In Ephesians 1:7 Paul said, In Christ, we are made free by his blood sacrifice. He is referring to the fact that we are free from the consequence of sin, which is death. Instead we are free to spend eternity with God, because Jesus paid the price for us. Galatians 5:13-14 says, You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself." This freedom is not so that we can do anything we like, because we know God will forgive us.
Many people view Christianity as legalistic and full of rules and commandments to obey. Paul is saying there is only one rule, and that is to love others. We are free from the Old Testament rules and regulations. If you want an insight into these, take a look at the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. We are free from the punishment we deserved—separation from God. We are free from pleasing others because we only need to please God. We are free from trying to live by the world's standards—we are simply called to love God and love others. We are free from the fear of an uncertain future because we know that we will spend eternity with God. We are free from guilt and shame, because the blood of Jesus covers all our sin. So, be free.
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Ephesians 1:5 says, And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. Before God made the world, he knew that we would sin and need rescuing. Yet he still made us—even though he knew he would need to sacrifice his Son Jesus to adopt us.
John 1:12 says, But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. All we have to do to become a child of God is to believe in him and accept him. Romans 8:14-17 says, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. There's a lot to unpack in these three verses but in summary:
Regardless of your earthly family, you are a child of God! You may feel as though you are one hot mess, but the Bible says that when God looks at you, he sees you as faultless and without sin. That is because the blood of Jesus has cleansed your sin and taken it away. Ephesians 1:4 says, In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. Other translations of the Bible say 'blameless' or 'innocent.' John the Baptist referred to Jesus as 'the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world!' in John 1:29.
Your life is like a pre-paid phone plan and sin is the data, calls and texts you make each month. When Jesus died and rose again it's like he spent a million dollars on your pre-paid plan. He died to forgive your sins even before you committed them. We often base our identity on what the world says important, such as looks, grades, athletic ability... We should actually base our identity on who God says we are. The following verses tell us that we are loved. And not the kind of love that you have for ice cream, but the 'I love you so much I'm willing to die for you' kind of love.
Ephesians 2:6 God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. Romans 5:8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us. Romans 8:38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Ephesians 3:18 I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. You can't do anything that will make God love you more, and you can't do anything that will make him love you less. You are loved. Full stop. This is an old video but a relevant message. Fill in the contact form below and we'll send you a printable PDF of these Identity in Christ cards. Philippians 3:20 says, But our citizenship is in heaven. This life on earth is just part of the journey. Heaven is where we really belong. Being a citizen of a country gives you special privileges such as:
Being a citizen of a country also comes with responsibilities such as:
No matter what you have done, if you are a Christian and have asked God to forgive your sins, they are forgiven. Full stop. End of story. When I was a teenager, I knew this to be true but I kept getting stuck in guilt and shame. I battled thoughts like:
I'm not good enough If I'm a 'real' Christian I shouldn't keep committing the same sins I might as well give up. But 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And even more that that, Hebrews 8:12 says that God forgets our sin. And I will forgive the wrongs they have done, and I will not remember their sins. God is not sitting in heaven wagging his finger at you and shaking his head in disgust. The minute you ask for forgiveness he has forgiven and forgotten your sin. So don't let the lies of Satan keep you stuck in a cycle of guilt and shame. Hold your head up because YOU ARE FORGIVEN! CHALLENGE: Are there some sins that you need to confess to God? James 5:16 says, Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. There is great freedom when you confess your sins to someone else too - it's like the power of that sin over you is released. It's not easy, but it's Biblical. I know that kids who have been adopted have a pretty hard time dealing with the fact that their birth parents didn't want them. But I think it's pretty amazing that someone else would want you in their family so much that they would go to all the time and effort and cost of adopting you. That's exactly what God did for us - he paid the price of sacrificing his only son so that he could adopt us into his family.
It might be pretty awesome to have rich or famous parents, but I am a child of the God who made the universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is better than any celebrity or superhero. And my inheritance is eternal life in heaven!!! |
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