What Does It Mean To Be Free?
The Following came from Gospel Revolution (Mike Williams) and I thought it was worth repeating here on Bold Grace. You can read more of Mike’s great teachings by clicking Gospel Revolution.
Dear Freedom Lovers,
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, you will be free indeed." Romans 8:36
So, what does it mean to be "free"?
Well, one of the meanings in the original Greek is literally to be "free of obligation". But if there is one thing that has been a cornerstone of the historic Christian Church is that once you become a Christian you are anything but "free of obligation". The obligations that the professional ministers of the "law of sin and death" have put on the flock are endless. You are obliged to come to church whenever the doors are open. You are obliged to being a near-perfect spouse, parent, citizen, employee or employer. And you are certainly obliged to give at least 10% of your income to the institution that obligates you to do everything else you do in your life "as unto the Lord." This is perverse.
The reality is that as far as God is concerned, you are obligated to do nothing. Why? Because now that the New Testament has been established through the Blood of the Son, He has met every obligation, every requirement for God’s righteousness and holiness and imputed it to you for free. Now, any obligation you have are the ones that come out of your own heart, and should not be the obligations that come out of the hearts of the "control freaks" who dominate our religious landscape.
Your relationship with God, compared to all other, is admittedly a unique one. With every other relationship, you have lots of obligations. Whether it be with a spouse, children, relatives, friends, neighbors, your place of work, your local, state, and federal government, etc., the more relationships you have the more obligations you may have. How you fulfill them is up to you based on what is in your heart and your willingness to put up with the consequences of your actions or inaction with each one of them.
I really love the way Mike thinks.
Sometimes I wish I understood better why he isn’t interested in participating in some of the blogging communities who have an interest in him. He could add so much value to the discussions. I’m sure he has his reasons, and it’s really none of my business. Just thinking outloud…
I read this cliff.And it is full of the richness of what the Gospel is all about.Our obligation is to the headship of christ alone.It feels good to be free from the professional ministers of the “law of sin and death”The obligations that the professional ministers of the “law of sin and death” have put on the flock are endless.
Thank God for a sound mind which is nolonger under guilt fear and condemnation.But can live move and have our being in him without any obligation put on us at all.
kenneth.
Well said, Cliff
Cliff- my new email address is: enotita@dot11net.net
Think I got an email off to George, Steve, and Bruce, but missed you.
Re: freedom vs. obligation
I dont believe we feel obligated now that we see the Cross and know our liberty in CHRIST, but there is process that happens as GOD works in us.. Just as GOD gave the land in Deut. and then said “Go and possess it”> We have it, but there is the journey of possessing what we have.. Its like sin is forgiven, but in I Jn, it speaks of confession and cleansing. I see this as the experience which leads us to the possession. Just like HE grants repentance and renews our minds, even though HE says we are righteous, these processes bring us into possession of that righteousness. So the freedom is that GOD will do it all in us, and we will then work it out. I know I have quoted this scripture on this blog a lot, but it is a powerful truth, Phil. 2:12 & 13..We work out what HE works in.. Thats freedom… Our experience should line up with the WORD, not try and make the WORD line up with our experience.
Blessings fellow sojourners!!
Connie
Connie,
After 33 years of daily study of the Word I have to respectfully disagree with you on this. The more you study the written word with an open mind the more you see how mankind has been influenced by their own perverted minds. This is exactly why God knew all along that He would take total control of our destiny even before we were born. The New covenant is not in a written code, it is something that He has placed in our hearts. Our job is simply to be awakened to His leadership that abides within every human being. Let me quote:
Heb 8:10-12 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
The written word has led organized religion down a road of judgement, condemnation, and division. When we listen to our hearts along with the experiences that God has allowed in our lives we begin to truly see His plan for all mankind.
Trying to get our experiences to line up with the written Word is exactly why the church is so messed up. I’m not saying the written word can’t be helpful because I still love to search it finding gems of all kinds, but one must be very careful to remember that the history of the written word is full of contradictions and self interpretation by flawed men.
Hi Cliff
Thanks for your letter. Haha Thats funny, I too have been studying the WORD for 35 years. Right from the time of my conversion, GOD gave me such a hunger and I always went to the Heb and Gr. def. and now I know how important that is. Its not the WORD that is contradictory, its mans translations and interpretations that are off. Basically JESUS is the WORD made flesh, I find the WORD as my meat and drink, not just helpful as you stated.(Original scripture is inspired, translations are not)
The scriptures you quoted speak of Israel and many see that as seperate from what GOD says of “all” mankind..And re the heart, hmm..thats opening a kettle of worms re what the Scriptures say..And thats my point…Isnt it interesting that we can all study and see differently? Hmmmm..wonder why GOD did it that way? Could it be that we are to grow mostly in LOVE and not doctrine? I was for years such a stickler for Doctrine and now getting your letter, it just confirms to me again, that such a big part of my liberty now, is that my focus is not about doctrine, but about HIM. WHat I believe, how much liberty I have, that is my builders issue, for I am HIS workmanship and HE who began that work in me will finish it. So we are not going to agree on all doctrine cause GOD has us buildings all at a different stage and so unfinished are we,,, and we arent going to know how much truth and how much error we have either, …till later. And how freeing is that, that thats OK!!!
ANyway, thats my take on it where I am now……the unfinished building that I am…
In HIM
Con
Well said Connie.