LIBERTY IN CHRIST JESUS

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. KJV

The title of this article is liberty because many in the world today don’t understand what it truly means to be liberated. The basic definition of “liberty” has several meanings, but we can sum them up into three basic thoughts:

  1. Freedom from the rule of another government against your own personal will.
  2. Freedom of personal independent expression apart from the views, opinions and written decrees established by the local or national government.
  3. Freedom from captivity in a solitary place of confinement

We notice first of all that the word “freedom” was used in all three definitions. The word “freedom” is the combination of two separate words. The first word of the two is “free” which means, “a person can do as they will and/or a person is released from captivity”. The second word of the two is “domain” which is a field of action or thought and/or a place of territory governed by a ruler. Therefore the word “freedom” basically means a person is free to roam about their domain (sphere of influence) without restriction or interference. The thought of each person having a piece of land (their own property) with the freedom to govern that property the way they choose is still the American dream. In America we have placed the “Statue of Liberty” in the harbor of New York to symbolize freedom and democracy since 1886. Since this statue was a gift from France people can easily understand the French designer Frederic Bartholdi intentions to have a collaborative effort of France and America. The crown on her head as a halo, the torch in her right hand to symbolize a light to the world bringing hope for the future, the tablet in her left hand as a symbol of law and order and a broken chain at her feet as a sign of freedom from slavery. Naturally one can always identify with a people of humble (under privileged) beginnings. However, those who designed the statue with good intentions and much forethought would be surprised to know many citizens of America (and the world renown) have moved away from the ideal of personal freedom. What we (ihlcc) means by that statement is this:

People desire the concept of freedom when it comes to being free from the rule of other men, but many shun the practice of liberty when it comes to allowing others the freedom to follow their own personal plans.

This means that every American (and each person on the earth) likes to think that they should be granted the freedom to be themselves as long as it does not interfere with the personal freedoms of other people. In theory, this sounds simple and should be rather easy to follow. However, when we examine a few real life applications we find the selfish nature of mankind as a whole often fails this test. For example, if you desire to leave work on time because you would like to spend some quality time with your family does every boss (supervisor, manager) quickly say you have liberty because you are a citizen of America? No, I don’t think so. If you would rather stay home and read a good book instead of attending a family function does the host family member easily state you are at liberty to do as you will because you are an American? Probably not. If you are a person who wears flamboyant apparel does society say it is “okay” to be different because you have liberty as an American? No, they do not! People as a whole are selfish and judgmental, they would rather criticize your outfit by their standards (typically the society normal) than compliment your hairstyle (that is fashionable). We live in a brutally hard and cold world made up of very narrow minded people. The reason this article was birthed was because we (ihlcc) have seen this type of poisonous attitude prevalent in many church members. We hesitate to say Christians because the true disciple of Jesus should have no display of a critical spirit. The Lord Jesus did not leave us an example of rudeness and haughtiness when it came to dealing with people. The example we see in the ministry of Jesus Christ was one of loving tender kindness toward those who were despised. Yes, the Lord was stern on those who were evil but very gracious to those who were looking for love. Today in the Christian community it is easy to see the bondage of the world system in the mind of many saints. This means there is a portion of believers that think their fellow brethren should do things their way as the norm. Yes, the word “their way” is our point of emphasis because we did not say “God’s Way”. There is always a big problem when a Christian tries to play God by deciding what someone else should do. Oh, we know dear reader, no saint would ever admit to taking God’s place on the throne but anytime you think you know better how someone else’s time should be spend you are acting as Lord of their life. This is very dangerous but it is easy to fall into this trap of the devil without even knowing that you are a perpetrator. Now we will mention just a few examples where Christians stumble into mental Lordship over the business of another without having a clue of their offense. The scripture states in Romans 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. KJV

This means each individual believer in Christ Jesus should be led by God’s Spirit, not the persuasions of another man’s thoughts and actions. It is not very difficult to understand that God lives inside of your heart as the central divine being of spiritual influence. The Lord sent the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) to help guide you into what you should do as a child of God to please your Heavenly Father God.

John 14:16-17
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. KJV

This basically means that your decisions should be motivated by God’s Love through God’s Word. So you can always follow your heart of love in line with God’s words of love to determine your daily affairs. This places the burden of responsible to follow God’s Will for life squarely upon your shoulders. It is not an option of if you should follow God’s Will in your heart because you most definitely should. The only options given to a true obedient child of God is should I do it now (if I have the resources and a clear plan from God) or later (when the resources come and the plan is made clear by God). This is why we must stay true to our heart over the will and desire of others because we are personally accountable to God for the things He places on our heart. We do not call Jesus Lord because He is Lord of all, no according to Romans 10:9 we confess Jesus as our Lord to bring God’s salvation personally into our life. Yes, we are saved by the Blood of Jesus and we are submitted to Jesus in our thoughts, words and actions. Therefore it would be very difficult to serve two masters with the same status (position, level) in your life because that would make you divided.

Matthew 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. KJV

Although this verse is stated in reference to “mammon” (not money) the principle is the same. No one can serve two Lord’s. No one can serve two people equally. No one can wholeheartedly serve God and please all men at the same time. The key to look for in this verse is the principle of staying focused on one Master. We could say knowing that you have only one Lord named Jesus Christ over your current life and your eternity is foundational. Then knowing your Heavenly Father works His good will through this One Lord over your life is being focused. Therefore the child of God must have the liberty to be free in Christ which is the ability to practice God’s Word as a lifestyle. This translates into the activities of each individual Christian as being between themselves, God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we know very well that the activities of a person can affect another individual but this is only a problem if that same person violates another persons will. For example, if you ask someone, “Would you like to come with me to the store?” that person you asked should have the God given liberty to politely say, “No, thank you” without an explanation. Some would say, yes and amen, but many Christians would take it personally by being offended. The offended party would waste precious mental energy trying to figure out why that person would not go with them to the store. What they are truly bewildered by is the audacity of someone else to actually say “No!” to their invitation. They think it unreasonable to reject any request that is not sinful in its nature. They may surmise that something is wrong with them as a person (self-centered, insecure) or they might even be upset with the brethren in Christ to point of holding a grudge (a sign of a carnal Christian). They show themselves offended at the person for an honest response, which means they are easily angered, temperamental, and acting immature as a babe in Christ. This sounds like an unusual event but don’t be deceived my faith friend it is a very common occurrence in the Body of Christ today. The Lord warned us of people being offended and He repeated this warning throughout the New Testament (written to Christians) for good reason. Does the Pastor of Church owe you a “hello” every time you see him or does he have the liberty to speak when he chooses? The answer for many younger Christians is “No, the Pastor should speak to everyone, especially me because I go to his church, Bless God!” They will even boast, “I support his work financially the least he should do is show some appreciation”. Notice how selfish we are when we are suppose to be one happy loving family in Christ Jesus. When the thoughts of a Christian’s heart revolve around their own selfish world they have lost the true love of God’s Spirit. We can only pray and hope that they soon recover themselves from the snare of the devil. The Lord gave us total “freedom” to choose whatsoever we desire and that state of being is known as “God’s Liberty”. If we lose our freedom in the natural we are known as the “slaves of man”. If we lose the freedom to follow our heart unto God because the fear of condemnation (rejection) of men we become “slaves to men”. Many Saints of God don’t see the connection between putting pressure on others to follow their will (the words they speak to another) and the similarity of controlling people which is the workings of devil, so they never recognize the error of their own ways. If the weaker Christian allows themselves to be manipulated by the devices (traps, persuasions, desires, wants, the will, etc….) of others they are under the law of works which bring death through bondage. No one should be in slavery to the thoughts of another because even the Lord Jesus gives you the “freedom” to choose your own destiny.

Since our Heavenly Father allows you the freedom
to choose your own eternal fate,
should not man at least allow you the freedom
to choose if you desire to make a date.

The things of this world are insignificant when compared to largeness of doing God’s Will and that is the main reason we should never be in bondage to men. Certain people have certain rules (governing thoughts, tendencies, mental strongholds) they live by and their rules are a law unto themselves. So when someone else comes in contact with their sphere of influence (their surrounding via place or phone) their mental law is present. The person can choose to ignore their own personal law of thinking to give place to the Law of Love which thinks like God thinks as the first viable option. Giving first place to God’s Law of Love means showing God’s love toward people that gives them (the other person) complete liberty to be themselves. When we say, “they have liberty to be themselves” we are really stating they have complete freedom to follow their own heart in the good things of God upon this earth. However, less spiritually minded people choose to invoke their personal law (their mindset) by judging the words and actions of another by the standard of their own person law. It saddens our (ihlcc) heart to have to admit we have fallen prey to this trap of the devil ourselves at various times but try not to do it as common practice. The Lord gave us the revelation of this intrusion into the affairs (thoughts, words and deeds) of other people so we at least are more quick to notice if we start drifting down this wrong path. The problem is many people are not still drifting down the wrong path but they have set up residence inside someone else home (their mindset, their mode of operation, their personality) by creating their own path into it. The very word “personality” is an extension of the word “personal” which means it is specific to that individual. Then they are offended when the homeowner places a “No Trespassing” sign on the front yard. This is not God’s Will (the way God operates) but solely the will of selfish men and women upon the earth. If you spend any amount of time trying to figure out the actions of others, as opposed to praying and speaking good for the other individual you are probably the right person to read this article again for further revelation. “Liberty in Christ Jesus” gives every person the right (the freedom) to do as they feel led to do in their heart as unto the Lord. Jesus is the Lord of all, so what gives anyone else the right the judge the actions of one of His children (or servants) as inappropriate?

Romans 14:4
Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. KJV

A lot of pushy people in this world have a nasty habit of barging into the spiritual and physical privacy of another person. We (ihlcc) have seen parents fall-out with their very own children because the child did not desire to follow the career the parent thought was best. Is this liberty in Christ Jesus? Do some think that there is a problem with a fellow brother or sister in Christ simply because they are called to spend more time with God? For some Believers in Christ the answer is, “Yes, absolutely!” Why, because of sin? “No”, simply because they are not willing to spend as much time with a previous believer as they used to. See fellow believer how immature we can be. Is it your bosses fault that you worship God differently then he/she does? Yet, some will despise their boss because of their personal views in life. Does your boss have the liberty to be himself? If the answer is an outward verbal, “Of course” in church but an inward thought of, “I don’t know?” in your heart you are not giving proper place to “God’s Liberty” for others. This subject is very clear in the Word of God because every child of God should be led by the Spirit of God according to Galatians 5:18 without being under the law of works.

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. KJV

Notice that the Lord used the word “if” which means not every child of God is led by the Spirit of God. There is a certain segment of Christians that are being held under the law of works to satisfy other people while at the same time they are being displeasing to God. The law of works only brings bondage and if you are a person who thinks others should follow your routine. You are an officer of this law when you enforce (stand up, impose) for your way over the ways of others without having the authority to do so. Yes, even being in a position of authority does not automatically give a person the right to exercise authority over the mind of an adult. The moment one leaves the realm of freedom of choice to promote forcing their own opinion they have also left operating in the Ways of God. A “Law Keeper” typically claims freedom in Christ but routinely operates as a judge over the affairs of other men. They judge the Lord’s servants and the Lord’s children, yes both sinner and saint all fall prey to their critical eye. If someone else has a will that is contrary to their personal rules (their mindset, their personality) the “Law Keeper’s” inherent set of rules will not give the other person liberty, but rather a verdict of guilty to be passed down to the innocent person. The reality is though they think others be to guilty of doing something wrong (amiss) they themselves are the biggest offenders. They are guilty of transgressing the Law of God’s Law because they hold people captive to the Law of their own works, judged by a jury of themselves while sitting in the judgement seat of the flesh, thus “a carnal Christian”. This is a common tragedy involving the selfish nature of mankind. Now let us rise up and do our best to expose this sin in Body of Christ in Jesus Name by shining the bright light of God’s Word amplified by the Spirit of God’s Love. Amen!

Remember dear saint of God the Lord gave you complete “Liberty in Christ Jesus”, therefore you have total “freedom” to be exactly who He created you to be.

So help others to see this newfound freedom we have in Christ Jesus by allowing them the blessed privilege to be themselves in your presence without judgment, reservation or doubt. If you do this as a lifestyle we (ihlcc) will guarantee your Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ will be pleased to call you a true disciple of Christ Jesus. Yes, a faithful beloved Christian setting the captives free. We can not liberate others until we truly become free in Christ ourselves by experiencing first hand God’s Spirit of “Liberty”. Amen!

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

Principle from the Lord concerning dealing with these types of people

As the Lord of your life I expect people to be respectful to the office (ministry, relationship) you are in with them. The people of My Spirit are respectful to you as a person which includes your time and your counsel. If I detect that a person is not being respectful to you as a person or the office you hold as a counselor/teach I will probably have you to removed yourself from that person. The reason being if they are disrespectful to you they unknowingly being disrespectful to Me. It grieves My Holy Spirit when My children act this way so to keep this harm (grieving) from My Holy Spirit it is wise to remove yourself from their presence and/or in some cases their conversation.

Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. KJV

And Ephesians 4:29-30
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. KJV

If they willful desire to go into their own direction they are willfully choosing to go contrary to My Direction (My Will according to My Word). I (the Lord) don’t require consistent fellowship with unrighteousness, which means those who choose to practice ungodliness as a lifestyle should be isolated from the godly. This isolation should initiate a deeper level of introspection to bring repentance (purging) unto good fruit (godliness).

2 Thessalonians 3:13-15
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. KJV

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, KJV

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