Living for Christ brings true freedom.

为基督而活带来真自由。

The law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

赐生命圣灵的律在基督耶稣里释放了我，使我脱离罪和死的律了。-罗马书8章2节

After being kidnapped, held hostage for thirteen days, and released, New Zealand news cameraman Olaf Wiig, with a broad smile on his face, announced, “I feel more alive now than I have in my entire life.”

纽西兰的摄影记者欧拉夫·维格（Olaf Wiig）曾遭绑架，并被扣押为人质达13天之久。在获释之后，他满脸欣喜地告诉大家：“我从来没有像现在一样，那么真切地感觉到自己还活着。”

For reasons difficult to understand, being freed is more exhilarating than being free.

不知为什么，重获自由似乎比拥有自由更令人振奋。

For those who enjoy freedom every day, Olaf’s joy was a good reminder of how easily we forget how blessed we are. This is also true spiritually. Those of us who have been Christians for a long time often forget what it’s like to be held hostage by sin. We can become complacent and even ungrateful. But then God sends a reminder in the form of a new believer who gives an exuberant testimony of what God has done in his or her life, and once again we see the joy that is ours when we are “free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

欧拉夫的喜悦可以提醒我们，天天享有自由的人，很容易忘记自己是何等地蒙福。在属灵方面也是如此。当我们信主一段时间之后，很容易就会忘记被罪捆绑的滋味，变得踌躇满志，甚至不知感恩。这时，上帝便会藉着初信者提醒我们，他们以活泼的见证述说上帝所做的事，使我们能再次体会“脱离罪和死的律”所带来的喜乐（罗马书8章2节）。

If freedom has become boring to you, or if you tend to focus on what you can’t do, consider this: Not only are you no longer a slave to sin, but you are freed to be holy and to enjoy eternal life with Christ Jesus! (6:22).

若自由已让你习以为常，或是你只想到自己有许多事情不能做，就当思想：你不再是罪的奴仆，已经得着释放、称义成圣，并与耶稣基督同享永生！（6章22节）

Celebrate your freedom in Christ by taking the time to thank God for the things you are able and free to do as His servant.

花些时间感谢上帝，因你已成为祂的仆人，有能力和自由去做许多事。为着你在基督里所享有的自由而感恩、欢呼吧！

Romans 6:15-23New International Version (NIV)

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin,you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sinand have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death,but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

罗马书 6:15-23Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

罪与恩的结局

15 这却怎么样呢？我们在恩典之下，不在律法之下，就可以犯罪吗？断乎不可！16 岂不晓得你们献上自己做奴仆，顺从谁，就做谁的奴仆吗？或做罪的奴仆，以至于死；或做顺命的奴仆，以致成义。 17 感谢神！因为你们从前虽然做罪的奴仆，现今却从心里顺服了所传给你们道理的模范。 18 你们既从罪里得了释放，就做了义的奴仆。 19 我因你们肉体的软弱，就照人的常话对你们说：你们从前怎样将肢体献给不洁、不法做奴仆，以至于不法；现今也要照样将肢体献给义做奴仆，以至于成圣。 20 因为你们做罪之奴仆的时候，就不被义约束了。 21 你们现今所看为羞耻的事，当日有什么果子呢？那些事的结局就是死。 22 但现今，你们既从罪里得了释放，做了神的奴仆，就有成圣的果子，那结局就是永生。 23 因为罪的工价乃是死，唯有神的恩赐，在我们的主基督耶稣里乃是永生。

整理：于姊妹