No charges were filed against an international diplomat who broke into a Bel-Air Estates home. The man drove through a security fence, kicked down a door, took some jewelry, and hit the homeowner with a glass. The intoxicated Consul General was handcuffed but later released because the victim declined to press charges. He could have been charged with a misdemeanor, but the international law of diplomatic immunity protected him.

All who have received Christ as Savior have a different kind of immunity. This exemption does not protect us from the courts of this world, but it does protect us from condemnation in the age to come (Rom 8:1,33). Our sin has consequences, but it does not disqualify us for entrance into heaven.

How should we respond to this legal reprieve? Should we think of Christ's forgiveness as a license to live a self-centered life? (6:1-2). Not if we believe what He says about the enslaving effects of sin (v.6). Not if we care about our own body and mind. Not if we care about those affected by our choices. Not if we care about the One who suffered for us.

The immunity Christ provides is for one purpose: to show how much God loves us, and to give us reason to live for Him and love Him forever.  — Mart De Haan