Freedom

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

Salvation and freedom come not through our own efforts, but through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The Holy Spirit, who indwells believers, empowers them to live a life of freedom and obedience to God’s will.

This freedom is not just a freedom from external constraints, but also a freedom to live a life of love, joy, and peace, in accordance with the Spirit’s guidance and the fullness of life that comes from being in relationship with God.

The Apostle Paul is contrasting the law, which he refers to as “the letter,” with the Spirit. He argues that the law, though given by God, was unable to bring about true freedom and salvation.

Instead, it served only to highlight the sinfulness of humanity and to condemn them for their failure to live up to its standards.

The law, in this sense, is likened to a “minister of death” (2 Corinthians 3:7), as it brought about a sense of condemnation and guilt in those who were unable to keep its commands.

In contrast, the Spirit is described as a “minister of the new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:8), which brings about a sense of freedom, life, and transformation.

The new covenant, established through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is said to be “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

This new covenant, empowered by the Holy Spirit, enables believers to live a life that is pleasing to God and to experience the freedom that comes from being liberated from the bondage of sin and the law.

* John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

* Romans 8:2 – “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”

* Galatians 5:1 – “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.”

* Colossians 1:13 – “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.”

* 1 Peter 1:18-19 – “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”