Emancipation Proclamation
American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Slavery is no scholar, no improver; it does
not love the whistle of the railroad; it does not love the newspaper, the mail-bag, a college, a
book or a preacher…it does not improve the soil; everything goes to decay.” (www.notablequotes.com) I like this quote because it perfectly describes what sin is. Sin decays and
destroys not only our souls, but every aspect of our lives. Sin is definitely slavery.
We are all born sinners, so God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. In ancient
Jewish culture, only the blood of a perfect, spotless animal could atone for a person’s sin;
likewise, Jesus, the perfect, spotless sacrifice, went to the cross to pay the price for the sins
of every person on earth, then and now. Three days after He died, He conquered the grave
and rose from the dead. Believing that Jesus did this for us is the only way of being
emancipated from being a slave to sin.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation on January 1,
1863. After the country had been fighting the brutal Civil War for nearly two years, this
document stated that “…all persons held as slaves…are, and henceforward shall be free…”
(www.archives.gov) Lincoln’s words were an answer to the prayers of millions who were in
slavery and those who fought to abolish it. I like how similar this document is to Ephesians
2:8-9 which states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (NKJV) Jesus set
us free! This is a spiritual emancipation proclamation! We are set free from the slavery of
sin and can walk in a new life!
Paul, a prisoner for long periods of time throughout his life, was set free from the bondage
of sin, which makes the cares of this world seem insignificant in comparison to what lies
ahead after death. Through all the beatings, imprisonment, isolation, desertion, and hatred
from his countrymen, Paul found that receiving grace was far better than the smell of fresh
air. He said, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you
once walked according to the course of this world…But God, who is rich in mercy, because
of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and
made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...” (Ephesians 2:1-2 & 4-6,
NKJV)
Heather Hill
Copyright © 2012 Wildwood Calvary Chapel