Fullness of Life for Freedom
Out of my distress, I called on the Lord who answered me with freedom. — Psalms 118:5
Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. — 2 Corinthians 3:17
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: The gospel is freedom and the power of God to transform lives. Some Sauls reject God and the church; others distort the gospel by turning the living Word into a system without the Spirit, and without him there is no freedom. In Christ, his Spirit removes the veil from us and leads us to depend on Jesus, abide in him, and long to become like him. We do not earn this freedom through our own merit: we receive his grace, and Christ paid its price with his blood on the cross. Let us therefore live with joy and gratitude, leaving old bonds behind, putting our gifts into action, and serving one another in love.
The gospel is freedom and is the power of God, according to the Word. There are transformed lives that inspire and produce not only joy but also greater gratitude. A few Pauls who were once Sauls walk through the Christian world, but the Sauls are the ones who abound most. There are basically two kinds of Sauls.
Some hate God and the church of Jesus Christ; others confuse the message of the gospel. And although Jesus knocked them off the horse of their perversions and brought light into their dark lives, they still ask Him from time to time, “And who are You?” while the Lord, in His mercy, still persists in setting their self-centered lives right, answering them, “Get up. I am Jesus, the one who gave you life.” They are lovers of themselves, learned in the letter, self-proclaimed patriarchs who present the living Word as a system and a method without the mediation of the Spirit of God; and without that Spirit there is no freedom.
Freedom in Christ comes from His Spirit and from our union and relationship with Him. This freedom removes the veil from our eyes and lays bare our hearts so that we may live depending on Jesus. I could not imagine a full life in Christ if I did not embrace the joy that the freedom to live in Him gives me. Through the work of the Spirit, the transforming power of the gospel brings upon our spirits the longing to be like Him, not to separate ourselves from Him, to remain in Him, to take hold of His substance of supernatural purity.
What have we done to earn that freedom? Nothing; only listen to His voice (some are eunuchs by the ear), open the door (others cannot bring themselves to turn the doorknob), and He decided to bathe us in His grace, giving us a table laden with spiritual delicacies. The grace and mercies of God are infinite and break every chain of slavery. And what was the price of our freedom? The apostle John wishes us grace and peace “…from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood” (Rev. 1:5). The price was death on a cross; His blood brought us redemption and liberation.
A full life is lived by grace and in response to the call to live in freedom, serving one another through love (Gal. 5:13). Otherwise, what do we enjoy freedom in Christ for? The response to freedom in Christ is to live in gratitude, to leave old bonds behind and break the chains so that the spiritual gifts we may have hidden can be released. A full life is a state of mind that brings comfort: “You have defended, O Lord, the cause of my soul; You have redeemed my life.” (Lam. 3:58)
God bless you!