The Presence of the Spirit Brings Freedom
Read the Text: 2 Corinthians 3
Memorize the Text:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
(2 Corinthians 5:17, CSB)
Consider the Text: 2 Corinthians 3:17
People often live trapped in legalism. Legalism occurs when the letter of the law becomes the basis of one becoming holy or righteous in the presence of the Lord. At the same time, legalism becomes a metric of judgment for people to use against others. Such an approach to life denies using grace and mercy when dealing with others. The apostle Paul told the church in Corinth that the law provided a form of bondage while living with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit brings freedom. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, because of one's relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior, rescues people from bondage, places them into a state of liberty, and transforms their life to live in freedom.
Out of Bondage
The presence of the law illuminates the reality of sin in life. The law provides a metric that reveals the disobedience in one's life before the expectations, commands, and rules of the Lord. The law defines what sin is because the law declares what is right. As a result, what is against the law is sin. The presence of the law demands justice and, as a result, holds people in bondage because of the demand for retribution for sin.
When the apostle declared that freedom exists where the Spirit of the Lord dwells, he made known that the bondage of sin becomes broken in the presence of the Spirit. When one becomes unbound from the law, the expectation of the law becomes met in the person of Christ, and the believer becomes covered by the righteousness of Christ. Thus, as the Spirit arrives and indwells in the life of a follower of Christ, the person no longer lives under the bondage of sin but becomes removed from the bondage and placed into the position of living in liberty.
Into Liberty
Liberty means that one lives in a state of freedom. Freedom does not grant one the ability to live in any manner they desire; instead, it means they live in the freedom that comes from being released by the law. The idea of freedom includes the removal of the shackles of sin and the liberty to live in the fullness of freedom in following the Lord and being surrendered to Him. Thus, liberty means one has been removed from the coming punishment of sin and placed into a position of no longer required to maintain the letter of the law for justification.
The concept of freedom needs to be understood that one cannot live as one chooses without any concern. Each follower of Christ lives in freedom by surrendering to the Lord and seeking to live according to His ways and His Word. The true presence of liberty in the believer's life means living free from the law and under the Lordship of Christ. This occurs when one allows the Holy Spirit to transform them completely.
Transformed Completely
When one enters a relationship with Christ and becomes free from the bondage of sin, they gain the ability to live faithfully in liberty because the Holy Spirit is performing a transforming work in their life. Becoming transformed indicates that they become more like Christ because the Holy Spirit makes them completely new. The old self, held under bondage in the law, dies, and the new self, living in liberty, is formed by Christ. The transformation does not occur in parts of people's lives, but people must allow the Spirit to transform them completely.
Are you living in bondage and under the law? Are you experiencing the fullness of liberty that comes from the Lord? Are you surrendered to the Lord and allowing Him to transform you completely?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
