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Liberty

Liberty

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

The word liberty in the New Testament is used many times to refer to freedom from the law that the Jews lived by. They believed they earned their way into heaven by attempting to keep the law. One of those key points was the circumcision of all the men, and without it they believed you were unsaved. Paul was speaking of the freedom that Christ brought in Galatians, from the necessity of keeping that law in the scripture above.

Believing in Christ alone brings liberty. It brings a freedom from the bondage of sin, from the works of the law to attain God’s grace. You cannot attain God’s grace by living a good life, bound by the law, and denying the only Way by the acceptance of Christ as your justifier before God. Your humble repentant heart before God will bring about a freedom from the bondage of sin as Christ now dwells with you. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

This freedom you now possess is not your “get out of jail free card”. This does not give you the freedom to continue to live in sin once you profess Christ. If you say you are a Christian and live as a heathen, how is your witness to those who don’t believe? 1 Corinthians 8:9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. If you are truly saved, you will desire to flee from sin, and the bondage you once felt, and live a life in freedom, liberty, and assurance of your eternal paradise to come.

Blessed Assurance

01 May

Blessed Assurance

Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This morning I have that old hymn “Blessed Assurance” running through my head. It is a hymn of praise and peace that we all can possess upon Salvation and the realization of that being washed in His blood. I researched the word Assurance, and I believe the song may come from the verses above in Hebrews. Upon further research Wikipedia states “Assurance is a Protestant Christian doctrine that states that the inner witness of the Holy Spirit allows the justified disciple to know they are saved.” I could not put it any better. When you know why, how, and you rest on that assurance that Christ has given you for eternal forgiveness in lieu of eternal punishment of sin. Assurance brings that inner peace that you possess that cannot be taken away.

Paul was speaking to the Colossians in regards to the false preaching that had begun to creep into the churches their from the neighboring cities in Colossians 2:2-3 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Many of them were lead to believe that only “certain people” were able to attain the knowledge of God and felt left out. No lack of knowledge will every leave you out of the Kingdom of God. You will gain an understanding upon Salvation with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who will begin to open your mind to the Scriptures, once you begin to pursue God. Once you accept Christ and truly begin to pursue Him daily, you will begin to have that assurance that the great hymn speaks of.

Here is a link to the hymn with the lyrics:

PFY

29 Apr

PFY

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

PFY – Prayed For You. This is an acronym some of those close to me use to let each other know we have been lifting up them in prayer. A simple text most of the time that assures them we have been praying for them. When we confide in each other of our struggles, it is always reassuring to know that others are praying for us. To be perfectly honest I love praying for others, but struggle in prayer for myself. It is very reassuring to me to know that they have my struggles covered in prayer.

In this scripture Paul is struggling with the Philippians with many things including pride and humility. Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Paul was trying to assure unity in the church, and not allowing pride to creep in. He uses Christ as the pinnacle of humility in Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. The next time you start to pray for something you are struggling with, pray for someone else who is struggling. Lift them up in prayer, send them a PFY, and that not only will encourage them, they will most likely Pray For You.

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Tag Archives: human-rights

Liberty

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