Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Freedom to do what?

When I declared my freedom from the 7th day Adventist church, I did not declare my freedom from Christ. Some of those that I left behind are of the opinion that I left because I never ‘really’ believed or that I left because I wanted the freedom to live any way I choose. When I make the statement that I am no longer under the law, it is taken to mean that I am lawless and no law applies to me. Not true!

So what do I mean when I say I am FREE? It simply means ……..

·         I am free from keeping laws that were never meant for me.
·         I am free from trying to meet the demands of the law.
·         I am free to be who I am, a Gentile Christian, living under the New Covenant.
·         I am free to love everyone, which fulfills the royal law of love.
·         I am free to serve God and not be a slave to sin or Satan.
·         I am free to be the person God intended me to be.
·         I am free to be happy, guilt-free and secure in Christ’s love.
·         I am free to listen to, be guided by and be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
·         I am free to ignore unbiblical church dogma, doctrines and mandates.
·         I am free from being a legalist and hoping that keeping rules will save me.
·         I am free to claim the blood that was spilled on Calvary just for me.
·         I am free to accept the ‘work’ that Christ has already done for me.
·         I am free to believe that Jesus did indeed pay it all for me on the Cross.
·         I am free to know and believe that I am saved NOW!
·         I am free to believe that I am not under condemnation because I belong to Christ.
·         I am free to believe that there is no Investigative Judgment going on.
·         I am free to believe that Jesus meant it when He said, “It is finished.”
·         I am free from being a cookie-cutter Christian.
·         I am free to decide who I give to, how much I give and to do it cheerfully.
·         I am free to forgive those that have hurt me.
·         I am free from the control of others’ thoughts and behaviors toward me.
·         I am free to rest in Jesus every day and not just one in seven.
·         I am free to take Jesus at His Word.
·         I am free to allow the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture for me instead of the church.
·         I am free to allow God to live through me and work out His plan for my life.
·         I am free to be genuinely happy and live an abundant life because Christ is my center.
·         I am free to share the liberating Good News of the Gospel to everyone.
·         I am free from trying to keep a day holy;
·         I am free to honor a holy God every day.
·         I am free to fellowship with the Saints any time and any day.
·         I am free to see and not be blinded by a veil covering my eyes.
·         I am free to continue to dress modestly without the added restrictions of the church.
·         I am free to only care about what God thinks of me because He is my only Master.

These are a few of my freedoms and none of them give me the liberty or license to do anything that will harm anyone or misrepresent my Lord and Master in any way. After all, I am to live a holy life, pleasing and acceptable to God.

The Bible Says in Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Notes for 5:1
Christ died to set us free from sin and from a long list of laws and regulations. Christ came to set us free — not free to do whatever we want because that would lead us back into slavery to our selfish desires. Rather, thanks to Christ, we are now free and able to do what was impossible before — to live unselfishly. Those who appeal to their freedom so that they can have their own way or indulge their own desires are falling back into sin. But it is also wrong to put a burden of lawkeeping on Christians. We must stand against those who would enslave us with rules, methods, or special conditions for being saved or growing in Christ.
Life Application Bible Notes

Freedom is a wonderful God-given joy! Why not try it today? 1 Cor. 3:17 reads,  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 

Blessings!

3 comments:

  1. Praise the Lord, Patricia! Free, free indeed! I feel like preachin' after reading that! Amen!

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  2. Hi Patricia!

    Just came across your blog today! Looks great! I love the way you are proclaiming the freedom that is found alone in Jesus Christ!

    I am also a former SDA and have around 8 blogs. Since they are all connected, I'll give you the links to three of them here to check out:

    http://sound-the-trumpet.blogspot.com/
    http://thenakedtruth-hazel.blogspot.com/
    http://artfromhisheart.blogspot.com/

    Be blessed in Him!
    Hazel

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  3. How did you make your transition from the SDA church?

    ReplyDelete