Freedom from Sin

Man can never be free from sin without the knowledge of the law, i.e., the Ten Commandments.  But the law alone can never save you from the clutches of the evil one.  There has to be something else that exists which compels you to follow the law.  Paul often stated that the law for the Jews was given to them to know right from wrong but the human will tended toward rebellion.  They knew the law but broke them anyway.  Therein lies the problem: our free will.  Some say that Man is not totally depraved, bad to the core. That is a man made lie. We hate but also love, we covet but also express gratitude and the will to give, and we lie but also tell the truth.  But can man do the right thing all the time under his own guidance without the aid of an outside force?  The answer must be “no.”  Sin still exists in this world.  In paradise, Adam and Eve knew not sin because it did not exist. The devil introduced sin into this world.  God gave the law to Moses and man continued to sin.  Christ appeared and died for all of mankind’s sin and left us the paraclete, the counselor, the Spirit to aid us in the expulsion of and freedom from sin.  Some call it grace, an unmerited favor.  We the ungrateful, are offered this counselor, not because we deserve it, but because God loves His creation with an inexhaustible love.  But God will never force you to accept this grace.  Your free will must choose it for yourself. You must choose to do good and do good all the time.  But your salvation requires more than just doing good.  You have to change your heart and live continually in a mindset of good.  Not only must you not break the commands but you cannot gossip, criticize, condemn, complain, judge, discriminate hate or even get angry.  You must love all at all times. God has set up your salvation in a perfectly harmonious system, but most fail to see and grab hold.  God’s salvation is a very difficult system to master but when you decide to change and engage the system, God will be waiting on you.