It is often said that in Christ, believers have freedom. And, that is true. Is it a total freedom of thought and action? Let's see.
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (1 Peter 1:14)
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:10)
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-10)
You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
With our acceptance of Christ as Lord comes a responsibility for repentance. We each have become a child of God and are free from the shackles of sin due to the work of our Lord on the cross, but we are expected to exhibit goodness, righteousness and truth. We are required to act according to our new-found knowledge and we are required to increase that knowledge on a regular basis through on-going study.
God expects us to be holy because he is holy.
I think it is a lot like the expectations for a major league baseball team. For every game there is the expectation from the manager that every player will put forth his best effort to win the game. However, no team will in reality win all of its games over the course of a long season. But, they continue to try to win every game. Christians may not be playing a “game” but are expected in a similar manner to put forth the greatest effort to meet God's expectations with each new day.
