Advent Devotional – 12.10.2021
John Pfeffer
CHAINS
Romans 8:1 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
As Christmas draws near, we often hear, read, or see the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. In it the ghost of Jacob Marley shows up in Scrooge’s dream wearing heavy chains. The chains represent all of the sins he has accumulated in his life.
Many times I can feel like Jacob Marley. Maybe you do, as well. Looking back on our lives, we can be reminded of wrong things we have done. They can weigh us down, even to the point of not being the effective Christians we are called to be.
However, this should not be the case for us. Paul explains in Romans chapter seven how there is a war going on inside of us between the power of sin and the greater power of Christ’s forgiveness. He then tells us in Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
This bible verse has changed my life. It means three things to me:
First and foremost, if we confess our sins to God, he wipes them away through Jesus’ death and resurrection. God remembers it no more.
Even though God chooses to forget those sins, I sometimes let the chains of those sins to still drag me down. That’s when Romans 8:1 helps me in a second way: it reminds me that because God has forgiven me, I need to shake off those chains and accept God’s love and forgiveness.
Third, I need to remember that because God has forgiven me and “there is no condemnation for those who are Christ Jesus,” I need to do the same: live without condemning others. Our unforgiveness can be heavy chains that can weigh us down as well.
Do you need to ask God to forgive you? Do you need to forgive yourself because God has already forgiven you? Or do you need to forgive someone else? Doing all of these things can free you so to become the strong Christ-follower Jesus wants you to be.
Jesus, thank you for breaking us from our chains of sin. Help us to live freely, basking in Your love, spreading Your Good News to the world. Amen.