Christian Bondage

Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

From the beginning of time the enemy has been trying to place the people and the children of God under the bondage of sin. He does this through lies and deception. He does it with a subtly that often takes the brethren unawares. They enter into the trap seeking the nourishment of the truth and before they know it they are snared by false doctrine.

Genesis chapter 3 tells us that he, the Serpent, is more subtle than any beast of the field which He (God) has created. This means that his traps are not going to be obvious. The idea here is liken to the frog who is placed into the pot of temped water who does not even try to escape as the temperature is slowly raised. The end result is that before the frog knows it his goose is cooked, so to speak.

The purpose of this writing is to expose one such snare which has placed so many brothers and sisters in Christ into bondage. The very bondage that our Lord sacrificed Himself to free us from.

(Joh 14:6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus is the only way and the only truth by which we are made free from the bondage (wages) of sin, which is death. It is only through Him and the finished work of the cross are the wages of sin paid for. Not by our works and not by anything we can do rather by His broken body and His shed blood.

The Old Nature vs The New Nature

We are told in scripture that when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior we have put off the old man and have put on the new man that “is being renewed” onto the image of Him which created us (Col 3:9-10).

Let’s take a closer look at these verses of scripture in the light of the Greek terminology in which it was originally written:

(Col 3:9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

“seeing that we have put off” – apekduomai – to divest wholly of ones self – middle voice from apo (departure, cessation, completion) and ekduo (to sink out of a garment)

(Col 3:10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

“have put on” – enduō – (in the senese of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively): – array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on.

Our new nature, the new man “is” renewed in knowledge. Not that it will be renewed, it has been renewed. We take off the old garment ( the old garment of righteousness through the law) and put on a new garment of righteousness which is continuously being renewed (made white).

How was this accomplished?

Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but through the washing and renewing of the Holy Spirit which was poured out upon us through Jesus Christ through whom we have been made justified through the MERCY & GRACE of Almighty God! All Praise and Glory to Him and Him Alone!

(Tit 3:3) For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

(Tit 3:4) But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared,

(Tit 3:5)not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

(Tit 3:6)which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

(Tit 3:7) that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Problem #1 (The Snare)

The trap of the enemy, the snare he has devised to keep us in bondage, is that he tricks us into not talking off the old garment and putting on the new. He tricks us into trying to modify or repair the old.

(Luk 5:36) And he spake also a parable unto them: No man rendeth a piece from a new garment and putteth it upon an old garment; else he will rend the new, and also the piece from the new will not agree with the old.

(Luk 5:37)And no man putteth new wine into old wine-skins; else the new wine will burst the skins, and itself will be spilled, and the skins will perish.

(Luk 5:38)But new wine must be put into fresh wine-skins.

(Luk 5:39)And no man having drunk old wine desireth new; for he saith, The old is good.

Our Lord clearly warns us that putting a piece of the new garment (the new covenant of Grace) on the old garment (the old covenant of the law) will rend (split or sever) the new. In other words we can not serve two masters. We either put on the new garment of grace or continue to wear the old garment of the law. Any attempt to do other wise will cause confusion because the new will not agree with the old.

Our Lord continues to illustrate this point by using wine and wine skins as an example.

The new wine (the law of grace) is young wine and needs to mature (ferment). During the fermentation process pressure is put on the wine skin (or bottles). New skins can take the pressure and old ones can not. When new wine (Grace) is put in the old skins (the old covenant) the skins burst and the new wine is ruined. “But the new wine (the law of Grace) must be put into fresh wine-skins” (the new covenant).

Why do people put the new wine into old wine-skins?

“No man having drunk the old desireth the new and says that the old is good”!

Problem #2 (Self Righteousness)

(Gal 3:1) O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified?

(Gal 3:2) This only would I learn from you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

(Gal 3:3) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?

The English word bewitched, as used in verse one, has been translated from the Greek word baskainō which means to malign. This word refers to a malignancy or a thing that is evil in nature. One could rightly say that it is, by implication, a result of witchcraft (bewitched).

Paul continues and states that the only question that he has for the Galatians is did they receive the Holy Spirit by their works in abeyance of the law or by the hearing (preaching) of faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified?

In Galatians chapter 3 Paul asserts that as Abraham was justified by faith in God (not by his works) and that those in Christ are sons of Abraham, through faith in the finished work of Christ at the cross, are justified by that same faith (not by works – perfected in the flesh).

You see brothers and sisters even back in the time of the Apostles mankind had already began to fall away from saving grace. They have fallen into the snare of the enemy. More importantly they chose to stay there and reject the truth (Luk 5:39). Romans 6-7-8, as well as Galatians 3 clearly state that our salvation, the renewing of our mind, our desire for repentance, our desire to seek God, everything that we need for salvation, depends not on our works or our own abilities rather on the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and the administration of His Holy Spirit which he sent to live within us.

This spirit of self is running rampant throughout the body of Christ. Its not about what God does through His Holy Spirit or what he did through the sacrifice of His only begotten son on the cross. Its about what I have to do, what I can do, what I don’t do. Its the spirit of me, me, me, I, I, I and not God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It is self glorifying. It is self righteousness! It is a form of godliness and denying the power there of (2 Tim 3:5).

The amazing part of it all is that this deception is so deeply imbedded that they don’t even see it. Even more so when presented are presented with this truth they reject it because they prefer the old wine to the new.

Now brothers and sisters I am not laying judgment on anyone here.

There but for the grace of God go I.

That being said if we don’t accept the free gift of grace, if we put new wine in old wine-skins, if we put a new patch on an old garment, we will be tossed into the sea of confusion. We will be lambs ready for the slaughter.

Why is this message so important for us to understand?

In the old testament mankind was commanded to obey the law. God gave His people the law written by His own hand. God’s people were given the oracles of God to help to keep them on the right path. They were sent prophets and heavenly angels to help to guide and direct them. Almighty God Himself came to dwell among His people in the tabernacle. He delivered them from Egyptian bondage and from the Angel of Death. He gave them manna from heaven and clothing that didn’t wear out for 40 years. He fought battles for them. Yet His people rebelled time after time and in His infinite mercy and grace He delivered them time and time again.

What was the end result?

Mankind became more and more depraved. So much so that after the prophet Malachi there was some 400 years of silence from heaven. God was no longer speaking with or to His people!

Then came a voice from the wilderness (John the Baptist) announcing the Savior of mankind, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to take away the sins of the world.

You see brothers and sisters mankind, throughout history, at least after the fall of Adam, was at enmity with God. Man, in and of himself, was unable to obey the law. What makes us think we can do so now without the renewing of our mind and the transformation of our hearts that comes only by the grace of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit?

Jesus clearly states that:

(Rom 3:11) There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God;

(Rom 3:12) They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one:

None of us seek after God. None of us understands. None of us does good in the site of God, no, not so much as one!

To believe that we can do these things of our own will and or power is an affront to God and to our Lord who bore the whip and the cross for us. He paid the price for our sins and the sins of humanity and it only through His spilled blood that we stand righteous before God.

It is nothing more than prideful flesh to believe otherwise. It is a deception of the enemy. And if it was true that we could obey or repent through our own abilities, it would make the finished work of Christ on the cross null and void!

If mankind could be justified in the eyes of God, in and of himself, by his own works, in abeyance to the law, why then did Jesus need to come? Why did He hang on the tree and become sin? Why was he made our High Priest and our Intercessor? Why was the law written on our hearts? Why did Jesus send His Holy Spirit to dwell within us? So that we can do that which was commanded?

Why were all these things done for us if we could do it ourselves? Were God’s people in the old Testament able to do it? If they could why did Jesus come? Why did He send us the Holy Spirit to live within us? Why did God write the law in the fleshy tables of our hearts? Why did Jesus perish on the cross as payment for our sins? Why does Jesus now stand before the Father as our High Priest as our advocate making intersession for us?

Think about it!

Do we have a part to play in our salvation?

Yes Indeed. We need to make a choice just as the angels had to do. Just as Adam and Eve had to do.

We either choose to follow the will of God or the will of the beast! That is the only part we play. We submit to the will of the Holy Spirit who brings our will into alignment with that of God.

When we choose God He changes our hearts. He renews our minds. He draws us to Him. He leads us to repentance. He forgets our sins.

He does it all (if we submit).

(Psa 103:12) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

(Eph 1:6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.

(Eph 1:7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Praise God – Thank You Lord Jesus

It Is Finished!

God Bless You All in the name of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus