This morning while doing a divisional I saw something that I had not before. This had to do with the word "liberty," and the distortion and misuse of it. It sprang form the following:
"Liberty by the Holy Spirit"
"Now the LORD is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2Corinthians 3:17)
As we have seen, the old covenant of Law produces spiritual bondage in those who attempt to live under it. The great heavenly remedy for this bondage is the New Covenant of Grace, because it produces within us the spiritual liberty that GOD alone produces. This liberty is a work of the Holy Spirit. "Now the Lord [LORD] is the Spirit." The life-giving LORD of grace is the Spirit of GOD: "the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2Corinthians 3:6).
Living by rules and regulations ("of the letter" as written in your Bible) has a deadening, binding spiritual effect within people. This is how the Pharisee's "ministered." "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders" (Matthew 23:4). Jesus came to liberate people, to set them free from religions effects of bondage and death. This is why Jesus ministered by the Holy Spirit. "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed" (Luke 4:18). As Jesus, the Son of GOD, humbly served the Father, the Holy Spirit empowered Him to rescue captives, to release the oppressed. To this very day He is doing this finished work of His own death in those who by humility receive of Him this work.
Rescuing people from sin and unrighteousness is the fundamental, liberating work of Jesus. "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:18). Before we can build on this truth we must understand what GOD stated of man and his religions in the first portion of Romans 1-5. Now, we are free to grow in a life of righteousness, this being spiritual liberty. Our new found freedom is not for personal indulgences. It is for the serving the LORD. "As free, yet not using your liberty as a cloak for vice, but as servants of GOD" (1Peter 2:16). Now that we are free, we can use our freedom to lovingly minister to others. "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13).
Another wonder of Christ's rescuing, liberating work is that He wants to heal us from self-dependent striving to develop a life of godliness and loving service. The point that Law demand could not fulfill nor accomplish within us by self-efforts. He accomplishes this through the work of the Holy Spirit. "For the law (Not the Mosaic Law of condemnation) of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the [old] Law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2). As we walk in humble dependency, the Holy Spirit imparts within us the life that is in Christ and in Jesus. This liberates us from the tendency to rely upon fleshly human resources, which are inadequate (due to sin and spiritual deadness, disillusionment).
The Word of GOD, a Blessing to those who Reverence it,
Joshua 1:8 of 1-9 "After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 'Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the Law that Moses My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.'"
Psalm 19:11 of 7-14 "The law (not the Law of condemnation) of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear (high reverence) of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
Matthew 7:24 of 24-27, 28-29 (Jesus is speaking) "'Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.'
When Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes."
Luke 11:28 of 27-28 "As Jesus said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!" But He said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word (voice) of GOD and keep it!'"
John 5:24 of 24-29 (Jesus is speaking) "'Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (the first resurrection of Matthew 27:51-54 and the witness of Paul in his letters) For as the Father has Life in Himself, so HE has granted the Son also to have Life (Christ) in Himself. And HE has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice (the second resurrection) and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life (those who leave this earth in their own time as sons of GOD or Christ ones), and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.'"
John 8:31 of 31-33 "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (by at liberity).' They answered Him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free?'"
Revelation 1:3 of 1-3 "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which GOD gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the Word of GOD and to the testimony of Jesus [even] Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written [revealed with] in it, for the time is near."
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