
causes changes in our lives that we
NEVER intended!
THEN - we realize that the great liberation and
freedom that sin and selfishness offered were only
traps. We
find instead that we have SOLD ourselves into slavery,
and it is a bitter slavery indeed!
Sin
and selfishness promise FREEDOM,
but they deliver BONDAGE.
The
GOOD NEWS is that TRUE freedom can be found in
Christ! By
the grace and mercy of God, we are saved and delivered
from the bondage of sin and selfishness when we,
through faith and repentance,
are baptized for
the forgiveness of our sins (see Acts 2:38).
TRUE
freedom is NOT the ability to live as we CHOOSE
to live, but the ability to live as we OUGHT
to live. Christ,
through His death on the cross, paid the ransom price
to free us from the power of self and sin.
He died to set us free, but NOT free to have
our OWN way or to indulge our selfish desires.
That would lead us right back into bondage!
Through Christ, we are free to do what was impossible
to do without Him: to
live unselfishly for God and for the benefit of
others.
"Therefore
if the Son makes you FREE, you shall be FREE
INDEED" John 8:36)!
Have
you Obeyed the Gospel? (click
here)
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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