Living Between Freedom and Flesh

Let’s be honest—walking out our faith can feel like living in two worlds at once. On one hand, Scripture says we’ve been set free from sin’s power. On the other hand, most of us wake up every day still battling temptation, anxiety, pride, impatience, fear—you name it.

Paul understood this tension well, and in Romans 6, he urges us to hold two truths at the same time—something most of us aren't comfortable with:

First, we are no longer slaves to sin.

Second, sin still lingers until glory.

And that’s the challenge. Some people lean too far in one direction or the other.

The First Extreme — “I’m totally free, sin’s no issue anymore.”

That sounds bold and holy, but it’s risky. If we start believing sin can’t touch us, we stop watching our step. Pride sneaks in. We forget that freedom isn’t immunity; it’s empowerment. Paul said, “Don’t let sin reign.” He wouldn’t have said that if sin wasn’t still knocking at the door.

The Second Extreme — “I’m still just a sinner; nothing’s changed.”

That might seem humble, but it’s just as empty. Living like sin still owns us denies the power of the cross. Christ didn’t die so we could stay stuck—He died to set us free. When we act like the chains are still on, we forget who holds the key.

So, how do we find balance? Paul gives us the roadmap:

“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

It’s a mindset—an everyday reckoning. Sin may still whisper, but it no longer decides who you are. We don’t pretend it’s gone, but we don’t submit to it either.

Think of it like a Maine spring—winter’s still lingering, snow hasn’t all melted, but you can feel the thaw approaching. The air shifts, the light changes. Winter’s still here, but it’s already lost. That’s what life in Christ feels like. The old season is fading, and a new one has begun.

The truth is: We’re still in the battle, but the war has already been won.

We’re free — not flawless, but faithful.

And that’s what it means to live between freedom and flesh.