Faith: Our Freedom in Christ

Imagine living in the days of the law, Working out salvation by works. Raising animals just to keep up our sin offerings. Watching the Priests offering the daily sacrifices, smelling the fragrance around the temple area. The skinning of animals, The Levites hauling the hides outside the city gates. Maintaining the Sabbath, Preparing two meals on the six day.

The celebration of the annual festivals, and having to travel to Jerusalem three times a year for the High festivals. Living in huts every year for the festival of Tabernacles. Fasting for the day of atonement. Etc.

It was part of the covenant, the written law, to remember these yearly.

Luke 4:17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

The Promised Messiah was standing among them. All of Gods plan of salvation was about to be fulfilled through this one man.

The term Anointed (with oil) is the English translation for the Hebrew term for the Messiah (Anointed one), Christ is the same meaning that comes from the Greek.

God made an oil for anointing those called to his service. (Exodus 30) An Anointing was reserved for a Priest or King serving specifically the God of Israel. These pointed to, and were a shadow of a spiritual King and Priest and his call to serve.  All of the prophecies pointed to the coming Messiah.

Ps 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together

against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

The Messiah came to Proclaim freedom for the prisoners. Go back to the beginning when darkness was over the earth. God is LIGHT and God is love. Satan on the other hand represents darkness and evil. We are made in Gods image, yet born into a dark world. Man was set up to fail. Man has two options in life. Follow after God, or after the world. The holds true for us today.

Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.

Think on this. Abraham existed before the written Law came into existence. Yet the scriptures tell us that he followed Gods laws.

Gen 26:4 …all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements,

my commands, my decrees and my laws."

Gal 3:19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The law was temporary, Pointing to the work of the Messiah. The law was made for man to enter a covenant with God. Gods nature, his heart is what makes him a Holy God. He took his nature and his principles, and wrote them into law.

In the law we see his love for his creation, God’s plan of salvation, The Mysteries of Scripture. Festivals that were to be repeated annually as a reminder of what was to come, The regular sacrifices and offering, Distinguishing clean vs unclean and the requirements for the Priest. God added his Judgment and penalties for falling short. (sin. Missing the mark). This law would be the standard for the people of God to live holy to the Lord until the promised Messiah came. 

Speaking of being clothed with Christ. Food for thought. With the law, man now possesses the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Being born into darkness man is inclined to test those spirits.  With the law man is without excuse.

Heb 10:9 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

The law did not save man from sin. It provided a temporary covering. This was by mans own work. Think fig leaves.

Deut 6:25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

Gen 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

That’s why everyone who died up to the days of Jesus remained in the grave. When Jesus died for mans sins the tombs broke open. Those were the faithful who trusted in God and his promises. Faith revealed itself. Now the blood of the Lamb covers our sin, through faith.

Gen 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Heb 10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming — not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world. He said:

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;

6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

7 Then I said, 'Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God.'"

The Messiah took on all the judgments and the penalties of sin for the world. By removing the written law and replacing it with faith, God took away the power of Satan and sin. God so loved the world that he sent his son. Jesus took our sins on himself. Now we put our hope in God’s Love, Grace and mercy.

Col 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 

Jesus, as the Messiah, came to proclaim the year of the lords favor. Aka the “year of the Lord”. This is the fulfillment of Gods plan of salvation. This is the result of what God planned from the beginning. The year of the Lord accomplishes two things. Out with the old, in with the new.

With the beginning of the New Covenant, It brought about the end of the first covenant. The End times. The Era of the written law was over. The fulfillment of Daniels prophecy. The destruction of the temple in 70AD effectively ending sacrifices and offerings. (Matthew 24) Faith is no longer about an earthly temple. Now God resides in his spiritual temple within us.

Fulfillment of The Sabbath: The common understanding is the Sabbath comes when we enter heaven, the promised land. There is another school of thought. Think “Shadow before the reality”. God rested from “work” on the Seventh day.

Gen 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

The Sabbath pointed to the Messiah. Jesus death and resurrection marks the fulfillment of Gods plan of salvation.  Now salvation is about faith. No longer by works.  Jesus gave us rest from the “works” of the law.  Jesus fulfills the Sabbath. He is our Sabbath rest.  Salvation is no longer about works. This is why he was picking Grain on the Sabbath and telling a man to pick up his mat.

Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Matt 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Col 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Now its about faith. We now “REST” knowing that Jesus has fulfilled the requirements of the law.  

Now as we fall short of God’s glory, Gods Grace covers us. It’s a gift we never deserved. This is the Goodness and Glory of our God. That is the freedom we have in Christ. This is why we worship the creator of heaven and earth. 

John 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Rom 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

Rom 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. 

Rom 10:4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.