Most Christians are obsessed with sin. They try with all their might to avoid sinning, to no avail; what they fail to understand is that when Jesus died on the cross, He took care of this issue permanently. Our first response to His death may be the religious one—that He freed us from our sins. However, many don’t understand specifically what this freedom means on a personal level.

Just before Jesus’ birth, the message that the angel delivered was that Jesus, the Son of God, would be born to save the people from their sins. This was a simple but powerful message straight from heaven. Jesus is grace in human form and, after His death, His resurrection proved that grace is greater than sin. In the garden of Eden, Adam’s disobedience made us all sinners; Jesus’ obedience, even unto death, makes us righteous.

In his letters to the Romans, Paul repeatedly referred to sin as a noun, not a verb. This is significant, because Christ delivered us from our old, sinful natures, not from the act of sinning. God made us free moral agents, and Jesus didn’t take away our right to decide for ourselves whether we want to continue sinning. A true understanding of God’s favor reveals that when we get born again and become dead to sin, we’ll no longer want to continue in sin that grace may abound.

Accepting Jesus and being born again enables God to replace our old, sinful root with a root as perfect and holy as Jesus, Himself. God comes to live in us and makes us new creations. Our identities change and the love God bestows on us gives us the privilege of being called His children.

Our new identities aren’t based on what we do, but on what Jesus did. Victory over sinning doesn’t come from trying harder, but from faith in Him. When we believe we’re the righteousness of God, we’ll lose all interest in the sinful acts we used to enjoy so much.

Prayer:

God, because of what Your Son did, sin is now a non-issue. His death and resurrection enables us to reach perfection in Him, by faith. This is a radical concept that most people don’t understand, but it’s plainly spelled out in Your Word. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

• Matthew 1:20-23
• Romans 5:19, 20
• Philippians 2:8
• Romans 6:1, 2
• 1 John 3:1