| GOD and US |
| Jesus, Our Liberator |
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| Return Home |
| A Reality Check |
| "...Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the Inhabitants thereof..." Leviticus 25:10 |
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| Those familiar words inscribed on
the Liberty Bell are taken from Leviticus 25:10 in the scriptural
context of the Jubilee Year release. The Jubilee occurred
just once every 50 years -- every 50th Day of Atonement, and on the Day
of Atonement of the Jubilee year, those who had become indentured
servants were given their freedom, debts were released and lands were
restored. Liberty from bondage is the Old Covenant theme of
the Jubilee year and it looked forward to Jesus Christ.
Jesus, as the substance casting shadows across the Old Covenant of
things to come, fulfilled the Law and the Prophets and is our New
Covenant Jubilee. JESUS CAME TO BRING US FREEDOM In Jesus' first public ministry He proclaimed Himself our liberator when He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19) In Galatians 4:21-31 Paul highlights the freedom we have from the law as he uses Hagar and Sarah figuratively to contrast the Old Covenant of law and the New Covenant of freedom. Here are Paul's points -- the figurative representations: OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT Hagar Sarah Slave woman Free Woman Born ordinarily Born of God's promise by power of the Spirit Mount Sinai and the present Jerusalem New Jerusalem above Bears children who are to be slaves Bears free children Will never share in inheritance Descendants will inherit To be gotten rid of He sums his discussion up in verse 31, "Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman." Then he goes on in the next verse (Galatians 5:1) saying, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." The NLT version of the same scripture says it this way, "So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free,..." In verse 13 he cautions, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love." Jesus frees us to live the fullest life possible, a life ministering His grace to others by loving, caring and serving them -- AND a life being a messenger of God's love to others. "IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE." Galatians 5:1 Jesus liberates you and I. He forgives our sins and gives us freedom from guilt. He brings us freedom from the law. He frees us from evil, worry and fear -- expecially the fear of death and mortality. Jesus even brings us freedom from religion -- from all of the legalistic things people do to try in a futile effort to save ourselves, to appease God or to make God love and accept us -- from all of the stuff -- the ritual, the denominationalism, the rote, the churchianity -- that gets between us and our relationship with Jesus. Jesus has already saved and liberated us. He already accepts us and loves us unconditionally. We can't do anything to improve that. Jesus frees us for fellowship and union with God. God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit invite us to commune and fellowship with them in their love and Jesus made that possible by freeing us from our bondage of self-centered sin by becoming the necessary mediator between sinful humanity and a sinless Father. (1 Timothy 2:5) Praise to you O Lord for freeing us -- for being our Liberator! |
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