Away from the Past, into the Future

 Away from the Past, into the Future    

 Today’s Scripture: Romans 6:14a 

 For sin shall not have dominion over you…    At the back of the platform of Faneuil Hall in Boston stands a large painting with the following words: "Union and Liberty, one and inseparable, now and forever." General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once made an address in Faneuil Hall. His speech was dramatic. Turning to the painting, he cried, "'Union and liberty' - union with Christ and liberty from sin - 'one and inseparable, now and forever.'"    We have previously spoken about the freedom that only Christ can give; one that transcends the physical and obliterates every other hindrance, whether emotional, mental or spiritual. It is only in Christ we have the freedom to be who God has created us to be; the freedom to fulfil purpose. But the first bondage Christ breaks in order to set us free is the bondage of sin. Freedom and sin are mutually exclusive. In other words, you cannot have sin and be free. Sin is the shackle that opens us up to the chains of fear, sickness and death, and only Christ can free us from it. General Booth was right: union with Christ is liberty from sin.    Sin is a shackle that ties us to the past. It breeds guilt, fear, condemnation and weakens our perception of self. But Christ broke that chain and buried everything negative that once counted against us, freeing us to pursue God's plan for our lives in purity and in power. Here is an interesting allegory: On the night of the emancipation of Jamaican slaves in 1838, a mahogany coffin was made and a grave was dug. Into that coffin they crowded all the various relics and remnants of their previous bondage and sorrow: the whips, the torture irons, the branding irons, the handcuffs. They placed everything in the coffin and screwed down the lid. At the stroke of midnight the coffin was lowered into its grave and the whole throng of thousands celebrated their redemption with singing and shouts. This is a minor reflection of what happens when we repent and embrace God's redemption in Christ. He wipes the slate clean.    We are buried with Christ in weakness and in bondage to sin, and we resurrect with Him in freedom and power. This is the central theme of the gospel and the reality of our new life. Old things have passed away; all things have become new.    We are free indeed. Let this bring you joy and comfort as we call it to mind today. Let it give you a renewed impetus to meet the rest of your days with the confidence and power that freedom in Christ brings. It does not matter where you are coming from or what you have done, you are free from the sins of the past. Guilt has no place in this. Christ has set us free, if indeed we have received Him!   
  Memorise & Meditate:  "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2    
 Prayer & Confession:  Thank You, Father, for setting me free from sin. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. Therefore sin shall not have dominion over me, in Jesus' name.