But, to be sure, I am deeming all to be a forfeit because of the superiority of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, because of whom I forfeited all, and am deeming it to be refuse, that I should be gaining Christ.
Philippians 3: 8, Concordant New Testament
I decided this week to write a follow up post to a recent submission I had written (See my post Life Behind The Wall here. Scotts Page: Life Behind The Wall (myscottpage.blogspot.com))decided to do this follow up on the suggestion of a friend. I had originally written my previous post as a writing on personal freedom. Of how we can associate being under the control of other people with living under a dictatorship. Of course, I could illustrate more than a few examples from the mainstream church that would fit this category quite well. From the mandatory attendance, and legalistic teachings to the tithes we've all been a part of. Now, many die hard church enthusiasts will point to this as just being sour grapes from a disgruntled Christian, and you wouldn't be too far off the mark on that observation. However, how then would you explain the mass exodus of people from the congregations of our mainstream churches over the past decade? If I'm disgruntled with the church, then I've certainly got more than a few people who feel as I do wouldn't you agree? We can't all be wrong. All those Christians fleeing from the pews of the institutional church cannot all be simply bored with their surroundings right? So, there must be something there that convinced me, that convinced them, to leave the church. It wasn't until a few years ago that I stumbled across what I believed to be the answer to this mass exodus. Freedom. I'll admit, when I was a member in good standing with my local mainstream church, I felt at times like I was in a seminary. Everywhere I looked were the rules and regulations for what I would do or might do in the church. The tipping point for me came when I was refused admittance to a golf outing with fellow men of the church because, as I was told, it was deemed more towards those members who knew how to play. I was done. If this was my freedom in Christ I wanted NO part of it!
For freedom Christ frees us! Stand firm, then, and be not again enthralled with the yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5: 1, Concordant New Testament
When I look at the words freedom in Christ I take them quite literally. For it is in Christ Jesus where we find the true freedom we're looking for. When you think of it, Jesus is the only freedom which we have. Where else can we focus our hearts that will bring us such freedom as Jesus does? Our work, school or relationships? Jesus transcends all of those. I would say that anything BESIDES Christ is not freedom but garbage. This is what the apostle Paul spoke to as well in Philippians..."I forfeited it all, and am deeming it to be refuse" {Phil 3:8}. Paul knew that he would never find freedom in what the world around him had to offer. The freedom he coveted could only be found through Christ Jesus. How is the freedom of Christ shown in the rules and regulations of the mainstream church system? I would suggest that the church strives to proclaim freedom in the halls and congregations of their surroundings. That's bunk. If this were the case, then Jesus Himself would have not proclaimed that He was the One and only path to God {John 14:6}, but that the rules and regulations of the temple would bring one to the Lord. In fact, it is these requirements which Jesus has nailed to the cross with Him {Col 2:14}. At the end of the day, do we see our freedom as our own existence? If so then we are living the lie of the accuser. Our freedom lies not with the individual, but with Christ Jesus who dwells in us {Galatians 2:20}. Hence I proclaim...freedom in Christ!
Erasing the handwriting of the decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and has taken it away out of the midst, nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 2: 14, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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