Posted on November 22, 2022 by Elizabeth Welte in Freedom Fighters
“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”
~ Paul
Freedom in Christ is this: that you stand forgiven and declared justified, not because of anything you have accomplished, but that you have ‘turned to Jesus… placing your trust in His perfect work of salvation, given to you by grace, and that this gift completely satisfies all judgments against you as a sinner. Included in this salvation package is a new nature, that being the righteousness of Christ (i.e., faith, Love, patience, kindness, thanksgiving, joy, hope, forbearance, courage, discernment, long-suffering, justice, and Goodness) and His Spirit living in you, “for you are the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 6:19). The Spirit of the Lord empowers you now to live by this new nature as you choose to reject your will and desire, and humbling yourself under God’s mighty hand, allowing Him to lift you up in His perfectly designed time. Paul describes this freedom as, “whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:16-17)
The veil he is talking about is our belief we can be a good person without doing it God’s way. The veil is whatever set of rules you have cherry-picked because they fit your idea of justice and have been used to formulate ‘your way’ of living. The veil is you thinking you are ‘autonomous’ and, by doing so, willfully, and knowingly rejecting the Sovereign God. This is enslavement to your own finite and limited will.
“But for those who turn from their finite and limited will, put on Jesus’ righteousness, and live by the power of His Spirit… you are free from having to earn God’s favor; you already have it. You are free to live without condemnation because Jesus has covered over all your sin. You are free to love unconditionally; you are free to forgive others; you are free to know Christ and everything about His Goodness. You are free to trust God with your whole life; you are free to be confident in His Word; you are free to speak boldly from His Word… and with compassion and empathy for others; you are free to trust Him… and others through Him. These are the joys of Jesus’ offer: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke (role or service) upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
(Matthew 11:28-29)
You can be free in Jesus; you only need to let Him tear down your veil of unbelief. Stop looking for reasons to reject Him and give in to your heart’s desire to know rest. Jesus stands ready with open arms to cover you over and fill you up with all that is His. So won’t you come to Him today… and be free?
Choose wisely…
“So, you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”
(Romans 6:11-12, 14)
Praying you choose Christ today
Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, grandfather, Pastor with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church. He is the author of two devotional books, “From a Chair by the Window.” And “#PrayerWinsThe Day”.
Think About This: “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” – Henri Frederic Amiel
The Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 27-28; James 4 You can download our 2022 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” 1 Corinthians 12:26-27
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
