Set Free!

Welcome to the fifth and final step in what has been called the “Romans Road to Salvation“*

*(using the book of Romans in the bible to explain the Christian view of salvation)

If you’ve travelled this far with us you’ll know that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; that The wages of sin is death, but that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

And you’ll know that God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

You’ll also remember from last time that if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

This final article is intended for those who have accepted all this and said the prayer at the end of step, 4.

If you haven’t read that post, I suggest you go back and make sense of it, and if you’ve never asked Jesus to become your Saviour, say the prayer at the end. Then come back to this post which teaches us about the amazing freedom you can now have in Christ Jesus.

You see,

God didn’t just send Jesus so that we could be with him in heaven when we die.

We can know Jesus personally right now, here on earth. In fact, we really need him to make himself real to us so we can live for him, listening for his voice as we navigate the twists and turns of life on earth.

But you need to know one more thing before you get started on this journey following Jesus: you are free! Free from condemnation.

The final step in the road is for those who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour, and it tells us this:

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1).

Isn’t that amazing? Think of all the ways you could feel condemned, or guilty.

Friends can make you feel guilty, so can your family. Your boss, your neighbour, your colleagues. And sometimes they might be right! You might have made some poor choices in life or blown it at some point. And you might feel worthy of condemnation. And sure enough, there are consequences down here on earth. If I break into my next-door-neighbour’s house and steal her TV, I’ll have to face the consequences when I’m caught. But as far as God is concerned, if I repent of my sins, whatever they are, he will forgive me.

I’m free from condemnation!

Well, I talked just now about all the people that might make you feel condemned in life, but I did miss a few out.

The first one is the devil. He will come in and find ways to speak lies into your mind to convince you that you have lost your salvation and have blown it too much for God to forgive. He might tell you that you don’t have time to make up for all the wrong that you have done. But that is all lies. Jesus has done more than enough to pay for all our sins. His blood has paid the price. Don’t listen to all that rubbish. The best way to resist this kind of wrong thinking is to read the bible every day and keep talking to God in your own words.

There is one last person who might bring condemnation into your heart. I wonder if you’ve guessed who it is. It’s you! We are so often our own worst critics. And so many of us are guilty of negative self-talk. The bible is now your source of ultimate truth, not your imagination, your emotions, or any negative thoughts that might pop into your mind.

So let me leave you with this assurance.

If you have trusted Jesus as your saviour, you are free!

There is no condemnation for you! One day you will stand before God and he won’t even bring up any of those bad things you have done! You might have deserved punishment, but Jesus paid it all!

So now that you are set free, you’ve come to the end of this “Romans Road” series.

But the truth is, this is just the beginning of your new life and there are many more steps to take, wonderful steps that bring you deeper into truth and deeper into relationship with this loving God who has set you free.

The first thing to do is to be baptised as a sign of your commitment to Christ. So make sure you’re connected in to a bible-believing church where there is someone who can prepare you for this next step.

If you have any questions about this series, please get in touch. We’d be so glad to hear from you.

God Bless,

Jon.