16 May 2021
Two-Minute Features | 23 May 2021 | 09 May 2021

The True Free State of the Christian (TMF:1615)

Friday, May 21, 2021
Peace to Live By: The True Free State of the Christian (TMF:1615) - Daniel Litton
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       Now, at the moment a person believes in Christ, Christ himself in fact claims ownership of that person (and he has purchased us with his own blood). He purchases the person, and they become his slave. The thing of it is, though, is that he is a good Master. And being a good master, he what? What does he do? What does a good Master do? He sets his slaves free. Wow. Yes, you got that right. Through Christ is the only way to true, spiritual, and everlasting freedom. Christ is the opposite of Satan. Jesus wants us to have goodness flowing in our lives, doing things the right ways, the correct ways. He supports us and help us. Understand that our righteousness in our lives leads to our sanctification in life. For every good and right decision we make as Christians, we gain more and more life. We become more like Jesus in character.

Are Unbelievers Freer vs Christians? (TMF:1614)

Thursday, May 20, 2021
Peace to Live By: Are Unbelievers Freer vs Christians? (TMF:1614) - Daniel Litton
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       And this is what Paul says the unbeliever’s life is like. Unbelievers often like to paint themselves as the ones who are really free, and Satan spends a great deal of his time trying to make it look like this is the case. He wants the unbelievers to appear as the free people, and the believers in Jesus to appear as the idiots, the ones subjecting themselves to slavery. But, nothing could be farther from the truth. Unbelievers aren’t free, they are dramatically and hopelessly enslaved to sin. They are enslaved to their master, who wishes them harm and destruction. He tells them they are free, but they are only free to do his will, to carry out his purposes and desires. And this works in conjunction with people’s sin natures. They are blind. So, they go about performing their master’s will without even realizing they are hurting themselves, and they are forfeiting the real life they could have through Christ.

Paul's Analogy of Slavery & the Unbeliever (TMF:1613)

Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Peace to Live By: Paul's Analogy of Slavery & the Unbeliever (TMF:1613) - Daniel Litton
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       Slavery was a dominate thing in the Roman Empire, just as it used to be here in the United States. People would own slaves, buy and sell them, and have them do whatever they wished. Slaves would perform all kinds of work. It was so ingrained into the society and culture. Either a person owned slaves, or was a slave themselves. It was a truly immoral setup. But Paul uses the analogy anyway, almost apologizing in the upcoming verse 19, saying it is “because of [our] natural limitations” that he is using this example. It drives the point home, nonetheless. When a person is enslaved, the person is subject completely and entirely to his or her Master, to his or her owner. The person has no ability even to make their own choices. Personal freedom isn’t part of the person’s life. And this is what Paul says the unbeliever’s life is like.

What It was Like After I Got Saved (TMF:1612)

Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Peace to Live By: What It was Like After I Got Saved (TMF:1612) - Daniel Litton
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       I remember after I got saved, I didn’t want anything to do with the things I had been part of. I didn’t want anything to do with cliques anymore. I didn’t want labels. Gave up friendships with people who were pulling me in the opposite direction. I made some pretty drastic changes. But they were changes I wanted to make. No one forced me to make these changes. And as I call to mind becoming more involved in church after high school, and making new friends (and many of them had gone to a Christian high school), and, as I recall it, they often wanted to be like the world. And I didn’t understand that. I had come from the world and didn’t want anything to do with it anymore, and they wanted to be like the world. Anyhow, getting back on track, Paul also warns us that if we yield ourselves to sin, if we give ourselves back to practicing sin, then what? We’ll become slaves of sin. Interestingly, Paul spends this section of his text using an analogy of enslaved people versus free people.

Not Taking Advantage of God's Grace, Part 2 (TMF:1611)

Monday, May 17, 2021
Peace to Live By: Not Taking Advantage of God's Grace, Part 2 (TMF:1611) - Daniel Litton
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       Some want to take advantage of God’s grace. It’s clear and simple. Anyone who advocates that we can or should sin all we want because of God’s grace really doesn’t have an appreciation for what God has done for us on behalf of Christ. Recall, it is unbelievers who love sin. We loved sin before we were saved, if we were old enough. Why would we want to be like unbelievers, or be like we were before we were saved? As Paul told the Galatians, why would we want to go back to our former manner of life? When we were saved, we enjoyed the freedom from sin that we saw come into our lives. We don’t want to be like unbelievers, we want to be like Christ. That should be our heart’s drive and desire. Thinking back to the time when I was first saved, as I said it was my first week of being a junior in high school. I remember after I got saved, I didn’t want anything to do with the things I had been part of. I didn’t want anything to do with cliques anymore. I didn’t want labels.