What Will You Do With Your Freedom, Part IV

What if someone gave you diplomatic immunity and told you that you are no longer under the law? You now have the freedom to do whatever you want. Free from all U.S. and International laws. Even the Police could not pull you over for a speeding ticket. Why? Because you have immunity from the law.

You are free to kill, steal, and defraud anyone you wish. You are free to go as fast as you want and park wherever you want. None of the signs or written laws apply to you. Life without consequence for your actions. Essentially, that is what Jesus provides for us through His obedient life and the credit of righteousness that comes by way of faith in Him.

However, what will you do with your immunity? What will you do with your freedom? Now that you can do whatever you want without consequence, what you choose to do is even more important. Now that my actions mean nothing, they mean everything.

Now, given this immunity from the law, we see that the law is good and that the spirit or essence of the law is to protect, respect, love, and honor our fellow man. I could go 110MPH down a two lane road but someone is bound to get hurt so out of love for God and love for mankind, I will slow down and do the speed limit anyway. I am not fulfilling the law because I "have" to but instead because I "want" to. Big difference. We are free and now our actions come out of our hearts convictions. So through our actions love is expressed and love is obedience. I don't have to be obedient but I choose to be. I will be obedient to Christ's law (under the new covenant) of love.

Colossians 1:21-23

21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

What Will You Do With Your Freedom, Part III

Jesus set us free from the bondage of the law and it's written ordinances. This is the essence of the gospel message. He sets us free from the law by meeting the requirements of the law for us (or in our place). Thereby making us right with God. Meeting the laws requirements will never bring salvation or righteousness. Instead, we rely on the righteousness of Jesus Christ to save us.

His grace is this gift and the forgiveness of sins through the death on the cross. We are truly free from the law and sin. Do not let anyone tell you different.

We are not free so that we can act out sin-like behavior but to serve Him because we desire Him and love Him. It is this mark that God holds us against to measure us. I don't "have" to meet the requirements of the law but I "want" to meet the essence or spirit of the law. This is explained by Paul in the following verses.

Galatians 5:1-6

1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:13-15

13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

What Will You Do With Your Freedom, Part II

Christ has given us freedom. Freedom from the law and freedom from sin. We are no longer under the law but under grace. This means that it is a free gift and the truth of the gospel sets us free. How can we be free if Jesus did not fulfill the law making us righteous? We are free and now salvation and righteousness has nothing to do with our actions but the free gift given to us freely by God.

Now we fulfill the law not to be righteous or to be saved but instead we fulfill the commandment of love which is the spirit of the law in order to show Him our love for Him. Now, obedience is about love and not about character. It is about love and not worth. Jesus is my worth and my good character. He is my righteousness and I will live to serve Him and honor Him as King over my life.

Granted, I may not always obey. It is a constant battle to do so. However, my acts of disobedience to His perfect law of love is about my lack of love for Him and not about my character. We show our love for God out of obedience and it is the clear mark that proves our love for Him.

John 14:20-23

20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

What Will You Do With Your Freedom?

So, we know that Jesus has fulfilled the law for us and paid the punishment for our sin against the law thereby making peace between God and his creation. Now, we can do anything we want. So the question is, now that we can do whatever we want... what will we do with our freedom? Will we choose to act out sin-like behavior and be cruel, selfish, greedy, and ambitious at all costs or will we live out our days loving God and loving others?

After he has given us such a great gift... do we spit in his face? Do we shame him and disgrace him by acting outside his commandment of love? Some would say that we can not do whatever we want but I assure you that it is true and even Paul the Apostle wrote about it.

1 Corinthians 6:12

12"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Everything is permissible. The law is fulfilled. However, not everything is worth doing or beneficial. I can do anything I want but what will I do now that I can do anything I want? Will I turn to God's ways and learn about his obedience and righteousness or will I just continue to live against his ways.? Will I serve him or will I deny him? It is not about whether we are good or bad people. Jesus has already made us good in God's eyes. The question is... do we love him? If we truly love him, we will  obey him and listen to the teachings of Jesus. We can proclaim that we love him all day long but in the end it comes down to our actions. Do our actions support the fact that we love him? As it is written...

Titus 1:15-16

 15To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.