by Pastor Douglas Brauner

No Longer a Slave to Sin

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

We had our air conditioning unit serviced recently and the technician who worked on it was from England, just outside of London. He has lived in the states for nearly 18 years, but still carries a British accent.

After doing a superlative job fixing our unit, he left with the words, “Happy 4th of July!” To which I responded by saying the same thing back to him. Then he laughed and said, “You know, I’m British.” To which I said, “Yup!” It was good natured fun.

For those of you reading this blog in the U.S., my hope is that you have fun as you celebrate our nation’s independence, and at the same time, give thanks to God for our freedom.

Yet, freedom today goes deeper than our nation’s independence from England. Today, we remember the greater freedom we have in Christ.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 English Standard Version

Being free means that something enslaved us. Paul reminds us that at one time sin was our master. But now, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are free from our bondage to sin. He also recognizes that because we still struggle with sin, there is the temptation to return to that slavery.

How wonderful to know that we have been set free from the condemnation of God’s law that points a finger at us telling us that we never measure up. Christ sets us free by satisfying the demands of the law for us, sealed in his sacrifice on the cross.

And now through Christ, we are bound to the love of God. We have a master, but that master is no longer sin. Our master is the God who created us, redeemed us, and changes us. As you celebrate our nation’s freedom, may you also give thanks to God for freeing you from sin.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado