{"id":7240,"date":"2019-11-13T12:25:13","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T18:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=7240"},"modified":"2022-04-05T18:37:20","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T18:37:20","slug":"nba-star-a-c-green-is-free-to-be-faithful-and-you-can-be-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2019\/11\/nba-star-a-c-green-is-free-to-be-faithful-and-you-can-be-too\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Star A.C. Green is Free to Be Faithful, and You Can Be Too"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
\nRomans 6:6-7<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When we accept Christ\u2019s sacrifice on the cross, our relationship to sin completely changes. Sin is no longer our master, no longer in control of our lives. We are free to be faithful. But we live in a corrupt world, constantly surrounded by advertised enticements to sin.
\nIt is not easy \u201cto have nothing to do with sin\u201d in today\u2019s culture. But by the grace of God, we can live faithful lives in the midst of the sin around us.<\/p>\n

Because A. C. had been set free from the power of sin, he was free to be faithful.<\/h4>\n

NBA player A. C. Green has lived in such a way. After graduating from high school, he attended a church service where he accepted Christ. He was a star basketball player at Oregon State and became part of a Bible study and grew in his faith. The Los Angeles Lakers drafted him in the first round. In his second game he scored seventeen points and grabbed sixteen rebounds; he was the first Laker rookie in more than two decades to play in every game. Even though surrounded by the pressures of a life in professional sports, A. C. remained firm in his faith. He vowed to remain pure before marriage, and other players teased and tempted him because of that commitment. But despite his young age, he did not allow his teammates to influence his lifestyle. He was faithful to his word, and he married at age thirty-eight.[i]<\/a><\/p>\n

Exploring the Word<\/h4>\n

In Christ, we are free from the power of sin\u2014free to be faithful. Paul Tripp stated, \u201cHumble admission of need and humble submission to God open me up to the freest of lives.\u201d[ii]<\/a> Grace does free us, but we must place ourselves in humble submission to the grace that delivers us from the power of sin. How do these verses help you understand your freedom from sin?<\/p>\n