"Saint Vincent! Land so beautiful. With Joyful hearts we pledge to thee, our loyalty, and love, and vow to keep you ever free."
This article is based on the October 3, 2014 episode of Search For Truth. [AUDIO]
By Jamali Jack (Kingstown Church of Christ, SVG)
The quotation above is the opening words of the national anthem of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, written by the late Phyllis Punnett. During this month of October, our independence month, I would like us to consider the theme of freedom. What do you think about when you hear the words free or freedom? Because we are in our independence month, as we draw closer to October 27, perhaps these words bring to mind feelings of patriotism, independence, or the colors of our national flag - blue, yellow and green.
The quotation above is the opening words of the national anthem of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, written by the late Phyllis Punnett. During this month of October, our independence month, I would like us to consider the theme of freedom. What do you think about when you hear the words free or freedom? Because we are in our independence month, as we draw closer to October 27, perhaps these words bring to mind feelings of patriotism, independence, or the colors of our national flag - blue, yellow and green.
 Chatoyer memorial (Dorsetshire Hill) |  Cenotaph unveiled in 1925 to honour WWI fatalities (Kingstown) |
Perhaps you have images of the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill in memory of Carib chief, Joseph Chatoyer, as he led the indigenous resistance against European colonists. Or even more recent, the cenotaph in our capital as a memorial to those brave Vincentians who gave their lives in previous world wars. If you are from a previous generation, perhaps you reflect on the depths of emotion that arose when at Victoria Park in October 1979, the Union Jack was lowered and our first national flag was hoisted.
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen Amistad or Braveheart, skip the following paragraph and two videos.
If you enjoy historical literature, you might reflect on the 1987 book, Mutiny on the Amistad, where the central character, West African Joseph Cinqué, stands in the defendant’s box of the United States Supreme Court and demands in broken English, “Give us, us free!” Film enthusiasts like myself, might remember the character William Wallace in the climactic scene of the 1995 movie, Braveheart. As he is martyred, he defiantly screams with his last breath, “Freedom!”
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen Amistad or Braveheart, skip the following paragraph and two videos.
If you enjoy historical literature, you might reflect on the 1987 book, Mutiny on the Amistad, where the central character, West African Joseph Cinqué, stands in the defendant’s box of the United States Supreme Court and demands in broken English, “Give us, us free!” Film enthusiasts like myself, might remember the character William Wallace in the climactic scene of the 1995 movie, Braveheart. As he is martyred, he defiantly screams with his last breath, “Freedom!”
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It is undeniable, freedom means many things to many people. Within the context of our nation’s democracy, freedom can simply mean the ability to worship God separate from the dictates of the state. Freedom is indeed a remarkably sacred concept.
There is however, an even greater freedom. That is, freedom from sin. How seriously do you think about the problem of sin? The guilt of sin? The power of sin? The corruption of sin? Do you really appreciate the freedom from sin that you can experience in your life? The freedom from sin that you can look forward to in the future?
In Romans 8:1-25, Paul writes about the freedom from sin that one finds in Christ. Of the many blessings we can experience in Christ, the first four verses of Romans 8 help us to appreciate the freedom from the condemnation of sin. It reads, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath 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 sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Every accountable individual is guilty of sin. Romans 3:23 declares, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. But you might say, “Oh me? I don’t have any sin.” The biblical response from 1 John 1:8 states, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Even if you committed just one sin (if such were even possible) you are guilty of sin, and unforgiven sin separates us from God. Consider, Isaiah 59:1 and 2, Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
The ultimate condemnation as a result of sin is death (esp. the 'second' death). Romans 6:23 warns, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Revelation 21:8 elaborates on this second death explaining, But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
That all are guilty of sin is the main point of Romans chapters 1-3. To be guilty of sin is to be enslaved by sin. This is the exact opposite of being free. Romans 6:12 says, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Verse 16 of the same chapter asks, Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
The good news is that, as we can see from Romans 8:1, there is freedom from the condemnation of sin to those who are in Christ Jesus. You may ask, “Why is this freedom in Christ?” Well, in Christ there is propitiation, redemption, justification. The Bible puts it this way in Romans 3:24-25: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.
We live in a society with many religions, each claiming to have their own saviour, so you would be right to ask, “Why Christ and not some other saviour?” According to Romans 8:3-4, by His death, Jesus Christ, was able to do what could not be done under the old covenant law - condemning sin in the flesh, while fulfilling the righteous requirement of the Law for us.
The fact that justification (that is to say, no condemnation) is found in Christ is the central theme of Romans 4-7. Thus, once in Christ, the freedom we enjoy as Christians, according to Romans 8 verses 1 and 4, involves freedom from the condemnation of sin, which sets one free from the law of sin and death, to walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Consider for example Titus 3:4-7: 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; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Again, I John 1:7 reassures, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The question you should be asking yourself now is, “How do I get INTO Christ?” Which is another way of asking, "What must I do to be saved?" There are many preachers and other people who would give their opinions and ideas involving prayers, mourning or many other ways of getting into Christ. It is always best however, to let the Bible speak for itself.
Romans 6:3-7 reads, Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
You see, in baptism there is death to sin, a burial of the old man, and a newness of life. If you are Searching For Truth: About Baptism, it is stated and restated over and over again in the Bible. To put it in a summary form, Galatians 3:27 succinctly, yet clearly states: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Unless we receive the freedom from sin found only in Christ:
The freedom from sin that is available in Christ involves:
But by responding to the gospel of Christ with an obedient faith, freedom from the devastating effects of sin can be ours, with a hope of glorious liberty when Christ returns! John 8:36 gives us the confidence: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
There is however, an even greater freedom. That is, freedom from sin. How seriously do you think about the problem of sin? The guilt of sin? The power of sin? The corruption of sin? Do you really appreciate the freedom from sin that you can experience in your life? The freedom from sin that you can look forward to in the future?
In Romans 8:1-25, Paul writes about the freedom from sin that one finds in Christ. Of the many blessings we can experience in Christ, the first four verses of Romans 8 help us to appreciate the freedom from the condemnation of sin. It reads, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath 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 sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Every accountable individual is guilty of sin. Romans 3:23 declares, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. But you might say, “Oh me? I don’t have any sin.” The biblical response from 1 John 1:8 states, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Even if you committed just one sin (if such were even possible) you are guilty of sin, and unforgiven sin separates us from God. Consider, Isaiah 59:1 and 2, Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
The ultimate condemnation as a result of sin is death (esp. the 'second' death). Romans 6:23 warns, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Revelation 21:8 elaborates on this second death explaining, But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
That all are guilty of sin is the main point of Romans chapters 1-3. To be guilty of sin is to be enslaved by sin. This is the exact opposite of being free. Romans 6:12 says, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Verse 16 of the same chapter asks, Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
The good news is that, as we can see from Romans 8:1, there is freedom from the condemnation of sin to those who are in Christ Jesus. You may ask, “Why is this freedom in Christ?” Well, in Christ there is propitiation, redemption, justification. The Bible puts it this way in Romans 3:24-25: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.
We live in a society with many religions, each claiming to have their own saviour, so you would be right to ask, “Why Christ and not some other saviour?” According to Romans 8:3-4, by His death, Jesus Christ, was able to do what could not be done under the old covenant law - condemning sin in the flesh, while fulfilling the righteous requirement of the Law for us.
The fact that justification (that is to say, no condemnation) is found in Christ is the central theme of Romans 4-7. Thus, once in Christ, the freedom we enjoy as Christians, according to Romans 8 verses 1 and 4, involves freedom from the condemnation of sin, which sets one free from the law of sin and death, to walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Consider for example Titus 3:4-7: 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; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Again, I John 1:7 reassures, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The question you should be asking yourself now is, “How do I get INTO Christ?” Which is another way of asking, "What must I do to be saved?" There are many preachers and other people who would give their opinions and ideas involving prayers, mourning or many other ways of getting into Christ. It is always best however, to let the Bible speak for itself.
Romans 6:3-7 reads, Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
You see, in baptism there is death to sin, a burial of the old man, and a newness of life. If you are Searching For Truth: About Baptism, it is stated and restated over and over again in the Bible. To put it in a summary form, Galatians 3:27 succinctly, yet clearly states: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Unless we receive the freedom from sin found only in Christ:
- We remain guilty of sin
- We remain enslaved to sin
- We remain under the corruptive influences of sin.
The freedom from sin that is available in Christ involves:
- Freedom from the condemnation of sin
- Freedom from the power of sin
- Freedom from the corruption of sin.
But by responding to the gospel of Christ with an obedient faith, freedom from the devastating effects of sin can be ours, with a hope of glorious liberty when Christ returns! John 8:36 gives us the confidence: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
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What e'er the future brings, Our faith will see us through. May peace reign from shore to shore, And God bless and keep us true.
