Last week, we talked about how Jesus has set us free from the penalty and power of sin, along with the systems of law that would seek to re-enslave us. So, having been set free, we can learn to live in freedom.

If we look at the earthly life of a Christian as a timeline, it has three basic parts. It begins the moment a person trusts Jesus to be that savior. Let’s call that justification. It will end when Jesus returns, and Christians receive their new and immortal body, or glorification.

The entire time in between is often known as sanctification, but that is incomplete. From now on, let’s think in terms of transformation. We have been born again, a newly created spirit! We are, though, still stuck inside the same body that housed the old, already dead spirit, and in that flesh sin still resides.

Sanctification has come to mean the lifelong struggle to get that body to become a better reflection of our born again selves through the rigors and discipline of trying to “follow the rules” for what a believer’s life should look like. Transformation, on the other hand, takes place as we learn more and more about Jesus, and daily come to love Him more and more. As that happens, we soon find that the characteristics of our used-to-be selves start to fade away. This transformation takes place as we attain knowledge of God through prayer and reading the Bible. In time this knowledge becomes revealed truth; daily renewal by the transforming of our minds.

Jesus tells us that we accomplish this first through faith, (Luke 12:22-34) and Paul instructs us to finish the job by perfecting our faith through prayer, and setting our minds constantly on things of the kingdom. (Philippians 4:4-9)

So now that we’re living this life of freedom, what’s next! We love others, so that they can see Jesus through that love. As we’ve been transforming, the fruit of the Spirit has been growing in us. Just like with a real fruit tree, this fruit is desirable. It looks, smells, and tastes great! People who see it hanging there want it for themselves! What better witness for Jesus could we possibly hope to be than that!

*Takeaway - Loving OTHERS shows them the PROMISED LAND.

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