Once we were slaves to sin, but now we have not only been forgiven for our sins but set free from the bondage of sin. Yet many of us live as if we are still slaves to it. What about you? Are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit with the resources God has provided or are you still living as if you are a slave to sin?
Also:
Why is a dry crust of bread better than the abundance that many enjoy? And why is the Old Testament still important to us today?
Today’s Readings:
2 Samuel 19 & 20
Psalm 67.1-7
Proverbs 16.33-17.1
John 8.1-27
Are You Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit?
John 8.1-27:
Christ is the Only Way!
There’s so much in this chapter, including another of Jesus’ great “I AM” statements. In this passage He declared Himself to be the Light of the World.
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (v. 12).
He went on in verse 24:
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
No one can be good enough to go to heaven apart from believing the gospel. Christ is the only way!
But there is even more for us to think about in today’s readings.
Living in Light of Forgiveness
In verses 3-11, we have one of those very familiar stories, that of the woman taken in adultery:
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
While Jesus in His mercy extended grace to this sinful woman, it was not so she could continue in her sin. She was to “go and sin no more.”
When We Come to Christ
And when we humbly come to Christ, recognizing our own sinfulness, accept His grace and forgiveness, and put our faith in what He did for us on the cross, we too are forgiven.
In light of that, how should we live? Like this woman, we are to repent of our sin, turn from it, and with God’s help begin to live His way. Not out of fear of the consequences, but out of gratitude for all we’ve been forgiven and with the knowledge that we are now free from the power of sin.
Free from the Power of Sin
Romans 6 says:
2 … How shall we who died to sin still live in it?3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 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. 5 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, 6 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; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 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. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Once we were slaves to sin, but now we have been set free from the bondage of sin.
Yet many of us live as if we are still slaves to it. We fail to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit who will enable us to grow and change.
Living Between Easter & Pentecost
J. Oswald Sanders says too many people are living between Easter and Pentecost. They celebrate Christ’s resurrection, but fail to live in the power of the Holy Spirit that was provided for us at Pentecost. 2 Peter 1 says:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
He’s given us everything we need to live righteous, God-honoring lives: His Word (2 Pet. 1.3; 2 Tim. 3.16-17), the right to come to Him in prayer (Heb. 4.16), and the indwelling Holy Spirit (Jn. 16.7).
So, what about you? Could you be stuck between Easter and Pentecost or are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit and using the resources He has given us? Are you reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on His Word? Are you taking your cares and struggles to Him in prayer? Or are you trying to live life in your own power and in your own way?
Today’s Other Readings:
2 Samuel 19 & 20:
The Old Testament and Us
1 Corinthians 10.11 says about the Old Testament:
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
As you read these stories of all the kingdom intrigues, the in-fighting, the murders, the jostling for position, it’s a reminder to us of just how depraved we all are apart from God and how much we needed a Savior!
Psalm 67.1-7:
So His Name May Be Known
God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations (vv. 1-2).
Even as we pray like the psalmist did for God’s mercy and blessing, we should remember that it’s all about His glory—that His way and His name may be known in all the earth!
Proverbs 16.33-17.1:
A Little with Peace
Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict (v. 17 NLT).
That is true in a family, in a marriage, and in many other relationships, but it’s also true in our individual hearts and lives. It’s far better to have a little and to have gotten it in a way consistent with Scripture than to have much, gotten through sinful means, and have to deal with the inner conflict of knowing it’s displeasing to God.
What About You? Questions to Ponder or Journal:
How do you view your freedom and forgiveness in Christ? Is it an occasion to sin or “sin no more”?
Are you living in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit? If not, you might want to study passages like Romans 6, meditate on its truths, and ask God to help you fully embrace those realities.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about God’s love for unborn babies and their parents, how God uses the sins of others for our good, and the rewards of serving God in our homes.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
You might also like to check out this short series:
How Psychology Affects the Spread of the Gospel – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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