28)
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the
children of promise.
29)
But as then he that was born after the flesh
persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30)
Nevertheless what saith
the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman
shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
31)
So then, brethren, we are not children of the
bondwoman, but of the free.
1)
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
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he
fact that we have, indeed, been set free by Christ comes as a surprise to some.
People of color frequently attribute any freedom they have to Abraham Lincoln.
More modern activists give credit to Dr. King. The reference
that we are making concern's Man's deliverance from the bondage of sin.
This freedom frees Man from any oppression that could ever be visited upon him
and only Christ has the power to accomplish this.
Being
freed from the bondage of sin also means being freed from the bondage of the
flesh. In that we are removed from any further obligation to it, we are not to
"live after" it, anymore. Basically, "living after" means
"answering its call; doing what it (the flesh) tells us to do!" After
all, since Christ has become our Master in place of flesh, what more do we owe?
We are no longer required to serve it and scripture tells us that whoever we serve
is our master. The unsaved man has no choice, but to obey his flesh, for he has
no other "husband" to obey.
Concerning
the husband/wife relationship, we know that it was set in motion long ago that
the wife's desire would center around her husband and
therefore, he would be able to control her. Likewise, a wife is bound to her
husband as long as he lives. In that this relationship is representative of our
relationship with sin before salvation, the scriptures concerning these things
are very specific.
Actually,
no doubt we are "done a favor" by all of us being counted as
"born in sin." This makes us all equal, with no one having any
advantage over another. Even though we may be born into different ethnic
socioeconomic or education groups, we are all equalized by sin. So, the choice
is left to every man on the face of the earth to choose whether he will or will
not, accept Christ.
Despite
what one would like to believe and despite what much of the Church world would
have you believe, as long as one is without salvation (that is, the baptism in
Jesus' name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of
tongues", he is unsaved. As long as man is unsaved, he is bound to the
flesh and not free. It is only the "children of the promise" who are
free, because it is only those who are born again "into" righteousness
and "out of" sin.
Many
will profess a desire to be saved and also, many "attempts" at doing
so, but would have themselves believe it to be too "hard." Do you
really know why it appears so hard for some? Because they reality of freedom
from the bondage of the flesh has not been accepted. Too often, the emphasis of
such an one remains worldly and a spiritual being
fighting with a natural viewpoint spells spiritual suicide.
We
are to understand and get others to understand that He is the only
"foolproof" route away from drugs, sex, and selfishness. Unredeemed
man and saint, alike, will try all kinds of ways around these things.
Ultimately, we find the only solution to problems of the flesh is to turn away
from it and to the way of the Lord. This is His point to all that He allows to
come to us.
So
far, it doesn't seem as if we have a very good "track record," but we
are going to have to understand that before we "leave" here, we are
to accomplish what we have been saved to accomplish. If we fail, we will have
fallen short of expectation, ability, and requirement.
How
to know if you are still in bondage to the flesh? Well, obviously one is if he
is still sinning. Perhaps not so obviously, one who is not committed to God is
not just "uncommitted," but rather, bound. For man is freed from the
bondage of flesh in order to be able to serve a reality in your life, a
perfectly good life is being wasted.
Perhaps
some of our problem with appreciating salvation comes in that we often do not
understand from what to what we have been saved. Of course, all
we have to do is look at our lives and see that we have been saved from drugs,
alcohol, criminal activity, illicit sexual activities and many other things.
This still does not mean that we always understand the unbreakable grip that
sin had on us and how our lives were, literally, saved. We now have freedom to
do the right thing.
Our
greatest deliverance has come in that when Christ freed us from sin, He freed
us from ourselves. We need no longer try to protect ourselves, try to take care
of ourselves, or promote ourselves. Our desires become subordinate to the Lord
and this allows us much greater goals and purposes in life.
With
the Spirit of God on the inside, absolutely nothing can bind us, but
ourselves. Like Samson, we are granted supernatural strength and also like
Samson, too many of us are "weak" strong men. For, instead of walking
in the strength granted, we accept things that "neutralize" that
strength.
There
was no task facing him and none facing us for which we are not able to receive
strength from God to accomplish. He fell and we fail when we become disobedient
to the God by Whom we have been empowered.
"Christ has made us free" so that we might be available to Him all the time for anything. It is a shame to think that the price paid for our freedom and the unspeakable joy that is to be ours are so easily discarded.