THE PRESENT TENSE FREEDOM OF THE BELIEVER

Rom. 6:22

Morning Meditation 7/5/16

Verse 22 says, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

Jesus said in John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus came to set men free. A lot is said in the New Testament about freedom. So I do not apologize for talking a lot about the freedom that we have in Christ. I believe a lot of people are like the cow that is staked out and allowed to graze. This goes on for a long time. Finally, the rope is taken off and the cow goes no further than the rope allowed her to go when she was confined to a certain area. This is the way of many Christians. The rope of bondage to sin has been taken off but we still graze in the same area because we are presently operating on the limitations of the past.

Paul says, “But now being made free from sin.” The word “now” means “at this very moment.” The words “being made free” translate one word (eleutheroo). It means “to make free; set at liberty: from the dominion of sin.” It is an aorist passive participle. The aorist tense means that it has been done. It is history. So this verse is not talking about a goal to be obtained. It has already been obtained and Paul is informing the uninformed that the rope of past bondage is no longer around their necks. It is amazing that a lot of people who have been set free never get beyond where the rope of their unsaved past allowed them to go. Paul said to the Corinthian’s in First Corinthians 3:3: “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” Here we have Christians walking as men. This walk is described as “carnal.” The word “carnal” is “sarkikos.” It refers to having the nature of flesh, i.e., under the control of the animal appetites. The passive voice of this verb-form means that their freedom did not originate in themselves. It was obtained by another and given to them as a gift.

The word “sin” describes what we are made free from. It is obvious that it does not mean “free from sinning.” John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” One verse in the Bible does not contradict another. So this freedom given us does not set us free from sinning. Sin can describe the act of transgressing the law. John defines it this way: 1 John 3:4: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Or, it can identify the old sin nature from which all the sins of the flesh arise. This is it’s meaning here. We are free from sin in this sense. Paul says in Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Paul is giving a reason here. If sin is the transgression of the law, and the believer is no longer under the law, then the power of condemnation has been removed. Paul says the believer is under grace and grace is what God is free to do for us because of the cross.

We have a perfect illustration of this principle in John 8:1-11 where the woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus. They did this “tempting him” (verse 6) because they wanted to condemn Jesus because of his teaching. They said in verses four and five: “They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” Were they right? Yes, they were right. The law said exactly what they said it said. They just knew they had him. But he had to bring up the question of their sin. He said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Jesus authorized the stoning of the woman. But the stoners could not be under the same condemnation. So Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Can you picture this scene? When confronted with the very law that they were using to condemn this woman verse nine says, “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” The exodus of Israel from Egypt is not the only exodus of the Bible! Now keep this picture in mind. Not one of her accusers was left. You see the Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The law condemns all because all are sinners. There was not one in that crowd that did not have sin in his life. There was not one who did not deserve the same condemnation that they were seeking for the woman.

There are those who believe that there was not one man in that crowd that had not committed the same sin as the women. I do not believe that. But I do believe that any sin, no matter how small, deserves the same condemnation. There was not a sinless man in the crowd. All of them were under the same condemnation of the woman.

I said there was not a sinless man in the crowd. Well, that is, with one exception. The condemned woman stood before the only sinless man that had been in this world since before Adam sinned. Let’s call him GRACE. You see what the scribes and Pharisees did not know is that they did not bring the condemned woman to Moses they brought her to GRACE. The Law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Jesus was the only one who had a right to condemn her. He could have cast a stone in condemnation. He was not himself under the condemnation of the law.

A lot of people have rejected this passage of Scripture as spurious because it seems to have Jesus condoning sin. No. It could not be more authentic. I can understand why Satan would want to do away with this passage.. You see GRACE sets the sinner free and goes and submits to the condemnation of the sinner in the sinners place. Jesus let the woman go and died in her place. That is the message of grace! (Someone hold my mules). Amen! Glory to God and the Lamb for ever! Hallelujah!

That fallen woman is a picture of the Bride of Christ. Wow! I am a member of a body of believers who stood righteously condemned before God. The Law caught me in the very act. The enforcers of the Law brought me to Jesus and wanted to use me to get him to break the law that they might put him at odds with the law. But it didn’t work. Jesus exposed the “condemners” for being lawbreakers also and set me free by going to the cross and paying all that the law demanded, i.e., death.

The verse we are meditation on today says, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

What did Jesus say to the woman? “Go, and sin no more.” God wants us to live a holy life. Jesus told the woman “go, and sin no more” AFTER he said, “Neither do I condemn thee..” We have been set free through the death of Jesus (Romans 6:6-7) to live under grace. And grace removes the rope that had us in bondage to a certain grazing area. We are now free to get beyond the limitations of the flesh. We are free to “walk in the Spirit” and live a life of holiness.

May the Lord bless you.

In Christ

Bro. White