Emancipated by the Gospel

I'm still wading through Brennan Manning's Ragamuffin Gospel, and came across a helpful quote on one of the many implications of what it means to be "free in Christ":

"Freedom in Christ produces a healthy independence from peer pressure, people-pleasing, and the bondage of human respect. The tyranny of public opinion can manipulate our lives.... For most of us it takes a long time for the Spirit of freedom to cleanse us of the subtle urges to be admired..."

One of my besetting sins is "the fear of man," and while I wish I could say it is a problem that resides in my past, I can relate to the "it takes a long time" dynamic of breaking free from the need to be admired. It is sad how often it has dominated my life. That is why I continually must affirm the positional righteousness that I possess in the gospel though faith alone in the work of Jesus on my behalf.  For on the cross, Jesus was bound and suffered in my place so that I could be free from the struggle to attain a righteousness of my own. That is what I am called to believe. And when I do, I actually experience the freedom for which Jesus has set me free.