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Even after all of that, I wonder if we know what being free truly means. We live in a fallen, decaying and broken world and there will always be forces working to destroy the pure and beautiful. The same is true in my own personal walk with Christ. My spirit is from heaven but my body is in the same condition of this world-broken and sinful. The struggle between flesh and spirit, darkness and light, is perfectly stated in Romans 7:15,18-19: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."
With such a grim sentence we're living through here on earth, trapped in these bodies that "wage war against the law of God", it almost seems hopeless. And trying to keep the law is hopeless...without Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in us. In fact, it's impossible. Our sinful condition is a terminal disease, never improving by our own efforts. Without the antidote of the salvation of the blood of Jesus, we are not only lost, but will eventually be strangled by our perfectionism and legalism.
The verse that got me thinking about all of this in the first place is II Corinthians 3:17: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM (emphasis mine)." Previously in the same chapter Paul talks about the "hope" we have in the glory of the ministry of the Spirit. The Mosaic Law had its place and its own glory, but Paul is making the point that the ministry of the Spirit is that much more powerful. It's grace vs. law, righteousness through Christ is it taken away. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
Christ vs. condemnation: "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only
Jesus himself spoke about being slaves to sin in John 8:34-36: "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, 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.'" In my own life I often miss this. These are "red letter" words, spoken out of the mouth of Jesus Christ, and still I don't let them become truth to me. They are a promise, a promise for freedom from addiction, from "self", from anger, pride, bitterness, fear...and all the pressure that comes with trying to earn grace or be "good enough."
So what does this all mean? Our relationship with God requires the same steps of faith and courage that our forefathers took to obtain freedom, but the sacrifice has already been provided by our Lord Jesus Christ. His death and the power of His blood paid the ultimate price for our freedom from sin and death. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of coming back to the same old chains, deliberately putting them on and sitting in a prison cell that's already been broken open. I'm free to go; I’m no longer in bondage, and no longer subject to a yoke of slavery! There is no power that exists that can keep me from the love of God and the lengths He has already gone to set me free. All I have to do is take a step into the Light.
