You've been set free by Jesus, but it's not a free for all. You must use your freedom to glorify God.
Read / Listen
Read 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Listen to passage & devotional:
Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 34
Q. Why do you call Jesus “our Lord”?
A. Because—
not with gold or silver,
but with his precious blood—
he has set us free
from sin and from the tyranny of the devil,
and has bought us,
body and soul,
to be his very own.
Summary
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul is addressing many issues that the church is struggling with. As he works his way through these issues, he continues to point the people back to God, reminding the church what it means to be a follower of Christ.
Our verses for today come at the end of a section where he is warning them of the dangers of sexual immorality. Paul reminds the Corinthians (and us) that we are not free to do whatever we want to do, because our lives have been bought at a price. Our freedom from sin and death cost Jesus his life.
Dig Deeper
Why do you think the Heidelberg Catechism keeps pointing you back to the idea of salvation in Jesus Christ? We have looked at this topic several times already this year, and we are only in the month of March. Why does the Catechism continue to focus on it?
Because you need to hear it. If you were to read through the book of Acts, 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, or 2 Timothy, you would find topics that are just as relevant today as they were when those books of the Bible were first written.
Even though Satan has been defeated by Jesus, the world is not fully rid of him yet. Satan has a way of manipulating people through lies and half-truths. One such lie is that your worth is defined by who you are or what you have done. That is why the Catechism reminds you that you cannot earn your salvation; you can't buy it.
Your worth is not defined by who you are, nor what you have done. What matters is to whom you belong. If you have given your life to Jesus, you are a child of God. It really is that simple.
The challenge comes in the day-to-day stuff that you deal with. For example, the world is constantly telling you that you are not enough, or that you should be make your personal desire for success and control your top priority in life.
That's why the Heidelberg Catechism continues to come back to the topic of salvation in Jesus Christ. You need to hear over and over again that your salvation is found in Christ alone. That once you're forgiven, your sin is completely washed away.
With the freedom you've been given in Jesus, you must honor God with your entire life. You're not live for just for yourself, but rather for the glory of God. You have been set free from your sin.
Go and serve the Lord!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has given you His Holy Spirit;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the freedom you have in Christ, and pray that you will use this freedom to live fully for God's glory.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - James 2
