THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD GIVES US FREEDOM

PROCLAMATION

“Now The Lord is The Spirit, and where The Spirit of The Lord is, there is freedom.”  2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Here Paul makes a bold statement and implies that The Holy Spirit is The Spirit of The Lord Jesus, The Christ.  This should not be so hard to accept since we are taught that God, The Father, and God, The Son, and God, The Holy Spirit are one. (1 John 5:7)  Jesus, The Christ, said, “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30)  Therefore, The Holy Spirit of God is The Spirit of Christ.  Where The Spirit of The Lord is, there is freedom.

 

APPLICATION

The Bible says, “God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)  Wherever The Holy Spirit of The Lord God is, there is freedom.  This is not freedom in the physical sense, even though that can also happen.  This is freedom in the spiritual sense.  Since The Holy Spirit dwells within all believers, we all get to enjoy this “freedom”; the freedom from spiritual blindness and darkness; the freedom from the bondage of sin and the captivity of Satan; and the freedom from the fear of hell, God’s wrath, and eternal damnation.  The more time we spend in His Holy Word, and the more often we exhibit the fruit of The Spirit, the more like Him we become.  As we do His will and are ruled by our spiritual nature, we are slowly being transformed into His image. (2 Corinthians 3:18)  However, the transformation will not be complete until He returns, and we are changed from mortal to immortal. (1 Corinthians 15:50-53)

 

FREEDOM FOR THE SLAVES

FREEDOM FOR THE SLAVES

PROCLAMATION

“Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you.  After they have served you for six years, you must let them go free. …”  Jeremiah 34:14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These are the words of The Lord God which were spoken to the prophet Jeremiah and proclaimed to the people of Judah.  While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his army were attacking Jerusalem and Judah, The Lord God spoke to Jeremiah and again told him to go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that the city would fall and be captured and burned. (Jeremiah 34:1-3)  Then the word came to Jeremiah that everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves. (Jeremiah 34:8-10)  They did, but afterwards they changed their minds and took the slaves back and enslaved them again. (Jeremiah 34:11)  The Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said that He made a covenant with their ancestors when He brought them out of Egypt, that every seventh year, the sabbatical year, they would free any Hebrew slaves. (Jeremiah 34:12-16)  Because they went back on their word, He was going to punish them. (Jeremiah 34:17-22)

APPLICATION

Slavery and indentured servitude have for the most part been eliminated.  The Emancipation Proclamation, which was sign by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, freed the slaves in America.  Although the slaves in Texas did not find out about it until June 19, 1865, “Juneteenth”, and “freedom” did not really occur until Congress passed and ratified the 15^th Amendment in 1870.  However, a loophole in that amendment allowed for “slavery” in the form of incarceration.  All believers, those who have undergone circumcision of the heart, need to understand that, just as in days of old, those who enslave us today will be punished.  Biblically, indentured servitude, work without pay, was not intended to last for a lifetime.  Some employees get paid so little that they feel like indentured servants and those employers will have to give an account. (Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 4:1)  So, pray for those who are holding you down or back.  We all should be helping each other to achieve and accomplish more and not trying to limit or restrict each other.  We should help one another to become the best person that they can be and not use people for our personal gain.  Pray for each other because we all have something that we are a slave to and need to be free from.

The Truth Will Set You Free From Sin

"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 ... I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word ... 'If you were Abraham's children,' said Jesus, 'then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does' ... You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies ... He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." John 8:31-47 (NIV)

Even though the people wanted to kill Him for what He was saying, Jesus continued to teach the truth. To the Jews who were descendants of Abraham physically, their behavior revealed them to be the devil's descendants. The devil is the father of lies and there is no truth in him.

Jesus spoke the truth. We must hear the truth, believe the truth, and live the truth, if we want to be free from the penalty of sin. Those of us who belong to God can hear what He says, and we endeavour to do what He says. Our words and deeds reveal who is our real father.

Walk In And Live By The Spirit

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by The Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Galatians 5:13-16 (NIV)

In his letter to the Christians in Galatia, Paul is teaching them about Christian behavior and Christian living. Here he is saying just because you are forgiven does not mean that you can commit all the sin that you want. They were supposed to love one another and not fight with each other.

Christian freedom is not for selfish fulfillment, but for serving others. We are to love one another. We are not to act like wild animals, attacking, biting, and killing one another. When we let hate and evil rule us, we destroy ourselves. If we walk in The Spirit, we will not give in to the lust of the flesh or our desire to sin. The Spirit of God is within each of us, but we must yield to The Spirit.