Living In The Liberty Of The Spirit
It seems absurd, even heretical, to view the Ten Commandments as something which can put someone into bondage.
It seems the commandments, if obeyed by someone, can lead to freedom. But that is the problem.
No one can obey the Ten Commandments.
We have all sinned and broken the Ten Commandments.
The penalty is death.
As a matter of fact, the more someone tries to obey the Ten Commandments the more they break them (Romans 5:20, 7:7-25).
Paul makes all of this clear in Romans.
In 2 Corinthians 3:6-9, we discover that the ministry of the Ten Commandments is to bring death, condemnation.
The Ten Commandments were designed to kill us! That is exactly what the Bible says.
The Ten Commandments do not bring life. They bring death!
That is bad news.
What is the good news?
The Spirit of Jesus in us brings liberty (2 Corinthians 3:9, 17)!
How?
2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
And where is the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Jesus?
In our hearts! (1 Corinthians 3:3; Galatians 4:4-6)
The good news is that all of our sins were counted against Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
There are none left to be counted against us.
Jesus died our death.
Jesus died for all sin and all people (2 Corinthians 4:14-15).
The death we were to die for disobeying the Ten Commandments, Jesus died for us! He took the condemnation for our sins.
The Ten Commandments killed Jesus, not us!
Wow! Talk about love…
We are then given the very righteousness of Jesus.
Jesus took our unrighteousness upon himself, our acts of disobedience to the Ten Commandments, and then gave us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Again, talk about love...
Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.
When people place their faith in Jesus, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ comes to live in their hearts.
And where the Spirit of the Lord is, in our hearts, there is liberty from the law...liberty from the Ten Commandments (2 Corinthians 3:17).
That is freedom!
That is liberty!
No more death from the Ten Commandments.
No more condemnation from the Ten Commandments.
The Spirit of Jesus writes on our hearts...
loved...
forgiven...
righteous...
peace...
alive...
free!
The Spirit of Jesus, living inside of us, guides us through life.
We no longer live according to a set of laws on the outside, which condemn us and put us to death.
We now live by the Spirit of Jesus on the inside, who loves us, liberated us from the Ten Commandments, and leads us through life.
We are now new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The old life lived in bondage to the Ten Commandments is gone...forever (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Guilt is gone.
Shame is gone.
Condemnation is gone.
Fear is gone.
Death is gone!
The new life lived in the liberty of the Spirit has come...forever! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Love has come.
Forgiveness has come.
Righteousness has come.
Peace has come.
Life has come.
Freedom has come!
Yes, it does sound a bit absurd, somewhat heretical, to say the Ten Commandments results in bondage.
That is until we read the Bible.
The absurdity is to seek to live by the Ten Commandments when Jesus died to free us from them.
The heresy is to teach people to live according to them when the Bible teaches us to live by the Spirit.
God wants you to live free from the Ten Commandments and the guilt, shame, condemnation, fear, and death it brings.
He wants you to live in the freedom of the Spirit...liberated from the law.
He wants you to live life in peace by knowing you are loved and forgiven by him, and righteous before him.
Let the Spirit of Jesus write these liberating truths on your heart. He is writing these truths now. You feel it in your heart. He is writing...
free from the law...
free from shame...
free from guilt...
free from fear...
free from death.
He is writing...
loved...
forgiven...
righteous...
peace...
alive...
free.
Enjoy your life living in the liberty of the Spirit!
