when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
when you were ignorant, when you were still unrepentant and unaware that you were living a life that clashed with the purposeful holiness of the God who created all of us, you were free to do whatever you wanted.
if you choose to obey sin AFTER having received pardon, AFTER receiving unabashed, liberal amounts of grace, what benefit were you THEN deriving from sin that now causes you shame? do you benefit now?
the outcome of those things - of that sin - is death. what good is that?
but now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, which results in sanctification, and ultimately: eternal life.
your payment for working out sin is death; the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
i would rather work out my salvation with fear and trembling before an Almighty, Holy God who loves me unconditionally, than choose to live a life that cripples me, bringing me lower and farther from my purpose, into a listless, hopeless, and hollow life.
derived from the end of Romans 6.
