Music: "10,000 Angels"

Meme: Trust God...

Wisdom Through Meditation

Psalm 119:145-152
I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.
I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.
They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
You are near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

Our receiving God's wisdom begins with prayer, but it does not end there. He has a method in His transformation process, and it requires our full cooperation. We are not passive recipients of His mind; we are active in our pursuit. He offers it, but we must want it. And there is more to wanting than just asking.

We can learn the Word of God through study. But it does not become a part of us until we meditate on it. Lacking that step, we become knowledgeable without becoming wise. There is a profound difference between knowing about God's will and His ways and actually knowing God's will and His ways. One leads to an illusion that we're spiritual when we're not. The other leads to life.

Churches are full of people who hear the Word of God preached on Sunday and then have forgotten it on Monday. There are many tools to incorporate God's truths into our lives, but the first, after prayer, is to meditate on it. What does that mean? It means to chew on it, think of what God does with it and why it came from His mouth, how we've failed it in our past, and how it might be applied in our everyday lives. The Word of God is not given simply to be admired; it is given to be learned. It is not spoken to make us smart; it is spoken to change us and conform us to the bright image of the living God.

At all costs, do not passively let the Word of God go in one ear and out the other. Do not read it so casually that it is forgotten the next day or the next hour. There's power in it! It is a gift that will craft us into the person God wants us to be, the person we were designed to be from the very beginning. That molding process is the greatest earthly fulfillment we can ever experience. And God first begins to answer our prayers for that when we meditate on His truth. Let it soak in, completely and deeply. Let it do its powerful work.

“Meditation is…allowing the Holy Spirit to take the written word and apply it as the living word to the inner being.”  - Campbell McAlpine

[An excerpt from "The One Year Walk with God Devotional" by Chris Tiegreen]

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"On days when Joy seems a distant memory, you need to seek My Face more than ever. Don’t let circumstances or feelings weigh you down. Instead, tell yourself the ultimate truth: I am continually with you, holding you by your right hand. I guide you with My counsel, and afterward I will receive you into Glory. As you make your way through the debris of this broken world, hold onto these truths with all your might. Remember that I Myself am the Truth. Cling to Me; follow Me, for I am also the Way. The Light of My Presence is shining on you, illumining the path before you."

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever." - John 14:16

- "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young

Sermon: God Can Use This Too

God is the Strength of My Heart...

Ephesians 5:1-20

 [New International Version]

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a person is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible - and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Music: "Satisfied"

Quote: Lysa Terkeurst


 

Christians and Politics: What is our role?

I have lived a long time, and I cannot remember any time in my life when politics was as divisive or as scary. Our gradual cultural change from a standard of absolute right and wrong to moral relativism has left us without any rudder. Ethics and morals have been surrendered to whatever one can get away with. Both liberal and conservative politicians now seem to have transformed what should be well-meaning disagreements about what is best for the country and how best to fix it, into seeing the opposition as genuine enemies of the country. Following this lead, paranoia runs rampant among voters. I don’t understand the inability of people to realize that reasoning together requires, at the least, an honest attempt at objectivity - opening our minds to actually listening and trying to find mutual goals and possible mutual strategies to solving problems.

I have come to question the underlying understanding of Christians whose politics have become as imperative as their faith. How deeply should we be involved? Ultimately, is politics really where Christians should be putting their intensity?

How does an attitude of hatred from a certain segment of the Church reflect a Jesus whose message was one which taught us that if someone hits us on one cheek, we should offer him the other as well. He told us to forgive our enemies and pray for them - to do good to those who would treat us badly. Is this what we are doing? The current actions and attitudes on the part of many calling themselves Christian may be one of the reasons Christians are not taken seriously by the rest of the world, and offers a valid reason for them to cry, “Hypocrites!”. If the unbelievers of the world have lost their objectivity, surely it is important that we Christians retain ours. Do our words and actions reflect the kindness and humility of a genuine follower of Christ? Have we become so paranoid (on either political side) that we have also lost our spiritual focus? If there has been a true regeneration of the soul, people would be growing more Christ-like, not more like the world. A lot of bad stuff is being done in the name of Christ which has no connection with Christ at all, and the reputation of the Church is suffering.

Yet, even true believers are not always judicious about their politics. I truly don’t understand why Christians are so deeply involved in politics of either stripe. Scripture clearly teaches us that we are to be IN this world, but not OF it. I believe this implies a careful making of choices and a degree of moderation regarding secular systems. Of course I believe we should vote, and try to vote intelligently. We are to render to Caesar, etc., and there are certainly activities in which our faith and our politics may meet. We are to have a servant mentality, and this may call for compassionate involvement in social issues. We are to be salt and light in the world, and this means working for the things we believe, like feeding the hungry, education, preserving life, and so on. I get that. We are saved by grace, but toward good works. (Read the book of James) However, our good works and our consciences should be fueled by the depth of our faith, designed to reflect God’s love. Law merely reflects the current political thinking of a nation, which may or may not represent good. While we are to obey secular law, our primary allegiance should be to serve God.

The troubling thing to me is the intensity many Christians put into our politics; the anger and demonization we direct at our political opponents, just like the world. If we speak of spiritual things, the conversation remains calm and cerebral. If we talk about politics, everyone becomes intensely emotional. What does this say about the reality of our true priorities? It seems to me that the passion should be on the side of our faith. There is a fine line, and we need to be sure we have not crossed it.

Application of God's Word: 1 John 3:16

Verse: 1 John 3:16
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.
And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Application:
Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. 

The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. How can we "give up our life"? By serving others with no thought of receiving anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say we'll die for others than to truly live for them - this involves putting others' desires first. Jesus taught this same principle of love in John 15:13.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Deception's Promise

Jerimiah 6:13-15

“Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is given to covetousness;
And from the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’
When there is no peace.
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.


Jeremiah was given a difficult assignment. He was called to preach destruction to a people who would never believe him. He knew up front that his message would fail. Other prophets would succeed with their false message. But God told Jeremiah to preach the truth anyway.

We live in an age of acceptance. Anything goes. Morality, we're told, is relative; truth is too complicated to pin down, commitment is defined by the mood of the moment, and there are many different paths to “God.” Tolerance is a code word meaning, “Don't preach to me. I've got no intention of changing.” The false prophets of our age have a clear, persistent message: “Peace, peace.” But there is no peace.

How we wish peace would come. We pray to the Prince of Peace and ask Him to rule our lives. He does, and He will. But He will fulfill the message He preached long ago in Galilee and Judea: God will judge the human revolt, and Jesus is the only way to escape the judgment.

That's not a popular message in an age of acceptance. Nothing will bring out intolerance in the “tolerant” ones like a message of exclusive redemption. But like Jeremiah, Christendom is faced with a choice: Preach the truth, even where it goes unheeded, or lie about the condition our race is in and the judgment that awaits it - all for the sake of “peace.”

Deceptions abound in our world. Most of the effective ones sound pleasant to our ears; otherwise, they would not deceive us. God's Word sounds pleasant, too, but only to repentant ears. To the pride of self-sufficiency - the drug of choice for the human ego - His Word is anathema. It is as thoroughly rejected as Jeremiah was. But it is true.

Our generation has brought significant challenges to our faith. Our beliefs are not for the faint of heart. But as Isaiah promised, God's truth is the only water that quenches thirst and the only bread that is filling (Isaiah 55:1-3). Cling to it. Drink and eat of it with gusto. Stand firm in a truth-impaired generation. And never fall for the false promises of secular prophets.

[An excerpt from "The One Year Walk with God Devotional" by Chris Tiegreen]

Music: "Grave Robber"

Meme: I Am Strong...

 

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"There are so many things you would like to be different: in yourself, in others, in the world. Your natural tendency is to brood over these matters rather than to talk them over with Me. The longer you focus on these negatives, the more likely you are to become disgruntled. Even when you control what you say out loud, your thoughts tend to be full of complaints. Let Me help you think My thoughts."
"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." - Psalm 40:3 - "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young

Maybe Their Path to Seeing God’s Glory Is Just Different From Mine

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NIV)

I feel the most unsettled when I’m uncertain about the future. And I suspect you may also be facing circumstances that have left you feeling caught off guard and unsure about what tomorrow holds.

Maybe you’re in a job where you feel unfulfilled, and you think God is leading you somewhere else, but He hasn’t yet revealed what’s next. So for now, you walk into an office every day, giving it your all, but your heart feels disconnected from your real calling.

Or maybe you’ve been watching everyone else in your life find love, walk down the aisle, and start the life you’ve dreamed of. Or others grow their families while you’re stuck in an infertility journey. Or they go on that vacation you’ve spent months saving for.

Whatever your situation is, you probably feel powerless to change it, but you still have to live through the realities of what’s happening right now. I know what that feels like.

This is also no surprise to God; in fact, He makes it clear in His Word that things will not always go as we wish they would in this life.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The crucial detail for us to have peace in the middle of all the “I don’t knows” we’re facing is to stay close to God. I wish I could promise you that everything’s going to turn out like you’re hoping it will. I can’t, of course.

But what I can promise you is this: God is close to us even in our “I don’t knows.”

God has lessons for us to learn in the middle of our “I don’t knows” that are eternally important. God has a strength He must prepare us to develop, and the training ground is right here in our “I don’t know.”

This time isn’t a waste, and it’s not pointless when we are walking with God.

My friend Jenny suffered through a lot of unfair circumstances. She decided to join a support group with others who have gone through similar things. At their meetings, they give updates on what’s happening with their lives. Each week, she hears about the struggles and victories of the women in her group. Of course she celebrates with every person who experiences their prayers being answered. Jenny is very mature in her faith, and she’s one of the most gracious people I know. But sometimes it’s hard to hear about God answering other people’s prayers while she’s still waking up to confusion and heartbreaking realities every day.

As she prayed about this and wrestled through it, one day she had an epiphany. She spoke a sentence out loud that brought a lot of comfort to her heart. When she told me about how she now better manages other people’s celebrations while she’s still hurting, I knew it was a game changer for my perspective as well.

Jenny said, “Their path to see God’s glory is different from mine.”

Wow.

We are all on a journey. God is with us. God is for us. God really can be trusted. How He leads us and where He leads us will always be a bit of a mystery. But what doesn’t have to be mysterious is this: We will see God’s glory either on this side of eternity or on the other side. His glory will not be mocked or denied but will be seen by those who have given their hearts to Him. We just might travel different paths to see it. I pray this helps you as much as it has helped me.


Heavenly Father, even when I’m faced with what feels unfair in my life and relationships, I know I can count on Your character never changing. Your justice and mercy bring me comfort. Thank You for overcoming the darkness, sin and hopelessness I see all around me. You are working and will right all wrongs. Help me give over to You all the things that were never mine to carry. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"

The Word of The Lord Is...

Denying Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts...

From Bitterness to Forgiveness

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
- John 15:5 (ESV)

Bitterness can’t withstand the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what God revealed after bringing me through the Rwandan genocide.

When I was only 6, my grandmother and uncle — who were taking care of me — were both killed by our neighbors when tribal unrest broke out in Rwanda. My whole life was shattered. The little faith I had was gone, and I often wondered why my life was spared in those months of horror.

A first glimpse of hope came into my life when I received my Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. At my orphanage, many children were displaced, so to have my own gift was special. Joy overwhelmed me, as I had toys to play with and a comb I kept for years, but the most profound impact was realizing someone around the world was thinking about me. That planted a seed of hope during a time when I felt lost.

A year later, God began revealing the miracles He’d done to save my life. I gave my life to the Lord and started abiding in Him daily, as Jesus instructs in John 15:5:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

The more I abided in God, the more He pruned away my bitterness. Abiding was the only way I could heal from such pain.

In my healing process, I prayed that I’d meet those who killed my family. While I wanted to face the people responsible for so much pain in my life, I also prayed God would give me strength to forgive. God diligently weeded out the bitterness in my heart, making room for His fruit of forgiveness.

In 2013, on a return trip to Rwanda, God answered my prayer. I visited the man responsible for killing my uncle, and by God’s grace, I shared that I forgave him.

What started with a shoebox gift led to my salvation, healing and ultimately miraculous forgiveness.

I’m not perfect at abiding in God. For a time, I was even angry at God for my pain — but in anger, I was blinded to the miracles God did to save me and glorify His name. I’m challenged to abide in Jesus daily because my healing process is ongoing.

We may never forget pain, but we don’t have to live bound to bitterness. I pray you take your next step toward forgiveness. Do you need to stop blaming Jesus for past hurts and instead accept Him as your Lord and Savior? Do you need to forgive someone or ask for forgiveness? Or you may live in peace, but you still need to share the gospel with someone. Whatever the case, may you abide in Jesus and allow Him to transform your heart.

God, thank You for forgiving our sins against You. Uproot bitterness in our hearts, and bear forgiveness in us as a fruit of Your Spirit. As You walk us through healing, help us abide in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"In My kingdom freedom comes from yielding to My perfect will. Because I am infinite and you are not, My will may appear to be anything but perfect. Still, I want you to trust Me, even when you cannot understand what I’m doing. The Holy Spirit will help you in this as you invite Him to control your thinking. He lives in the depths of your spirit and knows you better than you know yourself. His work in you can liberate you to become more completely the one I designed you to be. I am pleased when you ask My Spirit to live and love through you. This is the collaborative way of living I had in mind when I created mankind." 

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

- "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young

Meme: Train Your Mind

 

Am I Really Saved?

๐—ค๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: ๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—œ ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—œ ๐—ฎ๐—บ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ?
First let us understand what salvation is.

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป?
Firstly, we need to talk about salvation. If we do not have a scriptural understanding of salvation, how can we know whether we truly have it? Salvation is simply the deliverance from sin through faith in Jesus Christ. A person is truly saved when He accepts that he is a sinner, repents for his sins, and by faith, accepts the free gift of salvation made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as revealed in the Bible.

๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป
To know whether you are saved, you need to look at yourself in the light of the Scriptures. If you are sure that you have repented of your sins, and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, you will doubtless see the following evidence in your life.

๐Ÿญ. ๐—” ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—” ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—–๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜
Once saved, the Bible says we are new creations in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no longer slaves of sin. Jesus has set us free not only from the condemnation and effects of sin, but also from the power of sin over us.

Romans 8:1-2

๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘›๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘š๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘š ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐ฝ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘ , ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘˜ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ โ„Ž, ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘†๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ก. ๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ค ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘†๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐ฝ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ค ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž. 

๐—ช๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป
Freedom from sin does not mean that we should continue to sin:

Romans 6:1-5
๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘›? ๐‘†โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ข๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘๐‘–๐‘‘. ๐ป๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘ค๐‘’, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ฆ ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘–๐‘›๐พ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ง๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐ฝ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ง๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž? ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘š ๐‘๐‘ฆ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘š ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž: ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘ฆ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘”๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐น๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ, ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘˜ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ค๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘“ ๐‘ค๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž, ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›.


Note that the Bible says we are dead to sin. How can a believer who is now freed from the power of sin and who is now free to serve God fully, choose to remain in a life of sin?

Romans 6:6-23
๐พ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ , ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘๐‘–๐‘“๐‘–๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘š, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ฆ๐‘’๐‘‘, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›. ๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›. ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘–๐‘“ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก, ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘™๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘š: ๐พ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘’๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘›๐‘œ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’; ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘›๐‘œ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘š. ๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘‘, โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘๐‘’: ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž, โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘. ๐ฟ๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘๐‘˜๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐ฝ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐ฟ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘‘. ๐ฟ๐‘’๐‘ก ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘–๐‘”๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘ฆ, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘ฆ ๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘“. ๐‘๐‘’๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ฆ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›: ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘ฆ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘, ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘. ๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข: ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ค, ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’. ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘›? ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ค, ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’? ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘๐‘–๐‘‘. ๐พ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘ฆ, โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘ฆ; ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž, ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ ? ๐ต๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘‘, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘ฆ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘š ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข. ๐ต๐‘’๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ . ๐ผ ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘˜ ๐‘Ž๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘“๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘“๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ โ„Ž: ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘๐‘™๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ž๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ž๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ; ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘ฆ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ . ๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ . ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘Ž๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘’๐‘‘? ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž. ๐ต๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘๐‘’๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘, ๐‘ฆ๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ , ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’. ๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž; ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘”๐‘–๐‘“๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐ฝ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐ฟ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘‘.

This chapter says very clearly that as Christians, we have freedom from sin and that we should not continue to live in sin.