#334 - Joby Martin // Freedom In Christ Without A License To Sin

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson
Episode: #334 – "Joby Martin // Freedom In Christ Without A License To Sin"
Date: April 13, 2026
Main Theme:
This episode centers on the true meaning of Christian freedom as outlined in Galatians 5. Pastor Joby Martin challenges listeners not to misunderstand spiritual liberty as permission to indulge in sin, but instead as empowerment to overcome sin through Christ. He clarifies the distinction between struggling with sin and willfully embracing it, urging believers to seriously confront and surrender their sinful patterns.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context: Freedom in Christ (00:20–01:25)

• Context Setting: Joby Martin highlights the Apostle Paul’s message from Galatians—Christ sets us free for freedom’s sake, not so we can return to sin.

• Core Message: Salvation comes through faith in Christ alone, not faith plus works. However, this freedom does not mean believers have carte blanche to sin.

  "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free... it's faith in Christ alone that saves us, not faith plus works. But that freedom does not give us freedom to sin. It gives us freedom from sin."
  — Joby Martin (00:20)

2. Works of the Flesh vs. Life in the Spirit (01:25–03:05)

• Galatians 5:18 Quoted & Explained: Being led by the Spirit means not being under the law.

• List of Fleshly Works: Joby lists sins Paul explicitly names—sexual immorality, jealousy, anger, etc.—and unpacks the Greek term porneo for sexual immorality.

• Warning Against Sin: Paul’s warning is not about specific unforgivable sins, but about a lifestyle that is incompatible with inheriting the Kingdom.

  "If you think that [God’s grace] is a license to sin, then you have not surrendered your life to the lordship of Jesus."
  — Joby Martin (02:45)

• Forgiveness Clarified: The only unforgivable sin is the rejection of Jesus Christ.

3. Taking Sin Seriously (03:05–04:25)

• The Danger of Minimizing Sin: Many believers treat sin lightly, as a manageable “pet” rather than the deadly threat it truly is.

• Memorable Reference: Puritan pastor John Owen is quoted—“Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

• Sin’s Nature: Sin is described as an “apex predator.” If not slain, it will destroy us.

  "A lot of times we treat sin like it is a pet. We think we can tame it...but it is not a pet. It is a killer. It is an apex predator."
  — Joby Martin (03:40)

4. The Lordship of Jesus (04:25–04:55)

• Two Approaches to Sin:

  • Struggling with sin: Part of the human condition—addressed by grace and repentance.
  • Giving yourself over to sin: Living in persistent, unrepentant sin is incompatible with calling Jesus “Lord.”

  "You cannot simultaneously look at Jesus and say, I do whatever I want... That is not how this thing works."
  — Joby Martin (04:35)

5. Personal Reflection and Exhortation (04:55–05:06)

• Action Step: Joby asks listeners to reflect—What sin have you tolerated, excused, or tried to “tame”? He urges laying it at the cross and putting it to death, standing on Christ’s victory and the Spirit’s power.

• Visual Emphasis: The act of carrying sin “in our pocket” is described as a “trick...a tool of the enemy to lead us to destruction.”

  "When Jesus pushed up on his nail pierced feet and he said it is finished... why in the heck do we continuously carry [our sin] around and keep it in our pocket like it’s something to make us comfortable?"
  — Joby Martin (04:58)

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Notable Quotes

• "The gospel takes sin very seriously. In fact, sin was such a big deal that Jesus had to die on the cross in order to do something about it."
  — Joby Martin (03:30)

• "If there is anything in your life, any work of the flesh that is out of alignment with the gospel of Jesus Christ, may...you put that sin against to death. Amen."
  — Joby Martin (05:04)

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Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:20 – Introduction to Galatians 5 theme: True freedom in Christ.
• 01:25 – Explanation of “works of the flesh” and the Greek term porneo.
• 02:45 – Warning against using grace as a license to sin.
• 03:40 – John Owen quote; the danger of treating sin as a pet.
• 04:35 – Clarification about struggling with sin versus living in sin.
• 04:58 – Exhortation to lay sinful habits at the cross.
• 05:04 – Concluding prayer and commission to put sin to death.

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Summary Notes

• The episode’s tone is direct, challenging, and encouraging, reflecting Joby Martin’s preaching style.
• The teaching quickly, powerfully moves from biblical exposition to real-life application.
• Listeners are called to action: examine themselves, take sin seriously, and live under Christ’s lordship and Spirit’s power.

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For listeners or readers:
If you want a biblical, practical challenge to reevaluate your relationship with sin and embrace the true freedom Christ purchased, this short devotional offers both scriptural foundation and heartfelt exhortation.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

[B]

Hey. Welcome back to the Daily Blade. We are in Galatians, chapter five. I'm going to pick it up in verse 18, but just in case you're late to the party. A big part of what Paul has been talking about in the book of Galatians is that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. The Judaizers that come in and try to lay the law upon the believers. And Paul is making it abundantly clear that it's the gospel of Jesus Christ alone, it's faith in Christ alone that saves us, not faith plus works. But that freedom does not give us freedom to sin. It gives us freedom from sin. It frees us from the power of sin. It frees us from the penalty of sin. And one day it will free us from the very presence of sin. Galatians 5:18 says, but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident. And he's going to give a long list of the works of the flesh. Sexual immorality. The Greek word there is porneo. Sound familiar? Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, what he's not saying is that there is some kind of sin that is unforgivable. The only unforgivable sin is, is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. That is the sin that grieves the Holy Spirit. But what I wanna point out here is after he has just talked about the reality that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, then he warns us to not use that freedom, to think that we can do whatever we want and then simultaneously call Jesus our Lord. I think I praise God for the churches, like our church, that preaches the grace of Jesus. Grace is God's unmerited favor towards us. But if you think that is a license to sin, then you have not surrendered your life to the lordship of Jesus. And I think there's so many of us that do not take sin seriously enough. The Gospel takes sin very seriously. In fact, sin was such a big deal that Jesus had to die on the cross in order to do something about it. And so John Owen, one of the great puritan pastors, used to say that we had to kill sin or it will be killing you. And a lot of times we treat sin like it is a pet. We think we can tame it, we can just keep it in the cage and keep it in the basement somewhere, but it is not a pet. If we don't try to take sin out, sin will take us out. It is a killer. It is an apex predator. Now, when Paul says that, as I warned you before, those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. There is a difference between a sin that you struggle with and something that you have just given yourself over to. So you cannot simultaneously look at Jesus and say, I do whatever I want. I can sleep with who I want. I can drink and get drunk if I want to. I can do whatever I want to with my body and I can still call you the Lord. That is not how this thing works. If Jesus is your Lord, you do what he says that you should do and not what you want to do. This is why the writer of Hebrews says that we need to put off the weightiness of sin and all of the things that would entangle us as we fix our eyes on Jesus and run the race that he has called us to run. So let me ask you, what are some areas of your life that you need to put away? What is some sin in your life that you have not been dealing rightly with? You've been trying to make excuses with it. You've just tried to put up with it. You've been trying to tone it down and tame it. And what you actually need to do is take it to the throne of the cross and put it to death once and for all. When Jesus pushed up on his nail pierced feet and he said it is finished, he goes to the grave and he pays the full payment for that sin. So why in the heck do we continuously carry it around and keep it in our pocket like it's something to make us comfortable? No, no, no, no. It is a trick. It is a tool of the enemy to lead us to destruction. So if there is anything in your life, any work of the flesh that is out of alignment with the gospel of Jesus Christ, may by the power of the blood of Christ, standing on the authority of the word of God, under the banner of the love of the heavenly Father, indwell, with the power of the spirit in you, may you put that sin against to death. Amen.

[A]

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.