Freedom In Christ

By Arthur J Licursi

 

The blessing of Christian liberty for believers is a priceless possession. It was bought for us by the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ who “died for us while we were yet sinners.”

Every believer has been made free from;

-          The burden of “the Law” - Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for YE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE.

-          The Penalty of Sin - Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Christ died in our stead. He was made sin for us. 2Corinthians 5:21 For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew (had) no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

-          The Power of Sin - Romans 6:6-7 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him (Christ), that the body of sin might be destroyed (rendered powerless), that henceforth we should not serve sin. ⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin.

-          One day, at the rapture of the body of Christ we will be freed from the Presence of Sin in our fleshly bodies when they are be changed into bodies like unto Jesus’ glorious resurrected body. 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

-          Thus we should now be FREE FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH - Hebrews 2:14-16 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy (kartargeo, render powerless) him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; ¹⁵ And DELIVER THEM WHO THROUGH FEAR OF DEATH WERE ALL THEIR LIFETIME SUBJECT TO BONDAGE.

Our freedom in Christ can be abused, of course, but legitimately used it is an overflowing source of spiritual joy and power for living our life in rest and peace. God’s purpose with regard to the liberty of the believer in Christ is summed up for us in one short verse in Paul’s Galatian letter: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13).

The cause of spiritual decline in Israel was always their departure from God’s Word to them through Moses, so… likewise the cause of spiritual decline among believers today is always their departure from God’s Word to us through the Apostle of grace, Paul. Peter was to Apostle to “the circumcision” (Gal 2:8), not to “the church which is the body of Christ.” Paul is “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13) from whom we learn of God’s grace and our liberty. 

If anything is made unmistakably clear in the Epistles of Paul, it is the fact that believers in this present “dispensation of the grace of God” have been delivered from “the Law.” Romans 6:14b … for YE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE.

Though religion still mostly promotes the Old Testament Law principles of blessing and cursing that were given to Israel , and even more manmade laws, we today as believing members of “the body of Christ” live under the new paradigm of God’s pure GRACE. Grace is God’s love, care and favor that was and is shed upon us though we never earned it – God’s grace is freely given “in Christ,” having loved us “while we were yet sinners.” Ephesians 2:8-9 FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD: ⁹ NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.

Having seen and received His love and grace in Christ, we as God’s full-grown sons (Rom 8:14) have been “called unto liberty.” The failure of God’s people today is to hear and learn the truth of Paul’s “the gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24) and then to appropriate and live in this liberty today. We are now we free to walk in union with Christ who now indwells our spirit (1Cor 6:17); He is as close as our breath – ever speaking within us as our new life and spontaneous inner guide. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The vast majority of Christendom today, lives under the burden of and bondage to religion’s lies. They don’t get to hear and learn the truths of Paul’s “the gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24). This has wrought spiritual decline among many as surely as did the failure of the people of Israel to observe “the law of Moses” did in their day of the Law. Paul emphatically says; “STAND FAST THEREFORE IN THE LIBERTY WHEREWITH CHRIST HATH MADE US FREE, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1)

Could anything be plainer than those passages in this same Galatian epistle, where the Apostle says by the Spirit: “CHRIST HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13).

“But when the fulness of the time was come, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, made of a woman, made under the law, TO REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW, (so) THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS” (Gal. 4:4, 5).

Thus, to reject our blood-bought liberty and go back to the servitude of being under “the Law” is to repudiate not only the Word of God, but it repudiates the specific Word of God to us for today, and this must necessarily result in spiritual decline.

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