Category: Freedom

The Blessed Hope

On By TimIn Freedom, Grace, Titus 02Leave a comment

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, righteously, and in godliness in this present world,

Titus 2:11–12

Did you ever consider… Why does the culture hate Jesus?

Look at the text. The grace of God has appeared to all humans, not just to Christians or the elect. This grace comes to all.

With the grace comes the instruction to deny ungodliness and worldly desires. Those two run together. All one has to do is find a recording of those who choose to stand up for godliness in the public square. There are plenty of Insta reels and TikToks that show this. The easy thing to discern is that people hate the reminder.

Oh, they like the idea of a loving God, sort of like a rich grandpa that does things for them and others. They say they are like Him, loving, generous, and caring for others. But listen very closely to what they say. It is difficult to not engage for more than a few minutes and see the myopic selfishness.

The biblical principle is that one becomes like the god they worship.

Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of men’s hands.
They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears, but they cannot hear;
noses, but they cannot smell;
they have hands, but they cannot feel;
feet, but they cannot walk;
neither can they speak with their throat.
Those who make them are like them;
so is everyone who trusts in them.

Psalm 115:4–8

People imagine for themselves what they think their god is like. They hate that He has told the world Who He is and what He is like. I mean, He is like no other; there is nothing comparable. Remember the one who would usurp the Most High and said, “I will be like God.” He even used the idea that God was holding something out from Eve. Her desire for the forbidden fruit was to satisfy her own selfishness.

With rampant selfishness, I would say that is the epitome of worldliness. In fact, in the King James Bible, desires is rendered as lusts. Lusts, meaning living to primarily seek to satisfy one’s own innate selfish desires without regard to anyone or anything else. At the start, it appears almost innocent, but when mature… It is a deep, deep craving.

But God made me this way!

No, He did not. He did not make you to be a slave unto death.

Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil; neither does He tempt anyone. But each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. Then, when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin; and when sin is finished, it brings forth death.

James 1:13–15

What Paul says to Titus is that the grace of God that comes to all rubs hard against those unwilling to heed. I mean, it is painful. Think of what it would be like to rub 60-grit sandpaper on your skin.

But… Who wants to give up the fun of hook-ups?

Well, ignorance is the doorway when temptations like these come. Giving oneself to this kind of hedonism then becomes the gateway to addiction.

Who wants to turn away from the euphoria of being out of control on substances?

Again, ignorance serves as a doorway to experimentation. This is another way to give in to decadence. Where does experimentation cross over to addiction?

We can do whatever it is we want with free will… Right?

Yes, Jesus gives freedom at the cross. Licentiousness is not freedom. Hedonism does come with risk of real personal harm. Abusing substances and sexual licentiousness is not just behavioral. These involve biology, physiology, and emotions. They are deeply spiritual, too. All of this means these can bind the body, leading to addiction. There are also soul ties to consider.

Addiction brings trauma. Trauma is a gateway for demonization. The other less consider problem with addiction is that it gives way to arrogance, eventually searing the conscience.

This drives the overwhelming wave to transmute humanity. All of the special rights demands tend to transmutation, too. It is to mar the image of God that all humans bear.

But who cares?

This is where caution is needed. To think that is symptomatic of the arrogance that comes in this delusion. Thank God we Christians are not like that… Right?

Stop and think. This how this comes at people in so many ways.

What about being first in line, fastest, or the best in contests?

Ouch! Liberty is not found in licentiousness, or even becoming someone great. It is not found in satisfying the soul with the decadence and delicacies of this world. They simply cannot. Liberty is a free gift from Jesus that points us to Him.

as we await the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself a special people, zealous of good works.

Titus 2:13–14

When one chooses to live for Jesus, there are no risks. There is no losing, or really even being last. There is no condemnation in death. There is no fear or downside to righteousness. The promise is the Blessed Hope. That is, to be present with Jesus, whether by death or His glorious appearing to whisk His Own beloved home.

I will tell you, part of living soberly is to know who and Whose you are. That is, to think rightly about yourself. Yes, you are beloved. Jesus redeemed Himself a bride, purchased with His blood.

There is that great divide. His blood has stayed death, for all humans are granted liberty. That is the grace of God… That you live after you sin. Without that, nobody would have any opportunity to want to try to live rightly.

But think of those who neglect or even despise that grace. What kind of justification could one use to keep satisfying their own desires while neglecting and despising the work of Jesus?

It is not so much a future great escape by being snatched away from this world. Yes, there is one of those coming. The great escape is available right now. To any who would believe.

And Jesus says, “Sober up!”

Jesus died for you, so that you could live for Him!

Hang Up on the Hangups

On By TimIn Encouragement, Ephesians 04, Exhortation, Freedom, Justification, SinLeave a comment

Do not give place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:27 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Paul is speaking of giving the enemy rights. He has no way to bother you unless you give him permission and grant him the right.

What do I mean by right?

This could trigger some uncomfortable feelings.

Think about something that happened to you when you were young, something you remember clearly. Do you instantly become overwhelmed by the feelings of that situation?

It could be good, but it most likely might not be. In that case, the feelings of fear and anxiety come… Especially with traumatic events. The feelings can be crippling.

Sometimes those feelings come because of something we’ve done and now regret. A feeling of guilt can obliterate a person.

These crippling feelings of guilt, fear, anxiety, despair, and/or others can create a cascading physiological response with an adrenaline surge. This may lead to something that grieves the Holy Spirit.

These are things the enemy uses as a foothold. It’s a place to gain access. And if we are not aware of that fact we can be blindsided. I know. It happens to me.

None of us are made to fear. We are not made to have guilt. Paul gives ample remedy for how to avoid giving rights away.

But what of those things in the past?

Knowledge is a firmer foundation than emotion.

You can renounce them. You can renounce how they make you feel. You can renounce the control they have over your emotions. Do it out loud, to God. For whatever it is that overwhelms you, whether you are the victim or not. Allow God to take the feelings, the anxiety, and the fear away. Read the rest of the text beginning at Ephesians 4:1 into Chapters 5&6. Learn how to put on the new nature and live in victory.

You can do it, by taking the first step.

Don’t be sidelined. Don’t be a spectator. Stand firm!

It’s Nailed to the Cross

On By TimIn Colossians 02, Daily Walk, Encouragement, Eternal Security, Freedom, Resurrection, Salvation, Sin, Spiritual Warfare, The CrossLeave a comment

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has resurrected together with Him, having forgiven you all sins. He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed authorities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them by the cross.

Colossians 2:13–15 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Literally, it’s you being presently dead. The verb is in the present tense. As a believer, God made you alive. The tenses of the verbs say something probably not thought of.

Being dead is a continuous thing in this existence. Our existence before salvation was pictured as being uncircumcised. That is, what makes the dead is not yet cut away. Uncircumcised flesh is where death reigns, and a person dying in it goes to perdition because they are still in their sins. But the good thing is, though the death of the flesh is a continuous thing, it can be circumcised with the circumcision made with hands.

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised with Him through the faith of the power of God, who has raised Him from the dead.

Colossians 2:11–12 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The body of sins is put away by Jesus. It’s put away in death, His death. You are then made alive because He lives. The being made alive is once; you do not need to be continually made alive. He’s forgiven you all your sins.

There’s another kicker… For those who might wanna tell you that your salvation isn’t necessarily secure in what Jesus has already done and that it depends on your endurance, it’s not there.

How much sin is forgiven, having forgiven you all sin?

He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances. Meaning it’s done. That means there is nothing against you from your past, your present, or even your future. It’s done.

He took it out of the way. Rest assured it’s gone.

Whatever the law had against you is to the cross. It’s a simple past action. It’s nailed to the cross. There are no future crosses our future sins need to be nailed to. There is no future death of Jesus needed.

Authorities and powers are disarmed. If satan is bothering you, why do you allow or permit it?

This passage clearly states that demons and devils have no power. The only real power they may have is the stuff you give them. That’s why the Bible tells you you are a slave to whom you present yourself. So don’t give them any power. And if you have, revoke it now in Jesus’ name.

Stop subjecting yourselves to the powerlessness of wondering if your salvation took… Or whether you can lose it. Live unabashedly for Him.

A Child is Born, a Son is Given

On By TimIn Creation, Daily Walk, Encouragement, Eternal Security, Freedom, Heaven, Isaiah 09, Jesus, Prophecy, Reconciliation, Resurrection, Salvation, The CrossLeave a comment

Here’s something that has occupied the spare processing cycles in my brain when the screen saver is active. In other words, there is something that I have been considering deeply.

For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This is one of those memory verses I learned from years of listening to Handel’s Messiah. In that first line is a distinction that is easy to overlook. A child is born, and a son is given. It is a prophetic announcement of the birth of Jesus. A child would be born to us humans. Not just any child, but a Son would be given. That Son would be unique. This announcement clearly shows that Jesus is God, not that He came from God.

In a discussion on the Godhead I just perused, I again pondered this idea. This God-Man… This Son, or Word, that was given to us. The interesting part of the conversation prompted me to write my thoughts down and share them.

The discussion was over the Son or Word and whether saying He is begotten by God somehow darkens the idea of His existence from “eternity past.” It’s precisely what derives from the idea of being begotten means, and sort of considers the hypostatic union. That is the union of God and man that is Jesus.

I want to give a foundation from here. This is what God says of Himself in the final chapters of the Old Testament.

For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

Malachi 3:6 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no change or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.

James 1:17–18 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

From these two witnesses, it is clear that God doesn’t change. The writer of Hebrews adds to this.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

How does a God Who doesn’t change incarnate?

It sort of intrigues me that the God Who clearly says He is the same and doesn’t change somehow put on humanity.

It is precisely that idea that I think is too simplistic of an explanation. If He puts on humanity, He changes. Or maybe that doesn’t count as a change.

God has a Unique Relationship with Humans

I think it goes back to something foundational.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:26–27 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

This idea of God making us in His image. What is that, really?

I know one of my favorite Bible nerds says we are imagers. Meaning we get to make God known to others in unique ways.

What if this image is something profound, like it is something that is really a part of God?

No… I am not drifting off into pantheism or panentheism.

I’m not saying we are God. Yet there is something more here. When you read the Bible, you’re going to read some things that you might be tempted to glance over.

Beloved, now are we children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

1 John 3:2 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

There is something so spectacular reserved for humanity. It cannot be put into words.

For those whom He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 8:29–30 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It’s this imager-thing. We are made in His image initially and will be conformed to His image. There are other texts that reiterate these ideas, like being a joint-heir with Jesus.

Jesus even spoke of this in some of His last words before the crucifixion.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You. May they also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory which You gave Me, that they may be one even as We are one: I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfect in unity, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

John 17:20–23— Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

I don’t think we can even begin to ponder what is in store for each of us who loves Jesus.

Introduction to the Idea of a Stronghold

On By TimIn Daily Walk, Freedom, Judges 06, Spiritual WarfareLeave a comment

That night the Lord said to him, “Take a bull from your father’s herd and a second bull seven years old. Tear down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold in an orderly way. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole that you will cut down.”

Judges 6:25–26 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It’s important to know that the God we serve is the Most High God. There are no other gods who can equal Him, let alone exceed Him.

When God described the Baal altar and the Asherah pole, he used the word stronghold. That is not because the god(s) worshipped there had any real power to do anything… The stronghold was in the minds of those who worshipped the god(s) using that place.

God does not need the blood of bulls to triumph over the stronghold. He is going to use it as a manifold type.

For some background, in the ancient pagan ways, Baal was sometimes worshipped as the king of gods. In this instance, he would hold the title of “El.” To the Canaanites, El was not the God of Israel, yet was considered most high. Asherah is the consort of El. Baal is revered as the universal fertility god and is known as a storm god that brings rain. (Think: brings fertility to the fields.) Other things to know… Baal is sometimes symbolized by a bull, as he allegedly sired a bull. The Asherah pole is a large carved wooden pole that is worshipped as the goddess. She too would be a goddess of fertility, while also being the goddess of sexual lust. The Asherah pole would lend itself to a phallic representation. Sex would be a part of the worship at this place.

With the ideas represented here, the word stronghold is applicable. And this is the first usage of the word in the Bible.

Also, it is necessary to understand that Baal would fight Mot. Mot is the God of death. If Baal were victorious, a seven-year cycle of fertility would ensue, giving good crops and increased livestock.

Maybe you start to see all the symbology here, and how God was going to show Himself victorious over this usurper who is called the king of gods. The fertility symbols would be dashed, an altar built to the Most High, and a bull of seven years of age sacrificed on it over the wood of that god’s emblem of vitality and fertility. Anything that god could do was dashed to nothing.

So Gideon took ten men from among his slaves and did as the Lord had told him, but because he was too afraid of the rest of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it at night.

Judges 6:27 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It was no simple thing Gideon was asked to do. There was real danger here.

When the men of the city got up early in the morning, the altar of Baal was torn down, the Asherah pole beside it was cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the new altar that had been built.

Judges 6:28–30 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

They said to each other, “Who has done this?”

When they had inquired and asked, they responded, “Gideon son of Joash has done this.”

Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son so that he may die, for he tore down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

You see how the altar and pole were a stronghold not just for Gideon’s father, but for the rest of the city as well. Even though these things were labeled as Gideon’s father’s. The stronghold held sway in the hearts of all in the city. It served as a refuge for them… Just as the Hebrew word conveys.

Joash then said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Whoever fights for him will be killed by morning. If Baal is a god, let him fight for himself, for someone has torn down his altar.” Therefore on that day he called him Jerub-Baal, saying, “Let Baal fight him, for he tore down the altar of Baal.”

Judges 6:31–32 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

God knew exactly how to break that stronghold by using the very things those people revered to destroy what they worshipped.

It is a good thing to know that when we teach about the meanings of certain symbols or even pagan rituals, it is that God triumphs over them all. Just like the symbols of these gods were put under the blood of their god, so to speak, by the work of our God. It is a picture of the strongholds in our lives; how they are put under the blood of our God by our God. They are gone. They really have no power over a believer.

Christian, there is nothing the enemy has you over on, save whatever you give to him. Sometimes we must smash those strongholds in our lives and others, so they and we can clearly see the truth, just as Joash saw.

It is not work that is easy to do, and not without real risk. But the benefits give glory to God as people are awakened from their enthrallment to such vanities.

Freedom from Confinement

On By TimIn 1 Timothy 01, Freedom, Righteousness, SalvationLeave a comment

And we know that the law is not given for a righteous person, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and the profane

1 Timothy 1:9a — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

It follows that a righteous person has no need for the law. Such has not run afoul of its requirements, as righteousness is the fulfillment of the law. A believer is gifted righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work.

However, an unbeliever has no such righteousness. Such may think themselves to be right in their own estimation. That measurement would be fleeting and unsure, differing for each individual. That is why the law is given. It is a sure standard. It is to reveal depravity, not that any ought to judge or condemn.

When a person confronts that righteous standard and compares themselves to it, they will find they’ve fallen short of the mark. That itself condemns.

We don’t use it to Bible-thump someone into the right behavior. It is to lead someone to Jesus. Look how Paul explains it elsewhere.

But before faith came, we were imprisoned under the law, kept for the faith which was later to be revealed. So the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Galatians 3:23–25 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Before Jesus, the law kept folks imprisoned. This is a nod to the remedies built into the law to atone for sin. The end of those ordinances is Jesus Christ. It is faith in Him that truly justifies.

We believers no longer need the tutelage of the law. Praise God for that!

But those who do not believe still need a tutor. One that will lead them to the mercy of God, sent in His Son.

It doesn’t matter how far off someone is. You can have true freedom from the imprisonment of condemnation. It’s easily obtained.

Acknowledge your own imprisonment under the law; that is your failure to keep the ordinances. It doesn’t matter how slight or severe. Missing one makes one guilty of missing all.

Believe… Put your faith in Jesus. He is the God Who came from heaven to live and die as o e of us. He did die. He rose again to give anyone who would believe remission of sins and eternal life.

Confess that aloud to Him. He is listening and able to hear you, wherever you may be right now.