In Christ

The majority of this world is enslaved.  We are enslaved by marketing, our socioeconomic backgrounds, banks, student loan companies, our commitments, and our desires.  As any slave, we may have our own areas in which we have autonomy but we are still subject to our masters.  Deep down we all desire freedom.  

Unfortunately, there is only one way to gain that freedom and that is to die.  We must die to this world, who we are, and what we own.  We must die at the cross and be risen with Christ.  Do that, and we have freedom in Christ.

Freedom in Christ is not having the freedom to do what we want, to sin, and be forgiven, but rather freedom from sin.  In the flesh, prior to experiencing the salvific grace that we find in Christ, we have no freedom.  In the unregenerate state, we must sin.  We must sin because it is who we are without God.  It is our nature.  Birds fly, lions prowl, humans sin.  None are created pure.

All good things come from God.  This includes actions.  An act is based on its motive.  So even when a non-Christian does something that the world would judge to be "good" it is still evil because that person did not do it out of submission and love to God.  Any action we do apart from the the direction and guidance of our Creator is an act of sin.  Granted, it can have benefit but because the person is following their own ways and not God's, it is evil in nature.  As Christians we are no longer subject to that because of the Holy Spirit.  The good actions that we consciously do are by compulsion of the Spirit and not of our own flesh.

With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have freedom.  We no longer have to sin.  We still will sin and we will face the consequences of that.  However, the wrath of God was imparted to Christ on the cross and we in turn received his righteousness.  Freedom in Christ is having the freedom to not sin, to no longer be in constant rebellion with God.  With Christ we are enslaved no more.

While we become discouraged at our failures and shortcomings with our relationship with God, we can know that we are not forced to turn our backs on Him.  We know that God loves us and that His love is not on a sliding scale.  God's affection and loyalty to us is not given only after a strict checklist is met, even though in reverse, ours probably is.  Freedom calls to all of mankind.  Freedom is only completely found through the cross that Jesus bore.  If we believe upon him, we can taste that freedom.