Freedom from sin’s power is a goal for all of us. However, for many of us it is elusive. I think a lot of that stems from our understanding of the process. We tend to “work” on ourselves for an extended period of time, slowly (and not so surely) improving ourselves. Evangelicals leverage secular philosophies that we try to Christianize (dubbed “Christian psychology.”) Oftentimes spiritual maturity is confused with sanctification. One would have to conclude that the Holy Spirit is insufficient to transform a life by the methods we utilize to restore a person to wholeness. Again, we believe in God’s power for salvation, but not for transformation.

One Christian teacher once shared a great analogy concerning the mystery of sanctification that has always stuck with me. I have always liked it because of its simplicity—not what you would find in all the classic Christian life resources! This little word picture has allowed me to live in and empower others into freedom from sin’s power with great success. The teacher compared our transformation to restoring a car. We work one part of the car at a time: undercarriage, engine compartment, body panels—all the while continuing to use it as a daily driver. Yes, parts are restored. However, continued use results in new dings, new scratches, wear and tear on the drive train, newly discovered rust spots, and so on. So even though we work it one part at a time, with sweat on our brow, we never get it done. The vehicle always has something that needs sanctification (sound like anyone you know).

He indicated the process should look more like this. We surrender to God, He takes the car, puts it in the crusher and makes a 2-foot cube of steel out of it and sends it to the scrap pile. Then Jesus pulls up in a stretched limo, opens the door and says, “hop in, from now on, you’re riding with me.”

Let’s read Romans Chapter 6 in light of this analogy.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6, NASB)

We are dead to sin, having partaken in Christ’s death and resurrection. We are entirely freed—our old self is DEAD. We now have freedom from sin’s penalty and power over our life. We are no longer slaves to sin, but rather slaves to righteousness. We now walk in newness of life. Our freedom from sin’s power, results in sanctification, that leads to eternal life (verse 22, notice the consistency with my prior messages: no sanctification means no eternal life). Let no one deceive you otherwise. We are free indeed, and must receive that freedom.

Now there is one missing caveat. We are only free if we surrender everything. If we are kicking and screaming and clinging onto the old car as Christ tries to take it to the crusher, we will not gain our freedom. If we hold onto our chains even though the shackles have been released, it is a self-imposed bondage. The result, Satan can even convince us the shackles are latched even though it is simply our holding onto the chains (very common). What a grand deception. This robs God of His glory!

This subject of strongholds will be discussed in the next message.

Lord God Almighty, show us our freedom and empower us to lead others to freedom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Marc Carrier
www.valuesdrivenfamily.com