2 Corinthians 3:17 - True Freedom
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
