Devotion April 15
Why Easter? (Day 3)
Nicky Gumbel
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV
Freedom from what?
Jesus paid, by his blood on the cross, the ransom price to set us free.
Freedom from guilt
Whether we feel guilty or not, we are all guilty before God because of the many times we have broken his laws in thought, word and deed. Just as when someone commits a crime there is a penalty to be paid, in the same way there is a penalty for breaking God’s law. ‘The wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23).
The result of the things we do wrong is spiritual death—being cut off from God eternally. We all deserve to suffer that penalty. On the cross, Jesus took the penalty in our place so that we could be totally forgiven and our guilt could be taken away.
Freedom from addiction
Jesus said that ‘everyone who sins is a slave to sin’ (John 8:34). Jesus died to set us free from that slavery. On the cross, the power of this addiction was broken. Although we may still fall from time to time, the power of this addiction is broken when Jesus sets us free.
Freedom from fear
Jesus came so that ‘by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death’ (Hebrews 2:14-15). We need no longer fear death.
Death is not the end for those whom Jesus has set free. Rather it is the gateway to heaven, where we will be free from even the presence of sin. When Jesus set us free from the fear of death, he also set us free from all other fears.
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Prayer of Response by Pastor Scott:
Jesus, thank you for setting us free by your great sacrifice. As we go about today, help us to live in the freedom which comes through you Jesus. Amen.