Freedom through God
Colossians 2:16-18 (NLT): So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things.
Following man-made rules makes us feel good. We feel holy and pious when we do things and show off to the world. But Jesus came to break rules. He came to set us free from the law, and yet, we still bind ourselves with rules. That is not what God intended. God wants only freedom. He breaks the rules; back then and here now, He is still shattering every rule we place upon ourselves in hopes of faking piety.
Freedom is taught through the Word of God. The Bible challenges the man-made traditions that were instilled in the mind during childhood while growing up in one denomination or the other. It can be angering, but the challenge is the road to freedom. The Bible answers every question in life and addresses every issue that comes up. When you understand the Word, it becomes a foundation for freedom. Freedom let’s us move towards the things of the Kingdom and allows the Kingdom to have a major impact on our lives.
Jesus purchased our freedom with His blood. Salvation is submitting your life to Jesus, laying down your pride, and asking Jesus for help, and He does! In that moment, the spirit inside you–the part that God knew even before time as documented in Psalm 139–is reunited with God.
Freedom is what God cares about. He doesn’t care what clothes you wear to church or what denomination you were originally raised in or any of the other things in this life that hinder our walk with Him. The Blood of Christ covers you; when God looks down, He sees the Blood and sees grace. However, we as humans create things that help us define how to walk in His will. Thus, we become bound in traditions.
The will of God is His Word. If you want to seek His Will, seek His word. The Word is the central focus. You will never default from God’s will as long as you are in the Word. Everything comes back to the crossroads of the Word. The translation does not matter. It is still the Word of God, whether it is KJV or NIV or NLT or the Message. God wrote His Word. We translated it into these different version. Use one. It does not matter which. God does not care which you use. As long as you are reading His Word.
Paul addresses the issues of man-made traditions in Galatians 2. He points out the danger of adopting man-made traditions as the Will of God. The original church was made up of multiple cultures. God was shifting from being the God of the Israelite to the God of all peoples. But, some “so-called Christians” tried to take the freedom of this new faith and bind it in old traditions (like circumcision). The people of Galatia worshiped differently than the people in Corinth. The people in Corinth worshiped differently than the Jewish believers. Traditions that try to force all peoples of different cultures to worship God one way becomes bondage. That is what Paul and God warn about constantly in the Word of God. The sacrifice of Christ freed us from the law, and yet humanity creates lies to bind us. Jesus set us free. Focus on God’s Word, and you will find freedom.
Where the Spirit is, there is freedom. Traditions are birthed out of a need to change the outward appearance. However, what tends to be forgotten is that the Holy Spirit is the one who changes the believer in time. Jesus focuses on the heart. When a person gets covered by the Blood, the Holy Spirit immediately comes down to start the journey. He is the one who slowly begins to shift the heart away from old habits and old ways. Slowly but surely, you become sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Slowly, you become convicted when the old you comes up. Then, He begins to change you. It is His job, not ours, to change, shape, and mold the heart. And, like He promises in His Word, the outside will begin to reflect the inside. Out of the heart will come change. When we begin to follow tradition and fix ourselves, the Holy Spirit backs off. But when He is allowed in, there is order and freedom.
God wants us to be free in the spirit. God wants to take us from being trapped and bound into living a free life. You adhere more to righteousness when living in God’s freedom than when you live under your own rules and regulations. Freedom in God leads to His correction and change. Under the old system, there is only condemnation and self-loathing over your short-comings. Under the freedom of God, you aren’t trying so much as you allow God to shift and change you. He goes much deeper than salvation. Freedom from sin is instant; freedom from self takes a lifetime. It is a Journey. God walks it with you. Are you ready for the Journey?
