What do we think of when we mention the word freedom?
Freedom, what is it?
Think about how much time freedom often takes up in our mind. Look at how many songs have been written about freedom. And how many wars have been fought in the name of freedom. Millions have lost their lives in war trying to assure their freedom. History has shown an incredible track record shed in blood with man trying to obtain their freedom.
Man often leaves one kind of bondage only to slip into another. Look at the Israelites, they were freed from slavery of Egypt, but they were slaves to their lust which caused them not to go into the Promised Land.1 Corinthians 10:1 KJV — Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be you idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur you, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. This is a good lesson for us, this scripture tells us not to complain as they did. We need to remember this scripture and how it tells us that the complainers never went into the Promised Land. Like verse 11 shows us; 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The kind of freedom that God talks about will free us completely. Jesus said in John 8:32 KJV — And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. He is the truth, and getting to know Him will give you true freedom. You will be delivered from every kind of bondage through your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you will seek Him diligently as you should, then every trial that you have to go through He will give you the strength of His Spirit to look at it with the right attitude, so you won’t complain. This is of major importance in learning to endure till the end. How can you grow as you need to spiritually if you are complaining about the difficulties you encounter in life? Because God has allowed us to be on this planet for this training, and by complaining you are throwing a wrench in the machinery that God is using to try to create the character of Christ within.
Think of the freedom that is in the ability that He will give you to stay at peace with the trial. No matter what the trial or problem is He promises to give us His peace to endure it if we will stay with Him in prayer. Philippians 4:6 KJV — Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
He allows us to have these trials in this life so that we will have an opportunity to get to know Him. The whole reason for our existence is to get to know our Creator. This is eternal life. As we get to know Him, we are moved more into that realm of freedom. John 17:3 KJV — And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
God has allowed mankind thousands of years of trying to do things its own way, and the track record is strewn with torment and suffering. Man can only struggle to find a certain liberty that he calls freedom, but the kind that God tells us about will free us completely.
And this is where the cross comes in. Look at Paul’s words in Galatians 6:14 KJV — But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Here we see Paul relating to how the inner crucifixion of the Holy Spirit will apply the cross to the self-life so we can be free from the temptations of the world, “THE WORLD IS CRUCIFIED TO ME” and also freed from the self-life, “AND I TO THE WORLD.”
That covers everything. The cross will truly free you from all of this so you can walk with God. Without it we will surely stay in spiritual slavery. This is the way that God has done the work to bring us freedom–through the finished work of the cross.
To know the blood is to know freedom from the penalty of sin. But to know the cross is to know freedom from the source of sin–the Adamic nature we were born with. God has not only given us the answer to sins once committed, but to also get at the source so there will be less and less sins committed. As we grow, we are progressively freed from the Adamic nature we were born with. This is true freedom.
The problem is we come off the cross to resume our sinful reign, and then we are once again brought into bondage. This is why someone who has been in the church for fifty years can still mess up and sin like they did fifty years before. It’s important to understand that we are only held in place of death, and that we can come off the cross to cause havoc in our lives. This is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV — I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
The true plague of our lives, the biggest enemy is the Adamic nature we were born with. Until we come to see this, we will never see the need for the cross in our lives. And we will continue to think that there is something good inside to serve God with. And self–righteousness will continue to plague us.
But God has given us a way to deal with the problem–the crucifixion of the cross. What we need to do is seek God out diligently as we should, and the more we do the more the Holy Spirit will apply the cross to the self-life so that we can be free to serve God. As death works in our body so does life. 2 Corinthians 4:10 KJV — Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
Pray. The cross works through prayer. Pray that you don’t enter into temptation. Our fleshly nature will react in ways that will bring us into bondage. Only if God’s Spirit is there will we have true freedom in Him.
Brethren, think on these matters. Think about why Paul used the terminology he did when he talked about the cross. The way God has done the work on our part is through the finished work of the cross. Some believe this finished work on the cross was a substitute for us, so we don’t have to put our Adamic nature to death. Nothing could be future from the truth, where we already showed our old man must be put to death. Do we understand what the finished work of the cross is? Meditate on this. Once we understand this, this is the way to true freedom.
Romans 6:6 KJV — Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
As we learn fellowship with the cross, then God will free us from ourselves, and we then also learn the freedom of having Christ manifest in our mortal bodies. 2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV — Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
My prayer is that the Church will come to find what the true freedom in Christ is!
Your brother in Christ,
Ron
Freedom in Christ – Ron Volk
February 18, 2024 by Shirley Gohner • Uncategorized • 0 Comments
What do we think of when we mention the word freedom?
Freedom, what is it?
Think about how much time freedom often takes up in our mind. Look at how many songs have been written about freedom. And how many wars have been fought in the name of freedom. Millions have lost their lives in war trying to assure their freedom. History has shown an incredible track record shed in blood with man trying to obtain their freedom.
Man often leaves one kind of bondage only to slip into another. Look at the Israelites, they were freed from slavery of Egypt, but they were slaves to their lust which caused them not to go into the Promised Land.1 Corinthians 10:1 KJV — Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be you idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur you, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. This is a good lesson for us, this scripture tells us not to complain as they did. We need to remember this scripture and how it tells us that the complainers never went into the Promised Land. Like verse 11 shows us; 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The kind of freedom that God talks about will free us completely. Jesus said in John 8:32 KJV — And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. He is the truth, and getting to know Him will give you true freedom. You will be delivered from every kind of bondage through your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you will seek Him diligently as you should, then every trial that you have to go through He will give you the strength of His Spirit to look at it with the right attitude, so you won’t complain. This is of major importance in learning to endure till the end. How can you grow as you need to spiritually if you are complaining about the difficulties you encounter in life? Because God has allowed us to be on this planet for this training, and by complaining you are throwing a wrench in the machinery that God is using to try to create the character of Christ within.
Think of the freedom that is in the ability that He will give you to stay at peace with the trial. No matter what the trial or problem is He promises to give us His peace to endure it if we will stay with Him in prayer. Philippians 4:6 KJV — Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
He allows us to have these trials in this life so that we will have an opportunity to get to know Him. The whole reason for our existence is to get to know our Creator. This is eternal life. As we get to know Him, we are moved more into that realm of freedom. John 17:3 KJV — And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
God has allowed mankind thousands of years of trying to do things its own way, and the track record is strewn with torment and suffering. Man can only struggle to find a certain liberty that he calls freedom, but the kind that God tells us about will free us completely.
And this is where the cross comes in. Look at Paul’s words in Galatians 6:14 KJV — But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Here we see Paul relating to how the inner crucifixion of the Holy Spirit will apply the cross to the self-life so we can be free from the temptations of the world, “THE WORLD IS CRUCIFIED TO ME” and also freed from the self-life, “AND I TO THE WORLD.”
That covers everything. The cross will truly free you from all of this so you can walk with God. Without it we will surely stay in spiritual slavery. This is the way that God has done the work to bring us freedom–through the finished work of the cross.
To know the blood is to know freedom from the penalty of sin. But to know the cross is to know freedom from the source of sin–the Adamic nature we were born with. God has not only given us the answer to sins once committed, but to also get at the source so there will be less and less sins committed. As we grow, we are progressively freed from the Adamic nature we were born with. This is true freedom.
The problem is we come off the cross to resume our sinful reign, and then we are once again brought into bondage. This is why someone who has been in the church for fifty years can still mess up and sin like they did fifty years before. It’s important to understand that we are only held in place of death, and that we can come off the cross to cause havoc in our lives. This is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV — I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
The true plague of our lives, the biggest enemy is the Adamic nature we were born with. Until we come to see this, we will never see the need for the cross in our lives. And we will continue to think that there is something good inside to serve God with. And self–righteousness will continue to plague us.
But God has given us a way to deal with the problem–the crucifixion of the cross. What we need to do is seek God out diligently as we should, and the more we do the more the Holy Spirit will apply the cross to the self-life so that we can be free to serve God. As death works in our body so does life. 2 Corinthians 4:10 KJV — Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
Pray. The cross works through prayer. Pray that you don’t enter into temptation. Our fleshly nature will react in ways that will bring us into bondage. Only if God’s Spirit is there will we have true freedom in Him.
Brethren, think on these matters. Think about why Paul used the terminology he did when he talked about the cross. The way God has done the work on our part is through the finished work of the cross. Some believe this finished work on the cross was a substitute for us, so we don’t have to put our Adamic nature to death. Nothing could be future from the truth, where we already showed our old man must be put to death. Do we understand what the finished work of the cross is? Meditate on this. Once we understand this, this is the way to true freedom.
Romans 6:6 KJV — Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
As we learn fellowship with the cross, then God will free us from ourselves, and we then also learn the freedom of having Christ manifest in our mortal bodies. 2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV — Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
My prayer is that the Church will come to find what the true freedom in Christ is!
Your brother in Christ,
Ron