Only Christians are Truly Free
07/03/10 10:09
Last
week we discussed the fact that God gives us the
ability to choose the freedom that we all seek. I
hope that we all understood that, while it is true
one has the right to choose something other than God,
true freedom only comes from the decisions that God
would have us to make. Now, I know that there may be
some fellow out there who might think he’s a
little smarter than he really is and say something to
this order, “Well, if you choose something for
your life because God wants you to, well then, you
are really a slave to Him. You are not truly
free.” If that certain fellow wants to think
that way, he is certainly
free to
do so –no pun intended. And for that fellow,
Jesus’ words to all who would be disciples
means absolutely nothing;
…whom the Son sets free, is free
indeed.” But
let’s investigate Jesus’ words here for a
moment to understand how He can make such a claim.
Let’s go to the text, which is found in the
gospel of John.
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth; everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:31-36
The dilemma that every man and woman has here on earth, or I should say, in this life, is the fact that no one is perfect! We all sin. The Scriptures speak without question – we all like sheep have turn away, each to his own way and God has laid on him (Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all. God has bound all men over to sin – so that He may have mercy on us all. And again, all have sinned and fall short… and the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. In short – if you live, you sin! And if you sin, you are bound, as a slave would be bound, to that sin. But let’s not even go there; let’s just talk about life here on earth. No one is truly free. We like to say, “So-n-so is as free as a bird.” Well birds aren’t free! They are bound by all sorts of things like food supply, fear of predators, ability and on and on. Man is bound to this earth by the same things that binds the birds and for that matter, the rest of the animal kingdom. No matter what it is, if it is created, it is bound and not truly free.
Philosophically speaking, only God can be truly free. God is self-existing and doesn’t rely on anything to exist. All creation and it’s being, is contingent on God – the Giver of life. So, whatever exists must necessarily be somewhat bound and limited. Then how can Jesus say that if He sets you free, you will be free indeed? Because, to all who would receive His Word and allow it to live in their hearts, He promised that He would come and live in them. Peter tells us that God has given us the opportunity to participate in the Divine nature and escape the corruption of this world caused by evil desires. In other words, the fullness of the Word of God is simply the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but has now been disclosed to the saints of God. What is this mystery? CHRIST IN YOU – THE HOPE OF GLORY! Now, it is God who makes both you and I stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us and set His seal of ownership on us and He has put His Spirit in our hearts –guaranteeing what is to come–total freedom!
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth; everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:31-36
The dilemma that every man and woman has here on earth, or I should say, in this life, is the fact that no one is perfect! We all sin. The Scriptures speak without question – we all like sheep have turn away, each to his own way and God has laid on him (Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all. God has bound all men over to sin – so that He may have mercy on us all. And again, all have sinned and fall short… and the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. In short – if you live, you sin! And if you sin, you are bound, as a slave would be bound, to that sin. But let’s not even go there; let’s just talk about life here on earth. No one is truly free. We like to say, “So-n-so is as free as a bird.” Well birds aren’t free! They are bound by all sorts of things like food supply, fear of predators, ability and on and on. Man is bound to this earth by the same things that binds the birds and for that matter, the rest of the animal kingdom. No matter what it is, if it is created, it is bound and not truly free.
Philosophically speaking, only God can be truly free. God is self-existing and doesn’t rely on anything to exist. All creation and it’s being, is contingent on God – the Giver of life. So, whatever exists must necessarily be somewhat bound and limited. Then how can Jesus say that if He sets you free, you will be free indeed? Because, to all who would receive His Word and allow it to live in their hearts, He promised that He would come and live in them. Peter tells us that God has given us the opportunity to participate in the Divine nature and escape the corruption of this world caused by evil desires. In other words, the fullness of the Word of God is simply the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but has now been disclosed to the saints of God. What is this mystery? CHRIST IN YOU – THE HOPE OF GLORY! Now, it is God who makes both you and I stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us and set His seal of ownership on us and He has put His Spirit in our hearts –guaranteeing what is to come–total freedom!
Have
a God blessed week. Pastor Jim
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