Is there a way to get free?
Yes, through that promised child
How?
We just saw that the law could not save people from sin, only show them they were sinners. Scripture reveals:
"The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." Romans 8:3-4
And how did he send his Son? "Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband to be, was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her privately. When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will name him Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He took his wife, but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus." Matthew 1:18-25
Why did he come as a baby? And why did he die? (for more on this last question click here)
"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil)," Hebrews 2:14
"Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Hebrews 9:22 (see all of chapter 9)
Jesus did this for us all. Though the law was given to the nation of Israel ("the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God." Romans 3:2), it was God's righteous standard that measures all people.
"When the Gentiles (non-Jews) sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it." Romans 2:12
If you have not yet believed, you may want to know that the truth is purposefully being hidden from you. Scripture explains: "If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Most of us don’t realize the reality; that failing to keep the law, we've been under a curse
We’re exposed to ideas through movies, beliefs and stories that anesthetize us to what’s true. Evil
is often being positioned as something good by comparison to more blatant evil. Or good can be depicted as
something ridiculous or "cute" but a lesser pursuit than what makes us happy.
Here’s what scripture identifies as true:
"For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Galations 3:10-12
Christ rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law
"But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." Galations 3:10-14
Power of sin is the law
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:56-57
Something the law of Moses could never do
“Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one (referring to Jesus, the Holy One in vs 35) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you." Acts 13:38-39 (translator notes from the NET Bible explain justified means "is freed")
Answer to this life that is dominated by sin and death
"I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7:22-25a
"So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God." Romans 7:4
This act of Jesus also brought salvation to the Gentiles (non-Jews), those outside the nation of Israel. So is it better to be of Jewish descent? "Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin." Romans 3:9
"After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is." Romans 3:29
"For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people." Romans 2:28-29
We all have access to the blessing:
"So you who believe in Jesus, those of faith, who are the sons of Abraham and partakers of the blessing. "Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith." Galations 3:7-9
"And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you." Galations 3:27-29
"As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him (Jesus vs 9) will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:11-13
How did Christ do this? Note the different details in the following verses:
"But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath."
Romans 5:8-9
"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, than for doing evil.
Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God,
by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit." 1 Peter 3:17-18
"No one can take
my life from me.
I sacrifice it voluntarily.
For I have the authority to lay it down when
I want to and also to take it up again."
John 10:18a-b
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 Corinthians 5:21
"He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows,
acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him
and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles
were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all."
Isaiah 53:3-6
On some level, it's easy to discount what he accomplished because he was God, but as you'll see, he laid down his divine rights even though he existed in the form of God and actually experienced these things as a man.
"(just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man; his form was so marred he no longer looked human—" Isaiah 52:14
"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1 John 4:9-10
Here's a summary of what he did:
He put on flesh and arrived in this world as a baby so he could die in human form to
be our sacrifice
1
Scripture describes, "...Christ Jesus...who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death —even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5b-8
Understand, he suffered as we would. Note that he emptied himself to share in both the human form and nature, but without sinning. The verse below also shows, he had to learn and grow as any of us. He laid down his rights even though he existed in the form of God and experienced these things as a man. This was a lot to do!
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people." Luke 2:52
“Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.”
1 Corinthians 15:3b-7
2
He died
and rose again with
many eye witnesses
3
He freed us from the penalty for our sins
satisfying the requirement of the law
"Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin." Romans 3:24-25a
"And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit."
Romans 8:3c-4
He provided a way for everyone to be saved; both Jew (Israel) and Gentile (non-Jew) alike
4
"For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near." Ephesians 2:14-17
"Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God." Romans 10:1-4
Confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised him from the dead
"...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” Romans 10:9-13
Justification obtainable through faith
"They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an atoning sacrifice by his blood, obtainable through faith" Romans 3:24-25a
Faith comes from hearing word of Christ
"Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ." Romans 10:17
You can triumph over sin and death
"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:16-17
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
When we believe and accept him, he gives us the right to become children of God. All human beings were created by God (Genesis 1:27, Colossians 1:16) but not all people are his children.
"But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." John 1:12-13
You will receive the Holy Spirit and peace the world cannot give:
"And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him." Ephesians 1:13b-14
Believing in him is demonstrated by our choices and what we do
"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?"
James 2:19-20
This passage teaches that faith without good deeds is useless. So what is the difference between the belief of demons and faith that saves?
You will see that scripture points to repentance and the good deeds/obedience that prove your faith by the way you live. Demons know he is the one true God but they are not saved by this knowledge. They're terrified of the end that awaits them (See Matthew 8:29).
If we reduce the requirements of salvation to believing in him without that belief including obedience, we ignore other scriptures and must ask then how are we any different than the demons?
Scripture teaches repentance is required:
“Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
“…I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too” Luke 13:5. "‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent" Luke 24:47b.
"Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away." Acts 3:19
To repent is to have a change of mind for the better, to abhor sin (see Strong's 3340 for original Greek). We agree with God that his ways are right and not our own. God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. (Romans 2:4)
Can you be forgiven if you've done something awful? Yes, you can repent. Here is encouragement from the Apostle Paul, who persecuted Christ followers and cast his vote to sentence them to death, before the Lord revealed himself to him and called him to minister the gospel
(Acts 22:19-20, Acts 26:9-11, Acts 9:1-22)
"I am grateful to the one who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful in putting me into ministry, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them! But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16
Obedience is characteristic of faith. If we believe in Jesus, we also will do what he says.
John 3:36 says, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."
The term "believes" is juxtaposed to "whoever does not obey" so we can see that those who believe do obey. Jesus also made this clear when he said,
"Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God." Matthew 3:8
Jesus himself learned obedience and became the source of salvation to those who obey him. Hebrews 5:8-9 says, "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him" As you read above, after emptying himself and sharing in human nature, he was obedient to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:5b-8). And Christ is our example:
"For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God. For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps." 1 Peter 2:20-21
Obeying the truth is underscored here as well:
"But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness." Romans 2:5-8
"You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth..." 1 Peter 1:22
Next you can see further how what you do matters