22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
I remember playing a game on the playground when I was in elementary school. It involved a jump rope and two kids. They would run around with the rope suspended between the two of them. They would try to surround as many kids as they could with their rope. We became their prisoners. We remained a prisoner until someone from outside the rope tapped us, releasing us from the rope’s grip. I don’t remember what the penalty of being captured was, other than not being able to play freely for those few minutes, but I do remember that I didn’t want to get captured. Sin has captured every one of us. Its ropes have surrounded all of humanity. None escapes its net. That is the one unifying fact of life. Everyone is a prisoner of sin. There is no escaping its grasp. But that is the glorious message of the Gospel. Christ has made it possible to get free from sin’s grip. He became our substitute. He tapped us on the shoulder and we were freed. But He put himself in the enclosure of sin, taking our place. He gave up His freedom, taking on my captivity, all for my sake. And then He rose again, breaking free from the rope of sin that bound me. Now I get the freedom that is truly His. So how do we get free from the sin that has captured us? We have faith in Him, in His life, death, resurrection, ascension and coming again. When we trust what He did for us, we get His freedom from sin. Sin never had a grip on Him, and when we trust, sin no longer has a grip on us. We are free from its grasp.
The Arnold Journey 