Reality That Makes Free
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” —Romans 6:5-7
Our last two articles presented three very basic, practical truths from this Scripture portion: (1) union with Christ that rests in hope (v5); (2) knowledge of truth that moves with power (v6); and (3) the reality of the Cross that makes free (v7).
The combination of our last two articles, from Romans 6:5 and Romans 6:6, we saw that our union with Christ also provides us with a very real and intimate knowledge of the truth. We ended our last article asking, “Why is this intimate knowledge of the truth so important in our lives?”
Why? We have been freed from sin.
“For he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:7). We have been freed. We have been justified. Jesus said to them that believed on Him, “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). There are people that may certainly have been saved by God’s grace, and yet, their salvation is at a standstill according to knowledge and understanding, entertaining attitudes such as this one: “Well, I’m saved and that’s all that matters.” That kind of thinking flies straight in the face of what the Lord taught in John 8 (as well as many other passages throughout the Bible).
We can’t live out our freedom from sin if we don’t know the truth, or worse, ignore the truth. Jesus purchased the sinner with His precious blood, and to fail to grow in intimate knowledge of that truth would be like being set free and pronounced “not guilty” by a judge in the courtroom, then turning around, placing the handcuffs right back on, and walking back to the jail cell.
The redeeming Sacrifice of Jesus Christ has not only forgiven us from our sins, but that eternal truth and that sacred reality has also set us free from the sins that so easily beset us. We did not have the power to overcome sin while we were unsaved, reprobate sinners; but after the saving grace of Christ, that power is true, and that truth is powerful to free us from the bondage of sin.
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