“Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, ‘You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31-32 NLT)
In the USA July 4th is the day we commemorate the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified on July 4th, 1776, but to me, especially as it relates to our freedom in Christ, independence and freedom aren’t necessarily one and the same. How so?
As I understand what the Bible teaches, our freedom in Christ doesn’t lead us into independence from Jesus, who is the embodiment of all Truth, it leads us into increasing measures of dependence upon Him. Our freedom in Christ isn’t given in order that we might do as we please, but as He pleases. With His blood He purchased our independence from sin.
Our goal in our walk with Jesus is to become more like Him, so we deny ourselves the right to do what pleases us. And yes, of course, ultimately our will and God’s should be one and the same; our desires should parallel God’s desires for us, but the reality is, as long as we’re in these bodies of clay, we have free will to do whatever we decide to do, whether it’s in line with what God’s will is or not. That’s why Jesus uses that little word “if!”
And we wouldn’t want it any other way. God doesn’t want us to be puppets on a string that He can manipulate and coordinate our every move. He desires us, in ever increasing measure, to so desire Him that what we want is only and always what He wants for us. Why would we want that? Because no one knows us better and loves us more than our heavenly Father. He never lies and He knows how to give good gifts to His kids.
Our “natural man,” possessor of our sinful bent, who desires nothing of God and everything of self; whose favorite radio station is WIIFM (What’s In It For Me), and whose every intention is to do what pleases ME, not God, is our constant companion in this life on earth. So, how do we tame this “beast” and learn to yield our allegiance moment by moment to Jesus?
First, by God’s grace and through the vital ministry of His Holy Spirit, we need to declare our “old self” dead and gone. It begins when we repent of – turn away from – our sin, and are baptized as an outward, visible symbol of an inward and otherwise invisible transaction between us and God. In Romans 6 Paul explains our death to sin and how vividly that death is illustrated in Baptism.
We’re buried in our watery grave, then resurrected to new life, putting to death our old self, and declaring our freedom and allegiance to Christ alone, by faith alone. But, unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story. On many levels, it’s only the beginning.
British Evangelist Oswald Chambers said it well when he wrote: “Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.” It’s easy in the excitement and emotion of our new life with Jesus, surrounded by friends and family supporting us, to coast right over the claws of our sinful self relentlessly seeking to drag us back into sin. But when the emotion subsides and the reality of the uphill battle we’re facing sets in, we can easily lose our way.
While baptism is typically a one-time act, submission to God’s authority over us and our declaration of “dependence” upon the Holy Spirit’s leading are ongoing, sometimes moment-by-moment acts. The good news is, we’re never alone in our battle. That’s why in the prayer the Lord taught His disciples it says: “Give us THIS day!” And sometimes it’s “This MOMENT! Even this SECOND!” to do and be everything Christ died to enable us to do and be.
The Lord is faithful to never give us more than we can handle, but it’s always a two-way process – He’s always faithful to give us everything we need to be everything He desires us to be, but we must be open to receiving His timely help. Dependence isn’t given once for all time, but in every second we seek it.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 