Commissioned: Jesus Saves: From Brokenness to FreedomSample

Jesus Sets Us Free!

In our last study, Saint Paul explained to us that sin has made us slaves, but he ended with an exclamation of triumph, “Thanks be to God…the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 7:25, 8:2) Jesus has set us free! He did it by his life, his death, and his resurrection.

Jesus lived a perfect life, completely free from sin. We have all fallen short of God’s law, but Jesus never did. He fulfilled the law, and by his obedience, he broke the curse that sin had brought on the human race.

Jesus died for our sins. As Saint Peter says, Jesus suffered for sins, not for his own sins, because he himself was righteous. Seven hundred years earlier, the prophet Isaiah had spoken of a Suffering Servant who would suffer for the sins of the people. In amazing detail, the prophet described the death of this servant of God, who would bear the sins of the people and make them whole. Jesus was that Suffering Servant. He was the Lamb of God, who bore the sins of us all.

Jesus was raised from the dead. The penalty for sin is death, but Jesus did not sin, so death could not hold him. Jesus was brought to life by the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized, we are united with Jesus in his death and in his resurrection. This means that our sins are paid for by his death on the cross. Our guilt is taken away! It also means that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is given to us to live a new life, free from sin.

God has taken away our guilt and given us the power to live a new life! Thanks be to God!

Stop, think and pray:

Let’s spend some time worshipping Jesus, the Suffering Servant, the Lamb of God who has taken away our sin. In every Mass, we hear the words, ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Each time we hear this, let’s remember that we enjoy freedom from sin because of Jesus’s death on the cross. When we enter or leave the church and cross ourselves with holy water, we are renewing our baptism. Each time we do this, let’s remember the freedom from sin we have received in baptism.