2 Corinthians 3:17
"Now the Lord is Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
No longer bound by the Old Testament law, believers in Jesus Christ now live according to the Spirit's touch on our lives. While we're no longer governed by the creeds of the law, we are now bound to a more complete understanding of God's moral law as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
Of course, this means we must be a people in touch with the Spirit's voice. One of the reasons we do not just ignore the Old Testament is that those laws, even those applying only to Israel, help us understand God's enduring will for his people. While the law was never intended to spell out all of God's will, it does give a glimpse into God's mind. With the coming of the Spirit, we receive a more complete understanding of the mind of Christ living within us.
So what is this liberty spoken of in this text? What liberty do we now have as those under the Spirit and no longer under the law?
I believe it means a couple of things to the church today, to include freedom from the penalty of death which comes when we try to get right with God only by following the law. Under the law, everyone comes up short. Everyone needs to be set free from death's grip through faith in Christ. This is what grace is all about--setting aside the law so that we can know the freedom which is ours through God's great mercies.
But just as importantly, we also experience a new freedom, that of God being able to speak to us individually at any time, and in any way, about any topic, through the inward dwelling of the Spirit. Before, God only spoke through the law and by selected human representatives. No longer. Through the Spirit, he is free to speak to every believer, Spirit to spirit.
Most of us will freely admit the Bible simply doesn't cover every topic we need for life, but what it does is point us to the Lord's heart, a heart we find when we commune with the Spirit. This then gives our God freedom to speak into every matter of our lives. So really, the freedom is not ours to go our own way, but the freedom of the Spirit to direct our paths!
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for the freedom from sin which comes in you and the freedom of your Spirit to speak your will into my life. May I always be both thankful and mindful of both of these freedoms, and may I not abuse them, either by willingly turning to sin since I know I am forgiven, or by refusing to seek your voice in life's matters. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment