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Salvation
from Sin's
Bondage
In our previous essay we
considered salvation from sin's condemnation and
concluded that it was by grace through the atoning
sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross. In this essay we
will consider our salvation from sin's bondage.
When Adam ate of the
forbidden fruit he brought himself and all his posterity
into the bondage of sin. His flesh nature and
subsequently our flesh nature was so corrupted by sin
that it rendered him and us incapable of willingly
serving or seeking God. The following passages of
scripture describe our fallen depraved flesh nature:
1. Rom. 3:9‑18 ‑
"What then? Are we better than they? No in no wise: for
we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they
are all under sin; as it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of the way, they are together become unprofitable;
there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their
throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they
have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their
lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and
misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they
not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes."
2. Eph. 2:1‑3 ‑ "And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and
sins; wherein in times past ye walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
3. 1 Cor. 2:14 ‑
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned."
Thus in our
fallen sin corrupt nature we are rendered incapable of:
1.
Knowing the things of the Spirit of God.
2.
Understanding the things of God.
3.
Seeking after God.
4.
Doing anything good.
5.
Fearing God.
6.
Knowing the way of peace.
7.
Receiving the things of the Spirit of God.
Furthermore, we
were enslaved to our sin‑corrupted flesh nature so that
we were bound to:
1. Walk
after the world.
2. Walk
after Satan.
3. Have
our lifestyle (conversation) in the lusts of the flesh.
4. Fulfill
the desires of the flesh.
5. Fulfill
the desires of the mind.
6. Commit
the wicked works of the flesh.
It was while we were in
bondage to our sin‑corrupt flesh nature that God saved us,
not from the corruption of sin, but from the bondage of sin
as we read in Rom. 8:2, "For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin
and death." In the miracle of the new birth God has
freed us from the bondage of the sin‑corrupt flesh nature.
We still have the sin‑corrupt nature and it is as Paul
stated in Rom. 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in
my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." Our freedom comes
from the fact that God has imparted within us a new nature,
so that we are no longer bound to the slavery of sin, but
can seek God, know the things of God, serve God, worship
God, do good, walk by faith, pray unto God, understand
spiritual things, etc.
The scriptures speak of the
new birth as salvation as we read in the following verses:
1. Eph.
2:4, 5 ‑ "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are
saved)."
2. Tit.
3:4, 5 ‑ "But after that the kindness and love of God our
Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost..."
We note that this salvation
from sin's bondage is by the grace of God and not by works
of righteousness which we have done. The new birth is
brought about by the direct work of the Holy Spirit
quickening us into spiritual life when we were still dead in
trespasses and sins. At the time we were quickened we were
completely incapable of performing or doing any "works of
righteousness." Truly, it is according to God's great love
wherewith he loved us that while we were yet his enemy that
he caused us to be born of the Spirit. Truly, God is rich
in mercy to quicken vile sinners. Salvation from the
bondage of sin is by grace.
Next, salvation from the
corruption of sin.
NEXT-
Salvation
from Sin's Corruption
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