Dear Brethren,
The wonderful thing about ObamaCare is that someone else pays your medical bills for you. That program is supposed to make us feel all warm and cozy and secure inside. Few people stop to realize how demoralizing that kind of thing is to a person. It is a sinister agenda designed to undermine the once strong ethics of our nation. Our financial system should provide every opportunity for every man to work and be responsible for his own debts.
There must be a proper way to make a living and to pay our bills and provide for the needs of our loved ones. Certainly, it is good to have a plan wherein some catastrophic incidence will not destroy our life’s work and dreams. Some people have pre-existing conditions and are unable to work. God does make special provision for those who are unable to care for themselves (Leviticus 23:22). God also provided a system in ancient Israel whereby those who were overtaken by unmanageable debt could look forward to the year of release. Unlike our destructive estate tax laws which deprive families of their inheritance, it is God’s intention that the land remain in possession of the family in perpetuity (Deuteronomy 15, Leviticus 25, Isaiah 61).
God designed His plan so that no matter how catastrophic a man’s debt had become, he would have his debt forgiven and have the possession of his land restored unto his family. This physical forgiveness of financial obligations ordained by God is a picture of the spiritual forgiveness and pardon of our unpayable debt of sin. In God’s mercy, it is His desire that spiritually we have a clean slate so that we are reconciled back into His good graces. We are liberated, freed, forgiven and pardoned of our past failures when our sins are remitted by the blood of Christ. Jesus turned to Isaiah 61 and began to read:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance [liberty or freedom] to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18)
“This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28)
‘Remission of sins’ here literally means that our sins have been forgiven, taken away, and pardoned – resulting in our being liberated from the consequence of sin. What does it mean to have liberty in Christ? As Christians, how does this newfound liberty manifest itself? Is a liberated Christian free to do whatever he desires to do?
I believe that within God’s Church we have been remiss when it comes to expressing a thorough appreciation of how tremendous this liberty in Christ is. In order to add some clarity, let me relate a story from many years ago when I was a young man. The first bookkeeper that I had in business was an older man who had the dubious credentials of having worked for the mafia. He had inadvertently gotten in over his head by knowing too much about the people who had employed him. It turned out that they were an organized crime syndicate that practiced racketeering, drug-trafficking, and loan-sharking. When he realized what he had stumbled into he fled for his life by assuming another name and moving as far away as possible. As a potential threat, he was simply not allowed to resign or retire. He spent the rest of his life in torment that the mafia would find him and “take him out.” He lived in constant fear of being discovered and “blown away” by the mob.
Imagine how excited and liberated he would have been if somehow that fearful probability could have been absolutely eradicated from his mind. He would have been absolutely ecstatic! That is exactly what took place at our baptism – we were liberated from sure death! All too often in God’s Church that liberty in Christ that saved us from impending death is not met with a corresponding sense of elation or jubilation.
Jesus Christ came to bring us freedom and liberty! Only Jesus is able to pay the debt that we are unable to pay. We are wholly unable to pay our own death penalty and yet live. Jesus Christ must pay our death penalty for us. After repentance and baptism, having received freedom from sin’s consequences – there is no longer the assurance of death lurking over our head – but a new liberty in Christ, assuring the hope of eternal life. We do not speak much in God’s Church of this liberty in Christ, but it is a wonderful and glorious thing! How does this liberty come about? We should be overjoyed about it – but there seems to be little appreciation and realization of it among the brethren. Why is that?
There is a liberty that comes from God. It is a liberty that leads to eternal life. Sin takes its toll on us when it is unrepented of. Everyone is bound by the invisible chains of sin – either their own sins or those with whom they have been in contact. Sin brings torment. Only Jesus Christ is able to break those bonds and liberate us. The entire world groans – often wearing a mask of pretended happiness – while the inner person despairs without hope. Sin results in insecurity, loneliness, lack of trust, hatred, lies, abuses and denials, wrongful desires, pride, lust, arrogance and guilt. Envy, anger, judgment, discouragement and unhappiness are the bondage of corruption and the fruit of sin. Everyone needs the freedom that only Christ can bring in His healing way. All mankind is held continuously in bondage by the scourge of sin – and cries out to be liberated.
It remains for all of God's creation to be fully restored to liberty. Those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ are free to choose life. God has bestowed this liberty on us now!
“The creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20-21)
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)
“Whosoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (Romans 8:1)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery to sin. We were called by God for freedom! …To be set free!
“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)
Liberty does not give us license, permission or the right to continue in the sins that brought on our death penalty in the first place. Our liberty gives us the choice of choosing correctly – unlike those in the world without God’s Holy Spirit who choose not to follow Godliness.
“Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)
When someone is willing to pay my debt for me without constraint it is very special.
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