Eugenio Duarte, General Superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene

Some people declare their preparedness to break ties of commitment by issuing or requesting a letter of release. However, no matter how cordial, sincere, and proper it sounds, a request for release can be refused.

In much the same way, the Bible shows how one can be bound to sin. It alerts us that the evil one is never willing to release his captives, but it also tells us that our enemy has no power to grant the freedom we need. Some people try to gain this freedom by following the law of the Lord and relying on its power. The Word says that the power of this law is good enough to give instruction, clarification, and guidance to the true and only source of power that releases us from sin.

However, the freedom we desire requires far greater power than simply what we find in the knowledge of right and wrong and even in the knowledge of where to find the power that releases us from sin. We cannot attain this “releasing power” on our own, but God helps us see our need and makes it possible for us to be free and live in the abundance of His “mercy, peace, and love” (Jude 2).

The Apostle Paul describes the letter of release that breaks the ties of sin:

“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were through the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:5–6, ASV).

As the new year begins and new events feel relevant and pressing, consider your commitment to herald the gift of God’s freedom to all. You may be entering 2015 with justified suspicion about life’s upcoming surprises. A story was recently shared in the media. As part of a so-called “Uplift Someone” campaign “to make the world a better place,” traffic police pulled drivers over not to issue them a ticket or a warning and not to arrest them, but to give them gifts.

Do you feel “pulled over” at the beginning of the new year, not knowing what to expect? Journeying in our sinful world can be arduous. Be encouraged to press on, released, free from the law, dead to sin, renewed in the Spirit, helpful to fellow journeyers, and leading the way as an agent of God to proclaim the gift of His freedom.

— Eugénio R. Duarte, Board of General Superintendents