How the Truth Can Set You Free
2 Corinthians 5:14-19
As Christians, we like to claim our Lord’s promise that we can know the truth and it will set us free. (John 8:32) It is wonderful to see the power of God at work when we first get saved. Old habits fall away and lasting changes seem to occur overnight. At the same time, some disturbing thought patterns will linger tenaciously. As we struggle with feelings of insecurity, worthlessness, and incompetence, we begin to wonder what happened to our freedom. Our new identity as children of God doesn’t seem to match our behavior. It’s as if we have become the victims of some cruel joke. We thought we ordered a freedom package, but upon opening the contents, we find something far different from what we were expecting.
The trouble is that we often fail to distinguish between the act of salvation, which occurs in a moment, and the process of sanctification, which lasts a lifetime. When we are saved, we instantly take on a new identity and become what the Bible calls “a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Then begins the transformation process of conformity to the image of Christ through the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2) We must remember that Jesus qualified the promise of full freedom with this condition: “If you continue in my Word” (John 8:31). The renewing process includes feasting on Scripture as well as studying and absorbing it. Then we will begin to think as God thinks and find our minds truly renewed. It’s a lifelong process, but it leads to freedom all along the way.
Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries