To the Ends of the Earth: Witness – Week 5, Day 1 – Our Freedom is Permanent and True

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35–39

The Old Testament sacrifices had to be repeated year after year. Jesus’ sacrifice, offered for us on the cross, only had to be offered once (see Hebrews 10). That one sacrifice gave us access to heaven, as none of the Old Testament sacrifices ever could. They only served to point the way to the One who came in the flesh to free us from the power of sin. Christ stands ready to forgive and bring to completion every soul who comes to him and accepts his offer of salvation. Nothing can change the love that was offered freely for us.

Yet we are not called to rest easy because of this great gift. Salvation begins a journey in freedom that leads to acts of love empowered by the Holy Spirit. In this way, freedom is not just a gift, it is a holy calling. As saved souls, ever growing in sanctification, we represent the rock-solid message of the Gospel by our changed lives. As we complete our faith through acts of charity and words of hope, we bring the Gospel to bear upon the lives of others who will walk the journey to heaven with us in faith.

Questions for reflection

Do you live your freedom with full confidence, knowing that Christ’s sacrifice won your salvation once and for all?

Have you ever taken your freedom in Christ for granted? Do you find that you still do?

Do you live out your freedom in Christ through practical acts of love toward others? Can you do this with more generosity?

Praying with Scripture

And I shall walk at liberty, for I have sought your precepts. (Ps 119:45)

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