Christ Has Redeemed Us

Romans 8: 1 - 5, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. NKJV

Did you know that what you believe affects your life, whether it's in a positive way or a negative way? Beliefs affect our perception as well as our actions; they also impact our words, and words are used to frame the world that we live in. John tells us in his gospel that God created the world with His Word. Having said these truths about our beliefs, let's look at one belief in particular.

Do you allow the situations, and circumstances of your life to determine what you believe? If things are going well with you, do you believe that you're blessed, and if they're not going well, you believe the opposite? Jesus tells us in John that though we're in the world, we aren't of the world, because Jesus did the work on mankind's behalf.

What exactly is Jesus speaking about... being in the world but not of it? He tells us in John 3, that if we will believe in Him, then we will become born again; we won't be born of the flesh, but by the Spirit of God. When we place our faith in the Word of God as the truth, the Word of God separates us from the rest of the world's population. Through the Word of God, we become kings and priests unto our God and more than conquerors now that we are made new in Christ. Simply put, we are blessed, but the world lives under the curse of the law of sin and death.

Paul teaches us a principle that we must know, understand, and believe deeply in our hearts. If you are truly born again, then you no longer live under the curse of the law of sin and death. Christians live under a different rule of law than sinners. We who have been redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus live by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. Laws work whether we believe them or not. If someone should think that the law of gravity doesn't work, and they jumped from a high rise to prove their belief, they would soon get an understanding that the law of gravity works no matter their personal beliefs about it.

However, since we were born of a woman under the curse of sin and death, we are required to believe in the law of the Spirit of life for it to impact our fallen condition. You can believe that physical exercise helps you maintain a healthier body, but if you never exercise, then your belief in it won't change your health. In other words, if we believe in the law of the Spirit of life, but not enough to allow the Word to change our hearts, then it won't have the power to change our circumstance. You may ask, "Why is it that we have to believe and act on the law of the Spirit of life for it to be activated, but we don't have to act on the law of the curse of sin and death?" Adam acted on the law of the curse of sin and death; his actions placed all of us under that law. But when Christ came to earth as the Last Adam, He redeemed those who were under the curse of law through our faith.

So when we believe in the truths of God's Word, we must take our faith one step further and implement it through action. Remember what I said earlier? Our beliefs affect our perception and our actions. The truth is, Jesus has already broken the curse of sin for all mankind 2,000 years ago, but we must access that blessing through our faith today. In Christ, you are blessed... whether you feel like it or not. Begin acting on the law of the Spirit of life in Christ today, and you will see a change in your attitude as well.

Alive in Christ,
Pastor Asa