The Chains Are Released
Well, friends, as we start the week, I want to remind you that the song we've been looking at, "Yet Not I, but through Christ in Me," is written in pairs. On Friday we looked at verse three, which spoke about the fact that we are forgiven, and so we don't dread God's punishment, but we know we're forgiven. Then the third chorus links to it and goes like this: "To this I hold, my sin has been defeated. Jesus now and ever is my plea. Oh, the chains are released, I can sing I am free yet not I but through Christ in me."
Defeating Sin
Again there's that line "to this I hold" - these are truths that we can hold on to, friends, and I hope that our songs always give us something to hold on to. This chorus says "to this I hold, my sin has been defeated. Jesus now and ever is my plea." Oh, wonderful, wonderful words. Romans 8:2 says "Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death". Isn't that amazing? When you place your faith in Christ, sin is defeated in your life and you can live in holiness and death is defeated in your life and you can be assured of eternity with Him.
Freedom in Christ
"Jesus now and ever is my plea." What a wonderful line to sing. Is He your plea today? Are you still trusting in Him and what He did as the basis of your salvation? Then the song says, "oh, the chains are released. I can sing. I am free." The chains are released. Has Jesus broken the chains in your life? Oh friend, so many Christians know that God loves them but still walk around in chains! They know that God forgives them, but don't know the life-giving power of the Spirit of Jesus to break the chains and the strongholds in our lives.
Let's remember today that Jesus' death was not only for our forgiveness, but it was to set us free to live a life in the Spirit, not giving in to the sins we used to, but transformed more and more into Jesus' likeness.
That last line, the title of the song sums it up: "Yet not I, but through Christ in me." If we try to live free lives in our own strength, we just fall apart, don't we? But if we live with the reality that Christ is in us and His Spirit is empowering us, and we believe that even now, in this very instant, His power is available for us to resist temptation and to love even deeper, then yes, we can live free lives.
May you sing, "the chains are released, I am free" today because Jesus is the cry of your heart.
