The Glorious Liberty of God's Children
Because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Rom. 8:21)
Rom. 8:1-6; Isa. 61:1; John 8:32-36; II Cor. 3:17; Gal. 5:1 and 13
What Is God Saying?
The world which shared in the Fall of Man (and thus became subject to change and decay) will also be transformed and share in the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans chapter eight addresses one of the Bible's most stirring concepts. Chapter seven of Romans is about I, me, and mine. Life for my glory leads to my defeat. Life for my freedom leads only to bondage. Count the number of Is in chapter seven. It's the great I chapter and the result is, ‘Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me?’ In chapter eight there is a sudden and welcome change. Now the pronouns are you or we. The Is virtually disappear. The principal person in chapter eight is the Holy Spirit who helps, intercedes, gives life, leads, and sets us free. Not only do the pronouns change, but there is also a radical and total change in the message. Fear and guilt melt into the shadows and the shadows are all behind us. Now the message is freedom, no condemnation, no separation, no bondage, just liberty in and through Christ and that liberty is glorious.
How Does This Apply To Us?
Glorious—no other word can describe the liberty of a Christian. All we need to do is accept it. It is not a salary given for a job done, nor is it a prize won after a gruelling race. It is a gift. It is a victory won by our Lord Jesus. It is a blessing shared. It is a gift that is ours forever. To underscore the fact that our liberty is a gift (a sharing of the inexhaustible grace of Christ), Paul quotes from Psalm 68:18, ‘When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men’ (Eph. 4:8). One of the gifts He has given is the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God.’
Pray With Me
O God, in Your Word it is promised, ‘If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’ Thank You for that freedom. In a world that talks so much about freedom and pays so much for freedom, here is Your gift of real freedom. Truly we are free because He has made us truly free.
• His love has broken the shackles of our fears.
• His truth has banished the darkness of our doubts.
• His resurrection has released us from bondage to death and sin.
Give me such a clear and constant understanding of the glorious liberty that is mine in Christ that I shall be kept from lapsing into fear. Give me such true appreciation of my freedom in Christ that I shall not give in to the empty promises. The suggestion that freedom is unsuppressed indulgence is fatal counsel. Rather, as Christ’s willing captives, we are filled with light and hope, ‘Make me a captive, Lord, And then I shall be free, Force me to render up my sword, And I shall conqueror be.’
• Glorious is the liberty of your children. It flows in power from the all-conquering cross. It shines in the victory of the open tomb. It lives in the hope of Your Kingdom's triumph.
• Glorious is the liberty of your children. Against it the gates of hell shall not prevail, the gates of Heaven will never be closed.
In the name of Him who ‘led capt1vity captive and gave gifts to men,’ even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
In prayer, we are thankful for the freedom from enslavement to sin, from the fears that are engendered by doubt, and from failures that are brought on by wrong choices. The liberty Christ has given us refreshes and guards us when, in prayer, we affirm that we have an all-loving and all-powerful God.
