Historical Posts
Freedom
Value Your Freedom
Today (7/4/15) our nation celebrates Independence Day. I am grateful for the holiday and what it represents. I have difficulty imagining what it would be like to grow up in any other environment. It is the longing of the human heart to be free.
But, there is a freedom even more precious than that we know as citizens of the United States. It is the freedom we find in Jesus Christ. He said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Apart from Christ, all men are enslaved to sin. Sin is the great burden of man’s heart. We are helpless to remove it. We are condemned by it. Its consequences are both immediate and eternal. Paul cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24). And then he proclaimed, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25).
Today is the Lord’s Day. Christians will gather around the world to remember His sacrifice and the freedom it made possible – freedom from the condemnation of sin. “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:1-2).
The cost of freedom is never cheap. The blood of many a native son has been shed to provide and maintain our freedom. Even now our young men and women in uniform are putting themselves in harm’s way and giving their lives that we might be free. Yet, to secure our deliverance from sin required an even greater sacrifice – the blood of God’s own Son.
The freedom we enjoy as citizens of the United States is ours by birth. The freedom we have in Christ is ours by choice. It is truth, believed and acted upon, which secures for us the freedom Christ provides. Have you been set free from the bondage of sin? Do you believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God? Have you repented of your sins? Will you confess His blessed name? Will you be born again (baptized)?
As the bells of freedom ring throughout our land may they also remind us of the greater freedom we have through Christ.
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Freedom in Christ
Only freedom in Christ can break the binding shackles of sin.
Over 200 years ago, the United States of America gained its independence from Great Britain. July 4th marks the celebration of this freedom in America. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America; it would become a reality June 20, 1782. This seal contains three colors that also appear on the American flag, and share the same meaning: white for purity and innocence; red for hardiness and valour; blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. These characteristics describe those who sacrificed their lives for our country – their ideal of a country of freedom.
Just as many gave their lives for the freedom of the United States of America, one Man died for all men to give them freedom from sin: Jesus Christ! He said, “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).” Paul explained to the Romans that we have been set free from sin (Romans 6:18, 22), that there is freedom in Christ. He later wrote to the Galatians, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage… (Galatians 5:1). For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another (Galatians 5:13).”
As the American flag reminds us of the sacrifices many gave for us, there is a symbol that reminds us of the sacrifice required to obtain that freedom in Christ: the cross. Every first day of the week we formally observe Christ’s sacrifice by partaking of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:4; 20:7).
The three colors of the flag might also represent a lot to a Christian! A Christian is pure in the sight of God, by having his sins washed away. He overcomes the temptations and troubles of this world and will receive a white garment (Revelation 3:4-5). Red is the color of blood that Jesus shed on the cross for our sins (John 19:34). Blue is the color of water, as one is baptized into Christ to have his sins washed away (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3-7).
Have you accepted the freedom from sin Jesus offers through His sacrifice? Are you living now in the freedom of Christ?
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Richard Dillon
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Let Freedom Ring
Let freedom ring. Freedom in our country and, even more importantly, freedom in Christ, freedom from sin.
On July 4th this nation again celebrated Independence Day. I am grateful for the holiday and what it represents. I have difficulty imagining what it would be like to grow up in any other environment. It is the longing of the human heart to be free.
But, there is a freedom even more precious than that we know as citizens of the United States, where we let freedom ring in our physical world. It is the spiritual freedom we find in Jesus Christ. He said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Apart from Christ, all men are enslaved to sin. Sin is the great burden of a man’s heart. We are helpless to remove it. We are condemned by it. Its consequences are both immediate and eternal. Paul cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). And then he proclaimed, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25).
On the Lord’s Day Christians gather around the world to remember His sacrifice and the freedom it made possible – freedom from the condemnation of sin. “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:1-2). It is ony through Jesus that we can let freedom ring spiritually, freedom from sin.
The cost of freedom is never cheap. The blood of many a native son has been shed to provide and maintain our freedom. To secure our deliverance from sin required an even greater sacrifice – the blood of God’s own Son.
On the 4th we let freedom ring loudly. As the bells of freedom ring throughout our land in celebration of Independence Day, let them also remind us of the greater freedom we have through Christ.
The freedom we enjoy as citizens is ours by birth. The freedom we have in Christ is ours by choice. It is truth, believed and acted upon, which secures for us the freedom Christ provides. Have you let freedom ring spiritually? Have you been set free from the bondage of sin? Do you believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God? Have you repented of your sins? Will you confess His blessed name? Will you be born again (baptized)?
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Abuse of Our Freedoms
Last week, one of my brethren gave me an old church bulletin, in which there was printed a short article titled, “The Four Freedoms Abused.” Although the material in it was a bit dated, I thought that the points it made were very much needed at this time. I would like to present that article, along with some additional points of my own.
We have ‘Freedom From Want’
…and use it to eat ‘junk food,’ drink liquor and beer, and walk around half-clothed (or less). We are a part of an affluent society, rich by worldly standards, pleasure mad, our stomachs lavishly fed, and slow to learn that ‘man does not live by bread alone’ (Matthew 4:4)
People who live in second and third-world countries, who come to the United States are almost always amazed by the massive availability of food, clothing and other essential items. Our children have access to educational opportunities that are simply not available in many other parts of the world. Even the poorest Americans enjoy a lifestyle that is unimaginable in much of the world. As one immigrant put it, “The United States is a place where you can shape your own destiny and rise above the circumstances into which you were born.” This is a freedom that most Americans take for granted and fail to appreciate.
We have ‘Freedom of Speech’
…and use it to curse, lie, backbite, tell filthy jokes, to protest against law and order in the land, speak disparagingly against civil government ordained by God (Romans 13:1-7), to cry out for ‘Civil Rights’ and ignore ‘Human Rights,’ and give ‘lip service only’ to the living God of the Universe.
Freedom of Speech has been used as an excuse to subject our society to all kinds of filthy language lewd behavior. It is a big part of the reason why our land has been flooded with a tidal wave of sexually explicit language and imagery. Christians must be on their guard at all times, in such an environment (1 Peter 5:8).
We have ‘Freedom of the Press’
…and use it to print filthy magazines, obscene literature, horror and moronic ‘comic books,’ atheism, infidelity, communism, and anti-American books, to conduct ‘gossip columns’ about someone’s fifth wife or husband separating in Hollywood, and the vicious sex crimes being committed (Galatians 5:19-21).
We are now living in what is being called the “Information Age,” which is characterized by the widespread availability of all kinds of information. This is both a blessing and a curse, because so much of the information available on the Internet, on television and in printed media is inaccurate, or downright false. On the one hand, it is a great blessing to live in a country where the government is not allowed to censor the information that is available to the masses, but on the other hand, it is a curse to live in an age when unscrupulous people will publish anything they want to—whether it is true or false. Now, more than ever before, Christians need to “Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
We have ‘Freedom of Religion’
…and use it mostly as freedom from religion. We make a feeble effort to practice James 1:27. We ‘forsake the assembly’ for our own pleasures. We withhold from the Lord by refusing to ‘give as we have been prospered’ (1 Corinthians 16:2). We use Sunday evening for relaxation and pleasure and Wednesday evening for TV (Hebrews 10:25). Some will fight wars for ‘freedom of worship’ and refuse to worship when they return home.
Of all our freedoms, this is the one that we abuse the most.
Most of the first Europeans who came to America did so because they were looking for a place where they could worship God without the looming specter of persecution they faced in their home countries. Thus began America’s long and rich heritage, as a nation of people who sought, above all else, to live in harmony with the will of God. There was no other place on Earth where the movement to restore New Testament Christianity could have been as successful as it was here. As one of my former instructors used to say, “Gentlemen, we are warming ourselves by fires build by other men.”
Today, it seems that so many of us have forgotten our religious heritage, or have simply taken it for granted. Although we have the freedom to worship and serve the Lord, as the Bible teaches, the majority of Americans are uninterested in exercising that right. Although this freedom was purchased and defended with the blood of many legions, many Americans seem to think that it is worthless. Even though we are presently engaged in a struggle against powers that seek to take all of these freedoms away from us, we go on abusing them anyway.
When shall we learn to value the treasures we have?
Hopefully, we will not wait until they are all gone.
(By Russell M. Kline based on an article by J.T. Marlin)
Content by Russell Kline
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Galatians 05:01 Standing Fast in the Liberty of Christ
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Text: Galatians 5:1
Introduction
1. Galatians has been called “The Magna Carta Of Christian Liberty”; ‘Magna Carta’ refers to the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215
2. The reason it has been so called is because of Paul’s discussion regarding ‘bondage’
a. In connection with the meeting in Jerusalem – Galatians 2:4-5
b. In arguing that we are justified by faith in Christ, not works of the Law – Galatians 4:3-5, 9, 24-25
c. With his climax found in the text for our study today – Galatians 5:1
3. The liberty we have in Christ is indeed precious, and it is imperative that we stand fast in it. Yet exactly what does that liberty entail…?
Body
I. THE LIBERTY WE HAVE IN CHRIST
A. FREEDOM FROM THE LAW OF MOSES
1. This is Paul’s primary concern in this epistle – Galatians 2:16
2. Upon which he expounded in the first four chapters – Galatians 3:23-25
3. Concerning which he wrote elsewhere – Romans 7:4-6
4. Christ has delivered the Jews from their obligation to keep the Law of Moses
B. FREEDOM FROM THE BONDAGE OF SIN
1. Writing of being “justified”, Paul refers to being “not guilty” of sin – Galatians 2:16-17
2. Concerning which he wrote elsewhere – Romans 8:1-2
3. Jesus also spoke of the deliverance from bondage of sin – John 8:31-34
4. Christ has delivered all men from the guilt and power of sin
C. FREEDOM FROM THE TRADITIONS OF MEN
1. Paul wrote of this in chapter four – Galatians 4:9-11
2. Also in his writing to the Colossians – Colossians 2:20-23
3. Jesus also spoke of the danger of human traditions – Matthew 15:3-9
4. Christ has delivered us from the need to keep human traditions
D. FREEDOM FROM WORKS OF THE FLESH
1. Paul will have much more to say about the works of the flesh – Galatians 5:13, 17, 19-21; 6:8
2. As he warned against in writing to the Corinthians – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
3. About which Jesus also warned – Mark 7:20-23
4. Christ offers deliverance from deeds of the flesh which endanger our salvation
E. Such are the things we experience through the liberty that we have in Christ. Of course, that presumes that we are indeed
II. STANDING FAST IN OUR LIBERTY
A. HANDLE THE LAW PROPERLY
1. The Law is good if used properly – 1 Timothy 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:15
2. It was written for our learning and admonition – Romans 15:4
3. It is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness – 2 Timothy 3:14-17
4. But it has its limitations
a. It has ceased as a system of justification – cf. Galatians 5:4
b. It has been replaced as a covenant – Hebrews 8:6-13
c. Its religious observances have been replaced – Hebrews 9:9-10
5. The Law must be properly handled if we are to preserve our liberty in Christ
B. APPLY OUR BLESSINGS IN CHRIST LIBERALLY
1. The blood of Christ frees us from the guilt of sin – Ephesians 1:4
a. The remission of sins is promised to those who repent and are baptized – Acts 2:38
b. The blood of Christ remains available for Christians who repent of sin – 1 John 1:7-10
c. Christians need to repent and pray when they sin – Acts 8:22
2. The Spirit of God can free us from the power of sin – Romans 8:12-13
a. God can strengthen us by His Spirit in the inner man – Ephesians 3:16
b. We can do all things through God and Christ – Philippians 4:13
3. We must not hesitate to access the blood of Christ and the Spirit of God to make use of our liberty in Christ
C. DEAL WITH TRADITIONS OF MEN CAUTIOUSLY
1. Traditions may have a place on an individual level – Romans 14:5-6
a. When not taught as a doctrine of God – Mark 7:7
b. When not done instead of keeping a command of God – Mark 7:8-9
2. But they must handled with the utmost of caution on a congregational level
a. Things done on a congregational level necessarily bind them upon all the members
b. That is why religious holidays are reasons for such grave concern – Galatians 4:10-11
3. We must be careful not to let human traditions destroy our liberty in Christ
D. FOLLOW THE SPIRIT DILIGENTLY
1. We must not use our liberty as an occasion for the flesh – Galatians 5:13
2. Our best weapon against the flesh is to follow the Spirit – Galatians 5:16-18
3. Those who are led by the Spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23
4. Our new life in Christ makes it possible to walk in the Spirit – Galatians 5:25
5. We must be diligent to set our minds on the things of the Spirit if we want to enjoy life and peace – Romans 8:5-6
Conclusion
1. The liberty we enjoy in Christ is great
a. Freedom from the law of Moses
b. Freedom from the bondage of sin
c. Freedom from the traditions of men
d. Freedom from the works of the flesh
2. But it is not license to do whatever we want; we must
a. Handle the Law properly
b. Apply our blessings in Christ liberally
c. Deal with traditions of men cautiously
d. Follow the Spirit diligently
3. With the aid of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, we will succeed in “Standing Fast In The Liberty Of Christ”. Have you begun to enjoy the liberty Christ offers through obedience to the gospel…?
Content by Donald W. Treadway
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