One would like to think of themselves as a pretty good person.
But apart from Christ, all are enslaved by wrong principles (Gal. 4:3-9), passions of the flesh (Eph. 2:1-3), and wholly unable to seek God (Rom. 3:10-12) because of Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:6).
However, God sent His only Son to die for the sins of His people and inputs His righteousness to them (2 Cor. 5:21). The same mighty God that transforms a caterpillar into a butterfly changes individuals (and congregations, and communities and nations) from children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) to children of God. By the grace of God, a cursed person is drawn by God (John 6:44), repents (Acts 26:20), comes to Christ, believes in Him (John 3:35), becomes a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), is justified by faith in Christ (Gal. 2:16), is a child of God (Rom. 8:16) and lives by the Spirit (Rom. 8:1-11, Gal. 5:16-26). Christ sets one free from the slavery to sin, enabling the renewed person to love God and delight in his law (Psalm 1:2). Being trained by God (Phil 2:12-13) a person renounces worldly passions and lives a godly life, zealous for good works (Titus 2:11-14). A Christian is filled with hope in the return of Jesus Christ when body and soul will fully conform to His image (Rom. 8:29), enjoying God to all eternity (Rom 6:22-23).
“So when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” John 8:36.
The sight of a butterfly freely flying from flower to flower is a remarkable transformation from its previous state as a caterpillar confined to a plant to a state of freedom. People in Christ can express the same joy in the Resurrected Christ who lives in us through faith, enabling us to be free from a self-centered life that submits to addictions.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
Furthermore, regenerated people trust in God and cease to centralize power for security. Political and economic freedom is a gift from God rooted in His sovereign, powerful work.
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