I'm Free As a Bird

“Smite, Lord, smite, for my sin is forgiven; if You have forgiven me, smite as hard as You will.” – Martin Luther

In no way, shape, or form is Martin Luther advocating for self-flagellation. Nor is he asking God to bring hardship into his life by way of various trials and tribulations.

Quite on the contrary, what Luther is actually saying is that – because his sins are forgiven – everything else in life is a moot point by comparison. A serious or even fatal illness? God will be with him on his sickbed and on his deathbed… and will then usher him into Glory. Friends betraying him or people spreading false rumors behind his back? God knows the truth and that is all that matters.

Knowing that you have right standing before God – not based on your own merit but through the shed blood of Jesus Christ – gives a believer a holy boldness that defies human logic as well as a unique and positive outlook on life. Here is how Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” put it…

“Do you believe that your sins are forgiven and that Christ has made a full atonement for them? Then what a joyful Christian you ought to be! How you should live above the common trials and troubles of the world! Since sin is forgiven, can it matter what happens to you now?”

My friend, if your sins are forgiven, you are the freest and most blessed person on this planet. So, kick back and enjoy what God has granted you, even in the midst of life’s greatest trials.

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NKJV)

“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Psalm 118:6 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President