How To Figure Out Whether Or Not You Are In Jail

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According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics nearly 7 million people are a part of the correctional population in the United States.  Are you in jail?  Unfortunately, billions (yes—billions with a b) of people all over this planet are incarcerated and don’t even realize it. 

No, I’m not referring to a physical jail cell; I’m talking about a spiritual one.  Living life outside of Jesus Christ means living a life in jail, the jail of sin.  Paul writes in Romans 6:17, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.”

While it is devastating that there are billions of people on this planet in jail, perhaps even worse still are those who believe they have been freed when they really have not.  A lot of people who profess to be “Christians” and to be free from the bondage of sin have not obeyed from the heart the doctrine of the Word of God.

If you have not truly obeyed the Word of God, then you need to right away!  The Bible teaches that you must hear the good news (that the Word became flesh and bore the sins of the entire world so that we may have hope of heaven).  “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  (Romans 10:17)

Once you have heard this wonderful news, you need to take action.  Turn away from the old life of sin that you have been living in.  This is called repentance. Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 

Then you need to confess that you believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the Son of God.  “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Jesus said in Matthew 10:32, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.”

Finally, you must be buried with Christ in baptism.  “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) Baptism is a grave.  When you go down into the water, you are dying to sin.  When you go down into the water, your old self is being done away with.  When you rise up from the water, just as Christ was raised on the third day, you are a new person.  You are now in Christ.  You are now out of jail!