Day 25 - Better Than Houdini

The Spirit sets us free from our life of sin. We can’t do that on our own.

I admit to a certain fascination with the life and accomplishments of Harry Houdini. Just in case you’ve never head of him, he was a famous escape artist who lived in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He was famous for his daring and seemingly miraculous escapes, often involving straightjackets and submersion in water. Audiences were amazed and morbidly fascinated with what looked like near-death escapes. Although some of his “secrets” have never come to light, he has explained several of his tricks in his writings.

But there are no tricks or secrets involved with us being freed from our sins. That is simply something that we cannot do on our own or for ourselves. The Holy Spirit sets us free from the grip of sin. What do you think of when you read that last sentence? What does it mean to be in the grip of sin? What would it mean to be free from sin’s grip? I think of it as being set free from enslavement. Sin conquered me and held me captive. I was under its control. I felt powerless against the temptations and impulses that bombarded my daily life. Like a prisoner, I was locked in the grip of sin’s enslavement. Jesus even says that everyone who sins is a slave to sin (John 8:34). But this is not the end! Every temptation is just as much an opportunity to do right as it is to do wrong. Through the Spirit we can experience victory.

Take a few minutes to read 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6.

Did you ever see the movie Gladiator? ‘Do you remember when Maximus was captured? He was marched, with other prisoners, through the streets of Rome, so that the conquerors could show off their captives. At that time, it was customary for the victors to place their soldiers in front of, among, and behind the “parade” of captives, waving burning incense to their gods. This was symbolic in a couple of different ways. It was an incense offering of thanks and praise to their idols. But it also served to rub in the defeat of the captives. Therefore, the incense was a sweet smell to the victors, but when the captives smelled it, they realized they had been defeated…and no matter how good it may have actually smelled, to the captives it was the aroma of slavery and death.

As a parallel, when Christians hear the gospel of Christ, it is a sweet smell—that of victory. When seekers come to belief and obedience to God’s Word, it is the sweet smell of the Spirit’s victory over sin. But to those whose lives are lived willfully against God, it is not a sweet smell. It is an aroma that convicts them of their wrong doing. But this very real dichotomy invites us to make a decision. Will we engage the Spirit and experience victory? Or will we grieve the Spirit and reap the just conviction of sin?

A sailor must decide whether to work with the wind, or to fight the wind. Obviously the second choice is a battle you can’t win! The Spirit desires to work with us to steadily lead us away from captivity into the triumphant march of the free.

How would you characterize your “march” right now—defeat and captivity or victory and freedom?