Liberty by the Holy Spirit

Day By Day By Grace

Bob Hoekstra

May 12, 2010


Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

As we have seen, the old covenant of law produces spiritual bondage in
those who attempt to live under it. The remedy for that bondage is the
new covenant of grace, because it produces spiritual liberty. This
liberty is a work of the Holy Spirit. "Now the Lord is the Spirit." The
life-giving Lord of grace is the Spirit of God: "the new covenant, not
of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit
gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Living by rules and regulations ("of the letter") has a deadening,
binding spiritual effect on people. This is how the Pharisees
"ministered." "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them
on men's shoulders" (Matthew 23:4). Jesus came to liberate people, to
set them free. This is why Jesus ministered by the Holy Spirit. "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the
gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty those who are oppressed" (Luke 4:18). As Jesus, the Son of
God, humbly served the Father, the Holy Spirit empowered Him to rescue
captives, to release the oppressed.

Rescuing people from sin and unrighteousness is the fundamental,
liberating work of Jesus. "And having been set free from sin, you
became slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:18). Now, we are free to grow
in a life of righteousness. Our new-found freedom is not for personal
indulgence. It is for service of the Lord. "As free, yet not using your
liberty as a cloak for vice, but as servants of God" (1 Peter 2:16).
Now that we are free, we can use our freedom to lovingly minister to
others. "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not
use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one
another" (Galatians 5:13).

Another wonder of Christ's rescuing, liberating work is that He wants
to save us from self-dependent striving to develop a life of godliness
and loving service. He accomplishes this by the work of the Holy
Spirit. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me
free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2). As we walk in humble
dependence, the Holy Spirit imparts to us the life that is in Christ
Jesus. This liberates us from the tendency to rely upon fleshly human
resources, which are inadequate (due to sin and spiritual deadness).

Dear God of all spiritual liberation, I praise You for setting me free
from sin and the service of self. Now I ask You to work in and through
me by Your Holy Spirit, setting me free from self-striving in my
service of You, in Jesus' name, Amen.