"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
Through his letter to the Corinthians, Paul explained to all people and for all time that, until Jesus lives in us, we exist as though a veil stands between us and God. Hid from his glory, our minds are “made dull” and we do not know him. We relate to him only in the “Biblical legalese” of what we should and should not do. We are, on one hand, consumed with earning our own righteousness through his Law and, on the other hand, frustrated by a down-deep knowledge that we cannot attain it, no matter how hard we try.
In Christ, however, the veil is taken away. Our spirits see his glory and live! We are free! Liberated! The torn veil lies in a wadded heap behind us, and the glory of the God of liberty shines upon us!
So we ask, “From what have we been set free?” And “To what ends do we live in freedom?”
Alive in Christ, and completely forgiven in him, we are ...
... free from belittling others in vain attempts to elevate ourselves by comparison, and
free to see them as people just like us, fellow sojourners in need of grace.
... free from enslavement to the cycle of retaliation, and
free to respond in peace and grace to those who offend us.
... free from conforming to the expectations of others in search of their conditional approval, and
free simply to be who the God who first loved us created us to be.
... free from reigning over the petty fiefdoms of our own imaginations, and
free to thrive as servants under the kingship of Him who wields all power in perfect love.
... free from envy over what we do not have, and
free to celebrate with others the good gifts God distributes as he pleases.
... free from Satan’s harsh accusations of fault, and
free to trust in the Spirit's love as he sculpts us into Jesus’ likeness.
... free from uncertainty of our salvation, and
free to share with others our sure and certain hope of eternal life in Christ.
... free from treasuring “things” that we will one day leave behind, and
free to build up treasures that are ours when we rise in him.
... free from the futility of endeavors of temporary consequence, and
free to live lives of love and truth, bearing fruit of eternal value.
... free from wandering directionless paths of our own making, and
free to follow in faith and obedience as Jesus illumines our way.
... free from the foolishness of our will, and
free to say in complete confidence, “Thy will be done.”
Our freedom has purpose: to give God the glory that is his, and to love others in what we think, say and do.
Question to think about: How have you experienced liberty in “the Spirit of the Lord”?
Through his letter to the Corinthians, Paul explained to all people and for all time that, until Jesus lives in us, we exist as though a veil stands between us and God. Hid from his glory, our minds are “made dull” and we do not know him. We relate to him only in the “Biblical legalese” of what we should and should not do. We are, on one hand, consumed with earning our own righteousness through his Law and, on the other hand, frustrated by a down-deep knowledge that we cannot attain it, no matter how hard we try.
In Christ, however, the veil is taken away. Our spirits see his glory and live! We are free! Liberated! The torn veil lies in a wadded heap behind us, and the glory of the God of liberty shines upon us!
So we ask, “From what have we been set free?” And “To what ends do we live in freedom?”
Alive in Christ, and completely forgiven in him, we are ...
... free from belittling others in vain attempts to elevate ourselves by comparison, and
free to see them as people just like us, fellow sojourners in need of grace.
... free from enslavement to the cycle of retaliation, and
free to respond in peace and grace to those who offend us.
... free from conforming to the expectations of others in search of their conditional approval, and
free simply to be who the God who first loved us created us to be.
... free from reigning over the petty fiefdoms of our own imaginations, and
free to thrive as servants under the kingship of Him who wields all power in perfect love.
... free from envy over what we do not have, and
free to celebrate with others the good gifts God distributes as he pleases.
... free from Satan’s harsh accusations of fault, and
free to trust in the Spirit's love as he sculpts us into Jesus’ likeness.
... free from uncertainty of our salvation, and
free to share with others our sure and certain hope of eternal life in Christ.
... free from treasuring “things” that we will one day leave behind, and
free to build up treasures that are ours when we rise in him.
... free from the futility of endeavors of temporary consequence, and
free to live lives of love and truth, bearing fruit of eternal value.
... free from wandering directionless paths of our own making, and
free to follow in faith and obedience as Jesus illumines our way.
... free from the foolishness of our will, and
free to say in complete confidence, “Thy will be done.”
Our freedom has purpose: to give God the glory that is his, and to love others in what we think, say and do.
Question to think about: How have you experienced liberty in “the Spirit of the Lord”?
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