"Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness" -Romans 6:16-18
As the Fourth of July has passed, millions of Americans have been celebrating the Fourth of July. However, not many Americans truly understand what that holiday is really about. For many people they think it is a day to set off fireworks and host barbecues where friends and family are invited. For these Americans, the Fourth of July is just another family holiday because they do not truly understand that it is a holiday that is about the celebration of freedom. Our nation's founding fathers fled a tyrannical government in England to embark on a journey where they would start a unique nation that was built on the principle of freedom, mainly the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. Also, the founding fathers wanted us to have the freedom to have "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". People have fought and died for us to be able to have these basic fundamental rights that we enjoy today, yet we take for granted. However, there is a truth that we all need to be reminded of because it effects every single one of us, regardless of your race, age, gender, religion, or anything else that seems to divide people these day. The truth is that all people are slaves to sin. Every person who is born into this world is born wicked and depraved because we are all born sinners. As Dr. Michael Horton puts it so eloquently, "I sin because I am a sinner; I am not a sinner because I sin". Because of Adam's rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity is born into sin. If we think we are not sinful, then we are deceiving ourselves. There is nothing good inside of you and me. If God left us in this position, and He very well could have, then we would be without hope because we would be bound for eternal damnation in the lake of fire. However, the Lord has not left us in this predicament. God came down in human flesh in order to take the punishment that we deserve upon Himself and then three days later He rose from the dead." Since God did this, He is calling sinners every where to repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ. We were made for communion with The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. As the Westminster Larger Catechism puts it,
Q. What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever
Jesus Christ has come to truly liberate us from the bondage that has held us captive for so long. How has Christ set us free? Well, I have identified three ways the Lord has set us free:
1) Moralism
2) Our Identity
3) Death
In this blog, I will expound on all three of these points and after you finish reading this I hope that you will be encouraged and edified in your walk with the Lord. If you have not yet repented and put your faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation, I would encourage you to do so because nothing else you do in this life will matter.
Moralism
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" -Galatians 5:1
At this point, you may be wondering "what exactly is moralism?" According to GotQuestions.org, Moralism "is an emphasis on proper moral behavior to the exclusion of genuine faith". Unfortunately, many Christians within the Body of Christ have succumbed to the concept of moralism. The reason that moralism is bad is because the Law is designed to kill us. We cannot fulfill the Law on our own. The Law serves a good purpose in exposing just how utterly sinful we are, but it should drive us to Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that the Lord offers us. When we humbly come before Christ, He washes us clean and The Holy Spirit makes us into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). We cannot follow the righteous requirements of God's law because we sin daily in our thoughts, words, and deeds. The Bible even tells us that we commit sins we do not even know we are committing! This should cause to despair of life itself but then it should give us reason to celebrate when we realize exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us! Many people think that Christianity is about following a moral code, but this is missing the entire point of the Gospel: that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Christianity is not about quitting smoking or drinking or gambling or any other vice you can think of. Christianity is about what God has done on behalf of His people. We do not contribute anything to salvation, except our own sin. Praise the Lord for His amazing grace that He freely bestows onto us!
Our Identity
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" -Galatians 2:20
This is a marvelous truth! The Apostle Paul so closely identifies himself with Christ that he could literally say that he was hung on the cross with Jesus and that the life he now lives it is Christ living in Him! Can you say the same thing? You should be able to because what was Paul's reality is our reality too. This truth has really shaped my understanding of myself over the years because I used to struggle with a poor self-image and I used to feel deep shame because of my mental illness. It was because of this I used to believe that I had to be a people pleaser. However, when the reality of who I am in Christ really set in, it truly liberated me to become who I am. These days I do not care about what people think of me because I know that when God sees me He sees the righteousness of Christ on me. I no longer feel shame about my mental illness because I fully realize that my identity is not in my mental illness. I am not a Schizophrenic and Bipolar man; I am a Christian who struggles with Schizoaffective Disorder. My identity is not found in my mental illness but instead my identity is found in Jesus Christ.
Death
"Behold! I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed" -1 Corinthians 15:51-52
When we belong to Christ, we have no reason to fear death because we will never truly die. Jesus promises that all who trust in Him will never die but will have eternal life. I look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will bring in the New Heavens and the New Earth where there will be no more sin, suffering, death, or mental illness and we will have raised, glorified physical bodies that will no longer be subject to decay. In the New Heavens and New Earth, God will wipe away all of our tears and we will reign as kings and queens alongside Jesus Christ where we will judge even the angels for eternity! This will be a glorious day! If you belong to Christ, be of good cheer because our enemy has been defeated at the cross.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will richly bless you abundantly.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
For 24 hour peer support, please call the Christ-Centered Mental Health ministry line at 567-343-3727 or email me at christmentalhealth@gmail.com
Lydia Sarchet: mrssccmh@gmail.com
Britton Garleb: britaingabriel@protonmail.com
Joe Roman: Twiztedmembrain@gmail.com
Scott AKA Johnny Kangaroo: scottsoconmhs@outlook.com
Dwayne McLeod: psyconatics@gmail.com
Veronica Talbot: vtalbot747@gmail.com
Amber Williams: shayneedm18@gmail.com
Chuck Ward: wcw50@aol.com
Sarah Olivia: sarahjesseolivia@gmail.com
Amber Marie: amarie0193@gmail.com
Zachary Uram: Netrek@gmail.com
Joseph McDermott: jpmlovesjesus@live.com
Roselyn Morgan (Christ-Centered Mental Health Christian Counselor): RoselynMorgan53@yahoo.com
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