What is meant by being free from sin?

from the old testament

• Sin has wreaked havoc in us, others, and the world. Sin has marred the image of God in mankind and introduced guilt, shame, fear, sorrow, pain, and death into the world (Genesis 2:17; 3:7, 10, 18, 19).
• Sin resulted in Adam and Eve, from whom we all descended, being removed from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24).
• Every human now has a sin nature (Psalm 51:5).
• To be free from sin means to reverse these effects and to guarantee that they do not return. This is exactly what God has promised to do and has already begun doing by sending His Son to break the power and penalty of sin (Genesis 3:15; see John 8:36).

from the new testament

• Sin impacts us and others; we damage others by our sinfulness (Matthew 15:19).
• For those of us who have repented from sin and received Jesus Christ, freedom from sin has begun. We who believe in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins have been set free from the penalty of sin, including the fear of death, condemning guilt, and hell itself (Hebrews 2:14-15; Romans 8:1; John 3:16-18).
• Believers have also been set free from the dominating reign of sin over our own hearts and conduct (Romans 6:6, 17-18).
• Having received the Spirit of God, believers are given new hearts that desire to love and obey God (Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no longer bound to sin.
• At the same time, there is a sense in which believers are not yet fully free. We still struggle with the remnants of sin found in our old nature or "old self" as Scripture states (Romans 7:21-25; Ephesians 4:20-24; Colossians 3:9). We do not always live righteously but still succumb to sin.
• In Christ, all our sins have been forgiven eternally. When we sin, our fellowship with God is disrupted, much like a disobedient child who disobeys his father. But there is restoration in Christ (1 John 1:8-9). God never disowns His children and is eager to restore them to full fellowship with Himself.
• To be completely free from sin means to be completely conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 15:49). Although this process of sanctification has begun in the believer, it is not complete until we die and go to be with God or until Christ returns (whichever happens first for us).
• Believers will experience the love, peace, and joy of God, for eternity, living in the presence of our Savior and Redeemer. This is why the apostle Paul could say with confidence, "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).
• To be completely free from sin means to live in a pristine new world which has not and cannot suffer the tragic consequences of sin and is populated only by those who have been purified and perfected. This will be a world without tears, sorrow, pain, fear, death, grief, shame, guilt, a world of love, a world promised to those who believe in Jesus Christ and look forward to His return (Revelation 21:1-4).
• Until the day where we will be completely free from sin, we can live knowing we have been freed from sin's dominion (Romans 6:6, 18). Instead, we are slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:22), humbly yielding to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• We give God praise for the freedom He has assured and granted and live knowing that we belong to Christ: "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

implications for today

Believers are on a journey of transformation, constantly being shaped by the Holy Spirit to reflect more of Christ’s character in our lives. This process of sanctification reminds us that while we’ve been freed from the power of sin, we still live in a world tainted by its effects and we still battle the flesh and sin in our own lives. We are called to stand firm in the freedom Christ has secured for us, living not as slaves to sin but as instruments of righteousness.

How do we do this? We live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We recognize our sin and repent. We seek to live for righteousness, through the power of His Spirit. We surrender ourselves to Him knowing that freedom is found in Him. We do all this looking forward to the future with hope—the assurance that one day, we will be fully free from sin and its consequences in the new heaven and new earth.

This promise should deeply shape how we live today, as we joyfully yield to the work of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to refine us and make us more like Christ. We are called to praise God for the freedom He has granted us and to live with purpose, knowing that our present freedom is a foretaste of the perfect, eternal freedom to come. We do not use our freedom to sin and live however we want. Instead, we seek to live for the things of God– that which reflects Him and lasts eternally. As we face challenges in this world, we can take comfort in the promise of a future where sin and suffering are no more, and live in a way that honors God and reflects the hope we have in Christ’s return.