Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Bound to be Free (with audio)








USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.
(1 Corinthians 7:22 – ESV)

In Paul’s day, and even up till today, we see the cruel context of slavery in some societies. Paul and the New Testament do not condone slavery; they were simply using it to teach that even under the worst of conditions, a child of God could radiate the light of Christ. They were free men indeed if they could feel their freedom in Christ while bound by the earths chains.

Even though most of the world doesn’t have institutionalized slavery anymore, this principle applies to employer / employee relationships and the like (Colossians 3:22-24). Looking at the context of Titus chapter 2, we see Paul stressing that Christlike behavior is a witness to show that all people may come to Christ regardless of social status, gender, race, etc. Whether younger or older, richer or poorer, slave or free, man or woman, or whatever the case may be, the salvation that is in Christ is to be modeled for all to see that Christians can come from anywhere, and that God will save anyone anywhere who will come to Him.

Just because a slave can and should please God doesn’t mean that Paul is teaching that God doesn’t want men to be free. Indeed Paul says that if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity (1 Corinthians 7:21). He meant legally and not by escaping of course. Just because you can glorify God in that dark place doesn’t necessarily mean God wants to leave you there, but your attitude must be that if He does leave you there you will serve Him by serving in that situation anyway. If you can be free, if you can be loosed, if you can be made whole, healed, helped or whatever then you should praise the Lord. If not, well, then praise the Lord too. In everything give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18). No matter what earthly situation you find yourself in keep yourself in the love of God (Jude 1:21), and don’t entangle yourself in spiritual slavery again.

Being an ambassador for Jesus in a context as cruel as slavery is earning great reward in heaven by honoring our Lord, who experienced a more dramatic drop-off in dignity than any of us on earth could possible face or even imagine. To be a shining light in a dark situation is to do the Lord’s work the Lord’s way. A slave whom God allows to continue in that is bound to be free. Bound in order to be free, bound in order to set others free, bound to be free at last. He, or we, may be bound because being free would lead him, or us, away from Christ. He may be bound but eventually he will be set free because death will bring him to heaven. He may be bound but no one is quite so free as the one who feels his freedom in Christ while shackled with the world’s chains. In other words, his chains are for the glory of the Lord. Others whom God is calling will see Christ.

The Apostle Paul found himself locked up in a Roman jail but God has used the letters he wrote while there to set people free for nearly two thousand years. The Apostle John was chained to a rock on the island of Patmos but he saw a Revelation of The Rock greater than any man in history. The mature Christian may be bound by some situation, but they know that they are bound to win, even in death. They are bound yet free, and we need to show the world the Truth, as living pictures of the Gospel, that Christ was bound up on that cross, setting men free from sin and death for eternity. We are dead to sin and self, and alive to God, and no earthly chains can bind our spirits while we trust in our Deliverer.

See 1 Corinthians 7:22 in light of the context of the New Testament, and God’s redemptive plan. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, the key is to be filled with the Spirit in that situation. The greatest witnessing a Christian can do is by doing what a mature Christian would do in that dark situation. We need ambassadors on all fronts, portraits of grace pictured within every scenario, especially bad ones, so that those without hope can see that there is hope for final redemption, that God has not forgotten them in their chains, and that they can be delivered for all eternity. No earthly chain can strangle the Spirit of God, where the Sprit of the Lord is there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). We need to be filled with the Spirit and feel our freedom.

Sometimes, and perhaps as we grow in grace most often, the power of God is not to deliver you from a situation but through and in that situation itself, so others, whom are not Christians or who are weak in the faith, they can see what a mature believer would do in the same situation. Sometimes God has us bound in order to show others what God’s true freedom is. When everyone is in the same dark place, who do they look for? It is the one with the light, like the one who is bound to be free by being a slave to Christ.


“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

8 comments:

Even So... said...

This is taken from a previous post from 10-2-07, which was reposted 12-10-08, but now includes the audio, which has additional material in it...we will be doing this with many of our older posts, so that they can have the audio attached to them...hope these are edifying and enjoyable for you...God bless...

Even So... said...

5-6-09

Even So... said...

Colossians 4:18

Even So... said...

Hebrews 13:3

Even So... said...

1 Timothy 1:10

Even So... said...

Colossians 4:18

Paul didn’t pretend that he didn’t care about being incarcerated. He just cared less about getting himself out of prison than he did about getting the good news out to the public. Paul’s priority wasn’t on himself. He prayed for the people he ministered to, and he asked them to do the ministry and pray for the ministry before thinking of him. Even then he prays for grace to help them in their own endeavors.

Still, we see that even the Apostle Paul needed to be prayed for, so don’t just keep all your troubles in, and don’t just say you have left it all to God. Part of giving it to God is letting others know you need to be prayed for, specifically. The strongest pray for the weak and the weakest pray for the strong. All Christians are bound for heaven, but while on this earth we will all be bound to have some of this world’s shackles to deal with. Let us remember to tell others we need prayer, and to pray that the chains of this life will show the true freedom we have in Christ.

We remember to pray for those in chains, but also to remark upon how God in His grace still allows them to be a shining light for Christ. The Colossians were to look to Paul and pray for his release, but also to look to Paul and see the abundant grace and be inspired to do all they could for Christ. The chains of the world can never hold the Word of God down, and we can prove that to the world and to ourselves as we remember the chains that others have used to show that fact.

Even So... said...

Hebrews 13:3

As if it were us

Even So... said...

1 Timothy 1:10

men-stealing...that sort of slavery was always wrong...