Christ came to redeem us from every lawless deed

The very things that the world says disqualify you from eating at the Lord's table are what qualify you in His eyes. Like Zaccheaus, the woman with the issue of blood and everyone who was saved (healed, transformed, delivered from oppression and delivered from death like the woman caught in adultery) by our Lord Jesus when He walked the earth as Man, when you come to our Saviour Jesus just the way you are, especially with your baggage of depression, fear, sins and addictions, His Spirit will transform you to the image of His glory, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 5:21;) so don't fret if you don't have it all together yet; His Spirit is transforming you as you are beholding Him and not looking at what a sorry excuse for a Christian you are:)

In Him, you will not continue to live in sin. This is why He came, to save us from our sins. If we had none or could live a sinless life by sheer determination, why would we need a Saviour? If one could be sinless, why would one need His gift of righteousness? Recall that all one needs to do to be guilty of breaking the whole law is stumbling at one point (James 2:10.) He came to save those who are sick (in bondage to sin) not those who can save themselves from the bondage of sin.

Titus 2:14 describes our Saviour as the One "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."

This tells us that He purifies us for Himself... This tells us that freedom from every lawless deed (our sins) comes at a price - death, not through self-will and determination. The wages of sin is death. A death that Christ died for our sake.

Believers, be for the Law for the purpose for which it was given: see Romans 3:19:

"Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God."

God knows that you cannot break out of your prison of sin, addiction, sickness, stress, depression, etc and fulfill the Law by your own power. He does not expect you to either (He sent His Son to die for us in order for the Law to be fulfilled in us.). Even the Jews who had their blood sacrifices and various washings could not attain righteousness by keeping the Law. Anyone that tells you that you can is lying to you. If we could, our Lord Jesus would not have needed to come and redeem us (buy us back)from EVERY lawless deed. Notice "EVERY" but many think that there are some sins that are beneath them:) Peter's denial of our Lord Jesus and his restoration by our Saviour shows us that without Christ as our Strength and Redeemer, we end up doing the very things we boast that we will never do.

It takes ONLY the blood of Jesus and no effort on our part to be set free indeed. And Jesus is not in the business of "do your best and I will do the rest because you've tried." With Him, it's all or nothing. Galatians 5:4 says:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

A death-row prisoner remanded in a prison can escape before he is killed but it is only a matter of time before he is captured by the long arm of the law and returned to that prison, where he'll be placed under higher security, making it harder for him to escape again. Plus, even when he was "free," he wasn't free indeed. It would be a life of looking over one's shoulder. Any wrong move and he's back in jail to die!

Boasting in one's ability to do right (like Peter) will only cause the "authorities" aka the devil, emboldened by the Law, to hunt one down with trials and temptations; ask to sift one like wheat as he did when Peter boasted in his own strength!

This is how many Christians live their lives: struggling to get out of prisons of oppression, curses, sickness, sin and addiction before they die and trying to maintain their freedom from the prison of sin and the curse of the Law (keeping the Law in order to be righteous before God) by sheer self-will and determination, all fuelled by pastors who preach that they can be godly aka "be like God" if they keep the Law which helps one discern between what is good and what is evil! Reminds one of a certain Accuser in the Garden of Eden and how he deceived Eve to eat from a certain tree!

See 2 Corinthians 11:3

"But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

Believers, don't be deceived by these devils masquerading as angels of light. God sent His own Son to redeem you from EVERY lawless deed because your best efforts at redeeming yourself are nonsense. Perfect righteousness is required to be free from sin and the curse of the Law, a perfect righteousness that no one can achieve by doing works of the Law according to Romans 3:20.

Christ took our prison (sin) took our curse and death sentence (died our death) so we can come out of the prison of sin without having to look over our shoulders for fear of another death sentence from failing to keep the Law. In Him, we are not under Law but under Grace where sin will not have dominion over us.

Under Law, one has no choice but to be remanded in prison (of sin, addiction, oppression, sickness, stress and everything that is as a result of Adam's sin) because all have sinned, even if it's just a tiny sin. And the result is death. Any relief via human effort (works of the Law) is temporary and fading away. But with Christ as our righteousness, we get to reign over every earthly ill. See Romans 5:17 -

"For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)"

We love because He opens our eyes to how He first loved us. "We love because He first loved us."

As He opens our eyes more and more to see just how much He loves us (He laid down His life for us,) we love Him and our neighbour too. Very difficult to do things that could hurt those that you really love:)

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.