This freedom Paul is speaking about means liberty from the rituals and ceremonies of the Mosaic Law…but not from its standard of morality and justice. He also warned of using this freedom to cause someone else to stumble. (I Corinthians 8:9) To illustrate this further, Paul wrote that though he was free, he made himself a slave to everyone, in order to win as many as possible to Christ. (I Corinthians 9:19) As the COVID 19 pandemic continues in the United States, words like freedom, rights, and liberty have become hot-button topics. But no matter where we stand on these issues…God’s Word remains. Or as Peter wrote in I Peter 2: 16-17, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”
Tag: freedom
Psalm 118:5 ” In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid.”
For many, the bondage of fear stops us from being able to move forward with life. We long to be liberated from the paralyzing emotions, but feel there’s little we can do to change. But if we’ll take the time to study a few Scriptures, we’ll discover that God has already made the way for us. It starts with this verse in Psalms. When I cry out to the Lord, He answers by liberating me from the terror I’m going through…in other words, setting me free from its control. And this freedom from fear can only be found in the truth of the Gospel. For Jesus declares to us in John 8:32, ” If you hold to My teachings, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” There can be freedom from doubt and fear, and it starts with the saving revelation of the Gospel Message.
I Peter 2:1 ” Therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”
Growing in our salvation is a process…a conscious, everyday struggle of putting off our old self to be made new in the attitude of our minds. (Ephesians 4:22) This verse should convict and challenge us all to look at our conduct, actions, and manner…and free ourselves from the chains of all the negativity. For it tells us later in this chapter, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (Vs 16) Letting loose of negative emotions will unchain you from the past while freeing you for the future.
II Peter 2:19 ” They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity – for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.”
The selfish human nature is always striving for the liberty of self-determination. “I want to do what I want, when I want to”, is our mindset. But with that enticement comes deception and seduction as we wander farther and farther off the right path. And sooner or later, we find ourselves in the middle of perversion, and wonder just how we got ourselves into such a mess. In the search for freedom, we have instead become a piece of property…owned and controlled by depravity and lies.
Acts 4:29 ” Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness.”
Telling others about Jesus should come easy for the Believer. Declaring the Gospel to those we come in contact with should be as natural as asking, “How you doing today?” So why do we freeze up when it comes to talking about our faith? What exactly are we afraid of? For there is no fear in the Gospel…only freedom. So we should make the same request that the Apostle Paul made in Ephesians 6:19, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel…” Paul was confidently relying on the Holy Spirit to give him the words to speak…he just had to open his mouth in obedience.
I Corinthians 9:19 “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”
Paul wasn’t legally, socially, or personally obligated to anyone…but he willingly relinquished his freedom for the sake of winning others to Christ Jesus. And as Believers, we too are free…but that freedom was bought with a heavy price. And in realization of that mind-boggling freedom…it compels us to submission…first, to yielding our will to His… and then, to thinking of others before ourselves. Yes, we are free indeed…but in love, we need to submit one to another.
Safetypinlove 