2 Corinthians 3:17 - True Freedom is in a Relationship with Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:17: True Freedom is in a
Relationship with Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV) Now the Lord is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is freedom.
INTRODUCTION
Paul recalled the stone tablets on which
God had written the old covenant. "The old
written covenant ends in death," which means that
trying to be saved by keeping the Old Testament
laws is a misuse of its purpose (2 Corinthians 3:
6). The people were not made right with God by
keeping God's law. They were made right by trusting
him to shape them through it - like a tool.
With the new covenant, the Holy Spirit
gives new life to all who believe in Christ. He is
working from within, unlike the old covenant. This
is what God promised. "I will put my
instructions deep within them, and I will write them on
their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33). "I will take away
their stony, stubborn heart and give them a
tender, responsive heart" (Ezekiel 11:19).
Today the old covenant and the new
covenant work together. God's law in the Old
Testament still points out sin and shows us what
obedience should involve, while God's Spirit works
within us "giving you the desire and the power to
do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13).
Dont discard God's laws. They are the
revelation of God. But live by God's Spirit, trusting
him by responding to his guidance. [One Year NLT
SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
I was in college when the ground-breaking
TV mini-series Roots premiered in 1977. My
friends and I gathered around the television on
eight consecutive nights, riveted by the story
based on author Alex Haley's family history that
detailed the enslavement of Haley's African ancestor
Kunta Kinte to his descendants' liberation.
While Roots was unsettling to me and my
African-American friends, it gave us a real appreciation of
our ancestors and all they overcame to survive.
The characters in Haley's story talked about the
Lord and called on Him for help and protection
throughout their trials. Although they were in bondage,
they dreamed of freedom. But when I stop to think
about it, many of these people were already
experiencing freedom in their minds and hearts because
they knew Jesus.
I believe my own enslaved ancestors'
faith in God and the presence of the Holy Spirit
is what sustained them during dark times. They,
too, believed they would be free someday. I'm not
shackled in physical chains as my ancestors were, but
from time to time I still battle things that try
to hold me captive: fear of failure, guilt for
sins past and present, and more. But as one who
knows Jesus and the power of His spirit, I am
free.
Unlike many of the enslaved people who
had to wait to get word of their freedom long
after their official emancipation, I have been
free ever since the day I gave my life to Jesus.
He gives on-the-spot liberation to all
believers, and that's the main reason to celebrate
today. Barbianda Lumpkins Walls
Faith Step: What is holding you captive?
Your job? Financial worries? A past sin? Know
that there is freedom in Jesus. [Mornings With
Jesus 2022 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
One of the most beautiful by-products of
the Presence of the Lord is freedom. The reason
it's so beautiful is that so many people have
been enslaved. All of us start out in that
condition as captives of a fallen world and the sin
that plagues us, but many of us continue in that
condition as believers. Why? Because we address our
former captivity with relentless attempts at
developing new behavior patterns. New behavior is part
of the gospel, of course, but not as the result
of a religious system or even "biblical"
principles to which we try to conform. External
constraints can never free us from sin; they can only
clean up our appearance. Real freedom comes when
we are transformed from within, actually
experience a new nature, and then act "naturally."
Many Christians don't experience freedom
because they don't know what kind of freedom the
Spirit gives. Not only does the gospel free us from
sin, it also frees us from anything that defines
our relationship with God as something other
than a relationship with Him. From systems of
belief or behavior rather than living interaction
with Him. From laws about righteousness rather
than the righteousness that results from His
Presence in us. From the dictates of a constrained
heart rather than a transformed heart. Anything
less than this is bondage.
Refuse to be bound by sin, by religious
systems, or by false principles of "spiritual"
behavior, even if those principles are derived from
parts of the Bible. The Bible tells us what a new
creation looks like, but it also tells us that the
only way to become new is by God's supernatural
power working within us, not by standards imposed
from outside of us. The only "obedience" now
required of us is obedience to the impulses and
movements of the Spirit Himself. When we follow Him
freely, we freely become who we were meant to be.
Holy Spirit, You are my only law because
You are my life. Thank You for setting me free!
[The One Year Experiencing Gods Presence
Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
CLOSING THOUGHT
You Think I'm In Jail...... is what the
young man asked, and it seemed like it from where
I sat - for he was on the other side of the
bars.
His life story was one continual conflict
with the law. He was sent to reform school as
soon as he was old enough. He was an "alumnus" of
the advanced school for incorrigible youth. Now
he had matriculated into the "big house" - his
entrance examination came by way of an armed
robbery.
Sitting in the gray atmosphere of prison,
he was seeking some way of escape - then found
it in the Bible. Now, as he expressed it, he
was no longer in prison; he was free in Jesus
Christ. So he emphatically stated, "You think I'm in
jail? No way! You want to know who's in jail?" He
swept his hands in a wide circle. "I'll tell you.
All those people who don't know Christ - they're
the ones in jail." [SDA Stewardship Devotional]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
I designed you to live in union with Me.
This union does not negate who you are; it
actually makes you more fully yourself. When you try
to live independently of Me, you experience
emptiness and dissatisfaction. You may gain the whole
world and yet lose everything that really counts.
Find fulfillment through living close to
Me, yielding to My purposes for you. Though I
may lead you along paths that feel alien to you,
trust that I know what I am doing. If you follow
Me wholeheartedly, you will discover facets of
yourself that were previously hidden. I know you
intimately-far better than you know yourself. In union with
Me, you are complete. In closeness to Me, you
are transformed more and more into the one I
designed you to be. (Mark 8:36; Psalm 139:13-16; 2
Corinthians 3:17-18) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
2 Corinthians 3:17 - True Freedom.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050704-0924.html
John 8:36 - Freedom Like No Other!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220519-0918.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
