What does it mean to be "set free"?

agoodcrayon · 2020-08-09T08:00:22+00:00

The way I’d interpret that is we are aware of the sins we’re committing. We’re free in the context that although we are sinners, we desire to run from sin. Jesus paid the ultimate price for us and by grace through Faith we are saved, therefore, we’re set free from eternal death.

Sin = death or separation from God.

We’re not fully slaves to sin and are now progressing towards purity. We’re not perfect but we are fighting the desires of the flesh instead of being consumed by them.

PositiveMaleGuidance · 2020-08-09T10:04:33+00:00

Jesus defeated sin on the cross.

You are "free from sin" in the sense that their spirit actually is free from sin and has been fully and permanently renewed by God. "...ye are sanctified... ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11

Of course, their flesh is still weak and are therefore called to "Walk in the Spirit, [and fulfill not] the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

Our flesh doesn't go to heaven, it becomes dust. Our spirit is what goes to heaven, and that's the part of us that is saved and set free from sin the instant you put your belief in Christ.

UpTanks · 2020-08-09T11:32:55+00:00

I think being set free from sin means that the door of your jail-cell is opened. Yet the choice still remains for us to either walk out and help others get their doors opened or wander back into our own.

I believe the door is always open for those who believe in Christ, yet it is up to them to choose to live by the Spirit (not remain in there/stagnant). Does this mean that the Christians who willingly stay there are still saved? This is what myself and BrotherChad were wondering about.

Anyway my current reasoning is this:

I have wandered back and forth, but because I am saved, the Lord stays true to his promise:

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Because of the will of the Father and the Holy Spirit, I am able to persevere and continue fighting the good fight. Though I may stumble, the door is still open, and by the power of the Spirit I may keep getting up and leaving the cell. Growing stronger through this process and unaffected by old habitual sins, I will reach more people on the prison block.

This process is called sanctification:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Does this mean I will die a perfect man? No.

It does mean however, that moving 'from glory to glory', I will have the scars to prove I left my cell and went to war.

rocknrollchuck · 2020-08-11T20:28:40+00:00

Before Christ, we were slaves to sin. We committed it without any guilt or second thoughts, because sin had dominion over us. We just did it and didn't really think about it much.

When we came to Christ we were set free from that slavery. Now when we do sin, it's a choice - one we're fully aware of in the moment. Romans 6 in the Amplified Version sheds some additional light on the full meaning of that chapter.

You may also benefit from the study notes for chapter 6:15-23 on the Berean Christian Bible Study Resources website, their explanation in the comment section is really good.

Willow-girl · 2020-08-09T16:07:44+00:00

Picture a drug addict whose life is organized around getting their next fix. Getting money to buy drugs, finding a supplier, finding a place to smoke or shoot drugs. All of their other relationships are secondary to their addiction; if they're supposed to go to work but have an opportunity to use drugs, they skip work. Plans with friends or family are thrown out the window if there's a chance to get high instead.

Now imagine this compulsion is lifted, and they don't even think about drugs anymore, except maybe as a passing thought ("That's something I used to do.") That's being set free, in my experience.

There but for the grace of God ...

Aaaquad · 2020-08-14T11:45:18+00:00

Here are my thoughts:

In Romans 6, Paul is answering the question about whether it is fine to keep on sinning in order to increase the amount of grace on our lives (6:1). His response is to ask how we who have died to sin could still live in it – he explains that those who have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into his death (6:2-3). This was done so we could be joined to Christ and walk in a new life (6:4). Paul essentially says that it doesn’t make sense to sin as if it was alive and active in us because it has died. Why would we continue doing wrong if that thing has died? Why would you continue acting like you were married even though your wife died (7:1)?

Paul explains this process in greater detail in the next section. Our old self was crucified so that the body of sin would be reduced to nothing so we would no longer be enslaved to sin (6:6). The body of sin is that thing inside enslaves us and controls our bodies in such a way where we sin automatically. We cannot really get rid of that sin, or shake off its control because 1) we often don’t realize it is in us as we are ignorant (Romans 1:21-22) and need the Holy Spirit to convict us (John 16:8). 2) we do not have the ability to replace the sin or to kill it. Before Christ sin is conserved within us. We can change its form and move it around so it looks different on the outside but it’s still in us and enslaves us (Matt. 23:27-28).

Paul continues, if we have died then we have been set free from sin (Romans 6:8). And if we have died with Christ then not only do we die to sin but we are united with him and live with him so we will never die again just like he will never die again (6:9). Jesus died to sin once for all and now he lives to God (6:10). Paul’s conclusion thus far is this: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

This verse (6:11) is the junction between the objective reality of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, our union with him (6:1-10) and our action in response to this truth (6:12-14). Considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus is central in Paul’s thought in the process of how we become sanctified.

He explains the reason or response to considering in the following verses (6:12-14). Because we consider ourselves dead to sin, we therefore do not let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions (6:12), we do not use our body parts for unrighteous ends. Rather we can present our entire selves as those who have been brought from death to life – our body parts are presented to God to be utilized for righteous ends (6:13). Notice the instrument language used (ESV); Instruments are used to achieve a certain end. (Hmmmm, I wonder what that end might be?). Sin does not have power, dominion, or rule over us because we are not under the law but under grace (6:14).

Paul reiterates the question we started with in another way “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” (6:15). Paul switches to address how this reality applies from the perspective of the law. He makes the observation that if you present yourself to someone as an obedient slave then you are a slave to the one you obey, either a slave of sin or a slave of obedience (6:16). Because of God, though we were slaves of sin, now we have become obedient from the heart to the teaching we have heard (6:17) and have been set free from sin and become slaves of righteousness (6:18). In the same way that we at one time used all of our body parts as slaves of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness now we are to present our whole selves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Here are some things that I’ve taken away from the Romans 6 passage.

Even though grace abounds if we sin more, this doesn’t mean it makes sense to sin more. Why? Because we have died to sin so how can we still live in it? (6:1-2)
We have been baptized into Christ which means we have been joined with him in his death and resurrection, so we have died and now we live just as he died and now he lives (6:4-7).
Our old self was crucified and died. Now that it has died we have been set free from sin.
We not only have been set free from sin but we also live with Christ as he lives to God.
We must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Our part is to not let sin reign in our bodies. We are to present ourselves to God as those brought from death to life and use our body parts as instruments for righteousness.
You are a slave to whatever you are obedient to. If you obey sin, then you are a slave to sin. If you obey Christ, then you are a slave to righteousness.
God changes our inner selves, our heart and now we obey from the heart to the teaching of Christ and the apostles. We continually present and utilize our body parts and whole selves as instruments to fulfill God’s purposes.

So to be set free means to be baptized into Christ’s death, resurrection, and life. We have died to sin and death and they no longer have dominion over us or our mortal bodies. We consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus and obey Christ’s teachings from the heart, presenting our body parts as instruments of righteousness towards God’s mission/end/purpose.

Title	What does it mean to be "set free"?
Author	Praexology
Upvotes	8
Comments	8
Date	August 9, 2020 3:32 AM UTC (6 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askRPC
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/askRPC/comments/i6cmwl/what_does_it_mean_to_be_set_free/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askRPC/what-does-it-mean-to-be-set-free.723665 https://theredarchive.com/post/723665

Comments