“Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Romans 8:21 (KJV)

We as Americans have, for over two hundred years, celebrated our liberty as an independent nation on the Fourth of July.

It does not follow from this however, that all Americans are now free. Far from it! Think of the millions of alcoholics and drug addicts, bound with chains they only wish they could break. Think of the slaves to immoral passions, to violent tempers, to malicious backbiting, not to mention smoking and other habits they cannot control. No, the vast majority of Americans are slaves to–well, sum it all up in one word: “Sin.”

If God is a righteous and just Judge, which He is, He must of course, punish ‘sin.’ Romans 6:23 says: “the wages of [the payment for] sin is death,” but on the other hand, thank God, I Corinthians 15:3 says: “Christ died for our sins.”

The Lord Jesus never sinned; He had committed no crimes; there was no wrong that He had to pay for; He had no death to die. No… It was our death the Jesus died at Calvary for us, and we are saved from the penalty for sins as we look to His Cross realizing and trusting:

“This was not His death that He died; it was mine. He was paying for my sin. I will accept this “free gift of God” and trust Him as my Saviour.”

This is a wonderful truth: Death, the penalty of the Law, was once and for all time inflicted upon us — “in Christ.”

Therefore, “the Law” (i.e., the Ten Commandments) has no further claim on us. If it did, we would be condemned all over again. This is why Paul says in Galatians 2:19: “I through the Law am dead to the Law.” How can this be? The Law may put a man to death, but after that what can it do? Nothing! The Law has put him to death (“in Christ”) and set him free from its dominion.

If you have not yet received Christ and His work of the Cross on your behalf, God wants you to be free, really free. He Himself, paid sin’s penalty for you and wants you to rejoice in what Paul calls, “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21), freedom from the condemnation of the Law!

Place your trust in the Christ who died your death and you will find how gloriously true it is that “If the Son [Jesus Christ] therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

What’s more – we are free from the dominion of Sin itself by our co-death with Christ.

“For sin [the noun, ‘Sin’) shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14 (KJV)

What has “the Law” got to do with Sin?

First know that - “Sin” is that dominating and compelling sinful influence “in the flesh” of every human born since Adam.

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through [due to] the flesh, God sending his own Son [Jesus] in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned Sin in the flesh:” (Romans 8:3 (KJV)

The Law had to be taken out of the way for us as the Law actually prompts and empowers Sinning. “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 1 Corinthians 15:56 (KJV)

Every parent knows that when they tell their child “do not do this or that …” it is as though the child is compelled to “do it.”

Thankfully, Jesus took “the Law” out of the way.

Jesus died… “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances [of the law] that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” (Colossians 2:14 (KJV)