Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:14 ESV
When I was a child, I used to love watching cowboy movies. In many of those movies, a remote town in the middle of nowhere is held hostage by a gunslinger and his outlaw companions. It would take the bravery of someone in town to challenge the outlaws and restore order through an ultimate gunfight.
The Lawlessness of sin can hold us hostage in a state of spiritual despair. Indeed, sin is an outlaw gunslinger that ensnares our souls and causes us to live in enmity with God. However, Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Jesus is the stranger who entered time and eternity to challenge the lawlessness of sin and restore spiritual order in the world and our lives.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for our redemption from the lawlessness of sin. Calvary was the gunfight between our Lord and the forces of evil. It is by the blood that Jesus shed at Calvary that we have been purified as his own possession. Therefore, sin has no more power over us. We have been redeemed to do good works that God prepared for us before the beginning of time.
Unfortunately, many people continue to live under the lawlessness of sin. They refuse to surrender to the commands of the one who redeemed them from the wickedness of sin. “Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:24-25).
Jesus is the Sheriff of the soul of every believer who submits to the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. When we obey his word and do his will, sin has no power over us. His Holy Spirit neutralizes the lawlessness of sin and enables us to live victoriously through Christ. Without Jesus, sin is uncontrollable. It can ruin our relationship with God and our relationship with one another.
The spiritual practices of confession and repentance cancel the lawlessness of sin in our lives. Thus, we are told in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God does not want us to live under the tyranny of sin through unforgiveness. He has redeemed us from all lawlessness of sin through Jesus Christ so we can be free to worship, free to serve, and free to love by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the cowboy movies, the bandits often go to towns without a law-man (Sheriff). They would go out of their way to skip the towns with a law-and-order sheriff that is upholding the law. In the same way, sin will not tyrannize those whose hearts are set to please God. That does not mean they will not sin. However, sin will not have dominion over them because they live with a repentant heart. People who are zealous for the good works abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Their lights will so shine before others, that they may see their good works and glorify the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
Prayer- Blessed Lord, thank you for redeeming us from the lawlessness of sin. Please send messengers to remind the unsaved that they’ve been set free by the power of the resurrected Christ.