(April 14, 2021) Christians believe that, through Christ’s death and resurrection, God has set us free from death and the power of evil. What does this mean?
It means that Jesus didn’t offer Himself to be crucified so that we could be nice people. Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the dead so we could have everlasting life!
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” --Romans 8:11
Jesus gave His Spirit to His followers (see John 20:21-22 and Acts 2:1-4, 14-18). He gave His Spirit to us, too, when we were baptized.
That means we have God’s power in us. This power works in many ways and may depend on how open we are to accepting it. During Lent, maybe we were determined to give up something that had become an unhealthy habit; today, we might notice it doesn’t have such a strong pull on us anymore. Maybe there was a relationship that needed healing and so we had the humility and courage to take steps to nurture it. Today we might notice that the relationship has improved, in part because our attitude has softened toward that person. Or maybe we spent more time in prayer, and let God show us examples of His love for us. We might notice that we feel a bit more peaceful now.
Whether or not we’ve noticed a change, we can be confident that God has blessed our efforts. As long as we let Him, He will continue to free our hearts to make us more loving: more patient, kind, humble, hopeful, and peaceful (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Are we going to maintain this spiritual growth? It depends on how much we trust Him and His power. He has unlocked the handcuffs of our sinful ways; it’s up to us to toss them aside.
We’ll be free if we let His Spirit work in us. His Spirit frees us from the shackles of unhealthy, harmful, and sinful habits. It frees our hearts from bitterness and replaces it with joy and humility so we can pray for the people we find difficult, love them, and treat them with more kindness; it can do the same for others when they find us difficult. With His Spirit, we’re free to ask Him for guidance, and then trust He’ll give us a sense of peace when we’ve chosen what’s best. His Spirit frees us to let go of resentments, and gives us peace, so that old wounds in relationships can heal. His Spirit gives us courage to seek professional help with especially difficult relationships and painful life challenges. Also, He gives some individuals the gift of healing: even today, God heals people physically, emotionally, and spiritually through those individuals (to learn more about one such group, go to https://www.petersshadow.org/praise-reports/testimonials).
We’re free to live each day with joyful hope, confident in His love and divine providence. We can let the Spirit guide us to imitate Christ and become more like Him. We can be optimistic as we look for opportunities to spread His love and His peace. We can be free from guilt because we know He forgives us and strengthens us against the powers of evil. We can be joyful because we are promised eternal life!
There is joy in freedom!
“Lord, set me free.”
This article is a personal reflection by Gina Bedell © 2021. It and other reflections written by her invite the reader to ponder a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other persons who may guide the reader to a deeper faith and understanding of God’s love and will for their life.
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