Class #36:  “For Christ has set us free, not for a political freedom or a freedom of the flesh but for a theological or spiritual freedom, that is, to make our conscience free and joyful, unafraid of the wrath to come.  This is the most genuine freedom; it is immeasurable” (LW, Vol. 27, p.4).

1 John 1:6-10 speaks of our Christian freedom from sin.  Believers do not walk in darkness.  Yet, it is not that we are sin-free.  We continually confess our sin and He continually forgives and cleanses us.  We say, “No,” to our own sinful nature and fight against it.  The Gospel promises freedom from sin, law, death, wrath, and the devil.  Through faith in Christ, I do not fear death, as I have the promise of eternal life.  Christ has taken the wrathful curse so that the devil’s accusations are not true.  I am not going to hell for my sins, I am forgiven.

“Therefore one’s spirit must be trained, so that when it becomes conscious of the accusation of the Law, the terrors of sin, the horror of death and the wrath of God, it will banish these sorrowful scenes from its sight and will replace them with the freedom of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, life, and the eternal mercy of God” (LW, Vol. 27, p.5)

Overhead: Galatians Class 36 Overhead
Handout: Freedom Study 2 in the Conscience

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