I am reading Steve Brown’s book, A Scandalous Freedom. It’s a borrowed book, and I am restraining myself:
“I will not highlight or underline in this book.
I will not highlight or underline in this book.
I will not highlight or underline in this book.”
… and I’m only on Chapter One!
Brown is pointing out that if we are free from our sins, we no longer are carrying around this burden. He writes about how this freedom can manifest itself practically in our lives.
Here’s an excerpt:
Does being free mean that God is please with whatever I do, not matter what it is?
Of course not. Later in this book, we’re going to talk about the law; but for now, let me give you a preview. God feels please when we do what he asks of us; but, because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, he won’t be angry with you nor will he ever condemn you.Does being free mean that when Christians are really upset with me that God isn’t?
Yes.
Does being free mean that his love and grace are without condition…totally?
Yes, that’s exactly what it means.
What if I do something bad? Would God still bless me and answer my prayers?
Yes, he will. What God does or does not do in your life rarely has to do with how good you are. Your teacher acts like that, not your God. In fact, I preached some of my best sermons while I was doing really bad stuff. God wants to show me something very important. He demonstrated his fondness for me depended on his love and the cross of Christ, not on my earning it.
Certainly there is something to be said for divine earthly retribution (you do bad stuff and bad stuff will happen to you) and divine earthly compensation (you do good stuff and good stuff will happen to you). That is the way the world generally works. God’s laws shape the way the world operates. We do not break God’s laws; we simply get broken by them.