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Romans 6:14
For sin shall not be your master, because you
are not under law, but under grace.
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April
24
Free From Bondage
Despite all of the calls for obedience in the
New Testament, calls for holiness, and calls to
follow the model of Jesus, Christians are
reminded that they are not under the law.
This paradox is something that many pastors and
theologians struggle with, let alone the average
Christian. Romans 6:14 is one of the keys
to understanding the difference between being
under the law and under grace.
The law is a burden that we are unable to keep.
It is directly tied to sin because it points out
our sin to us. This is a good thing
because we should do all that we can to
eliminate sin in our life. However, we can
fall into the trap of attempting to follow the
law for the wrong reasons.
We should follow the law because we love God and
want to obey Him. We should follow the law
because God has set the guidelines for us for
our own protection because He loves us. We
shouldn't follow the law because we think that
we have something to gain from God by doing so.
God has given us grace which means that the
penalty for disobeying the law has been removed.
When we follow the law out of duty, we actually
reject God's grace and say "thanks but no
thanks, I'll do it on my own." God wants
obedience but He wants it out of love and not a
sense of duty. Because of grace, the law
should not be a burden for us to fulfill but a
joy because of our love for the Lord. |
