Celebrate the Lord of Love

PEARLS OF PAUL
CELEBRATE THE LORD OF LOVE
DR. JIM DIXON
ROMANS 8:1
1 CORINTHIANS 9:19, GALATIANS 5:1, GALATIANS 5:13, ROMANS 8:1
MAY 23, 1999

On a bleak and dreary February day in the year 1832, Samuel Francis Smith, a young theology student at Andover Theological Seminary outside of Boston in Massachusetts, sat down to listen to some songs written by his friend, the German composer Lowell Mason. He was tired. He had worked hard that day. It had been a strenuous day. He was relieved to be able to relax for a few minutes over the music of his friend. As he looked at that music, he saw one tune, one song, that he particularly liked. He decided to put words to it. He couldn’t find a piece of paper that he hadn’t already written on, so he tore off a little section of paper 6” x 2-1/2”. There, as the sun set and the shadows began to come across his dorm room, he wrote these words: “My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride. From every mountain side, let freedom ring.”

That song expresses perhaps better than any other song the freedom and the liberty that we enjoy in the United States of America. When you enter New York Harbor, you see the Statue of Liberty rising high above Liberty Island in New York Harbor. When you come to our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., and as you approach the U.S. Capitol Building, you see the Freedom Lady rising 20 feet above the capitol dome. You can go to Philadelphia, and you can see the Liberty Bell hanging from the Liberty Bell Pavilion north of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

When people think of the United States of America, they think of freedom, and they think of liberty. But there is a kind of freedom and a kind of liberty that this nation has not the power to grant. There is a kind of freedom and there is a kind of liberty that only Jesus Christ can give you, and that is freedom of the soul. This morning, we examine the freedom that is offered through Jesus Christ as we look at these passages from Paul’s epistles.

First of all, Jesus Christ offers His people freedom from sin. If you belong to Jesus Christ and you have received Him as Lord and Savior, there’s a sense in which you have been set free from sin.

On June 22, 1772, Lord Mansfield, the Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in Great Britain, issued his famous declaration wherein he decreed that slavery would be illegal from that time forth in the British Isles. But in the subsequent years and decades, the slave trade continued to flourish throughout the British Empire. Although it was not legal to have a slave on the British Isles, it was still legal to deal in the buying and selling of human flesh. And so, the slave trade continued throughout the British Empire and throughout the world.

Now, it was not until 1811 that the British Parliament issued a declaration condemning the practice of the slave trade in the British Empire. They issued that declaration primarily because of the influence of William Wilberforce, a committed Christian who was greatly influenced by John Newton, a former slave trader who had become a Christian pastor and had written that great hymn, “Amazing Grace.” It was not until 1833 that the British Parliament actually declared illegal the slave trade throughout the British Empire. They established a six-year plan to eradicate slavery from their section of the earth.

Here in the United States, it was not until January 1, 1863, that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When Abraham Lincoln signed that document, he said these words: “If my name is to go into history, it will be for this one act alone, and my whole soul is in it.” But Abraham Lincoln did not have the power to emancipate the soul. He had the power to begin to effect civil liberty, but he could not provide spiritual liberty. There is no ruler in this world who has power to emancipate the soul—no nation, no government. Only Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that every single person in this world apart from Christ is in bondage to sin. The Bible says every woman and man the world over, apart from Christ, is a slave to sin·. Only Jesus Christ can set us free from sin. When the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ has set us free from sin, it is not simply saying that Christ gives us power over sin. There is truth in that. Certainly, Christ gives us some measure of power over sin. And one day He will give us complete power with regard to sin and we will be completely set free from the power of sin.

But when the Bible says we are set free from sin now, the Bible is speaking of the condemnation of sin. The moment we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we are set free from the condemnation of sin. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote, in Romans 8, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death.” There is no condemnation. So, when you come to Christ and you receive Him as Lord and Savior and you accept His sacrifice for sin on Calvary’s cross, you are set free from the condemnation of sin. There may, indeed, be consequences yet for your sin in this life and for unrepentant sin even in the life to come, but there is no condemnation. If you have come to Christ and you’ve accepted Him as Lord and Savior, there’s no condemnation for sin. You’ve been set free.

The Bible also says that we who are in Christ have been set free from death, set free from sin and death. Of course, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8 that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. Death is related to sin because, the Bible tells us, death entered the world through sin. But Jesus Christ alone can set us free from death.

The word for death that is used by the Apostle Paul is the Greek word “Thanatos.” This word refers to two different types of death. There is physical death and there is spiritual death. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body, and all people experience physical death. The soul is separated from the body. The body is given back to the earth, “dust to dust, ashes to ashes.” Spiritual death, the Bible tells us, is separation of the soul from God. The Bible tells us that spiritual death is more important than physical death.

The Bible refers to physical death as the first death, and the Bible refers to spiritual death as the second death. When you go to the book of Revelation, in chapter 20, you see time and again how spiritual death is called the second death. When you go to the book of Revelation, the second chapter, the 8th verse, you see the message of Christ to the church at Smyrna. Christ says, “Unto the angel of the church of Smyrna, write: The words of the First and the Last, who died and who came to life. I know your tribulation and your poverty—but you are rich. And I know the slander of those who say that they are Jews who are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” This is the promise of Christ, that His church will not be hurt by the second death. Our souls will never be separated from God. We have been set free from the second death. We have been set free from spiritual death. Our souls will forever be with our Father and with His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There’s a sense in which, as Christians, we have also been set free from the first death. There’s a sense in which we have been set free from physical death. Now obviously, we all die physically, but as Christians, we do not view physical death in the way the world does.

In a recent issue of Time Magazine, there was an article on Gary Null. Gary Null, in the words of Time Magazine, is a wellness guru. He is a nutritionist. He offers advice on diet and exercise and lifestyle. He claims that he can offer you health. He claims that he can offer you longevity because he can cure your balding or your baldness. He claims that he can de-age you—not only slow down the aging process, but he claims to offer de-aging, to begin to reverse the aging process. He has written a book called “Get Healthy Now.” Some of you may have read it. His teachings and his beliefs and his statements are somewhat controversial—at least as evaluated by the medical community and even by other nutritionists.

I’m not here to criticize Gary Null. Some of you may like his diet and exercise regimen, but the truth is that there are a lot of wellness gurus in this world and they all tend to gather vast followings. Some of them have millions of people who follow their counsel and advice. And why is that? Why are we a nation and a culture so given to wellness gurus? Is it because we’re all such good stewards and we want to take good care of our bodies? Or is there some underlying fear of physical death?

I think at least part of the answer is there is an underlying fear of physical death. I think this fear pervades our culture and society. It is in this room in some measure this morning. But if you belong to Christ and you believe in Christ, He doesn’t want you to fear physical death. He wants to set you free from that fear. He wants you to know that if you belong to Him and you believe in Him that you will survive death, and one day you will be given a new resurrection body. It will be “fit for the heavens,” it says in 1 Corinthians 15 that it will be indestructible. It will be powerful. It will be spiritual, and it will be glorious. And it is promised to all the women and men who believe in Jesus Christ.

Certainly, as Christians, we grieve when a loved one dies, but we do not grieve as others grieve who have no hope. Certainly, we feel the pain of separation when a loved one dies. Even when we approach our own death as Christians, we approach it with some measure of sorrow because we know that for a period of time we’re going to be separated from those we love so much. But we also approach it with joy because we’re going to go and we’re going to see Christ Himself and we’re going to see the saints from all the generations past. We’re going to heaven itself. And so, we have been set free from the second death, which is spiritual death, separation of the soul from God. In some measure, we have been set free from the first death, set free from the fear of physical death.

When Paul speaks of Christian freedom, he is also saying that we have been set free from the devil. We have been set free from sin, set free from death, and set free from the devil. The Bible says in the book of Hebrews that, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same nature, that by His death He might destroy him who has the power of death—that is, the devil—and deliver those who through fear of death are subject to lifelong bondage.” In some measure when Christ sets us free from sin and death, He sets us free from the devil himself because Satan is the author of sin and death. But the Bible also tells us that Satan is the deceiver. He is given this title in the little book of 2 John. The Apostle Paul, in the book of 2 Thessalonians tells us that “the devil would deceive even the elect were it possible.” Indeed, the Bible tells us that this whole world is under the deception of the evil one for he is the archon. He is the ruler of this world.

The philosophies of this world, the philosophies of materialism and hedonism and ascensionism, reflect the philosophies and the thinking of Satan himself. The whole world is in bondage to Satan. The culture tends to be in bondage to Satan, and Christ can set us free. “You will know the truth,” the Bible says, “and the truth will set you free.” Jesus said, “Ego eimi he aletheia,” “I am the truth.” He sets us free from the lies and deceptions of the enemy. We begin to understand moral and theological truth when we come to Jesus, when we come to Christ. We begin to be set free from the lies of the world.

There is a great controversy taking place today in the Roman Catholic Church, and it concerns academic freedom. In the year 1990, Pope John Paul II issued a papal decree called “ Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” “from the heart of the church,” or, “out of the heart of the church.” In accordance with “ Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church all over the world were given power to monitor teachers and professors in Roman Catholic institutions of higher learning. You see, Pope John Paul II was concerned about what was being taught at Catholic colleges and universities and seminaries. Particularly, he was concerned with what was being taught by professors of ethics and theology. In the opinion of Pope John Paul II, many of those professors were moving away from the truth of Christ and the truth of scripture and they were beginning to teach theological and moral errors. They were moving back into bondage to Satan.

The teachers have expressed outrage, and they have demanded their academic freedom to teach whatever they want to teach. Pope John Paul II has said, “These are Catholic schools. In Catholic schools, morals and theology are restricted in their scope and boundaries.” That is tautological. These are Catholic schools. He is concerned that not only these teachers but some of those who are taught by these teachers are going to move back into bondage to Satan again.

Now, you may or may not agree with Pope John Paul II, but you’ve got to admit this: We live in a culture where a lot of people are moving into bondage to Satan. They’re moving away from the truth of Christ, and they’re moving into moral and theological error. You see, that’s why the Apostle Paul writes, “Stand fast and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” So, hold fast to the truth of Christ. He has set you free from the deceptions of the evil one.

Well, finally, Jesus Christ offers freedom from the law. This is a more difficult concept and we don’t have much time, but if you look at the writings of Paul in the book of Romans and in 1 Corinthians and in Galatians, the stress of Paul is that Jesus Christ has set us free from the law. We who belong to Jesus Christ have been set free with regard to the law. Now, first of all, Paul means that in Christ we have been set free from the ceremonial law. The ceremonial law refers to those Old Testament laws which governed the life of the Jews and governed the life of Israel. Everything from circumcision to ablutions and ceremonial washings—everything from the Levitical dietary laws to the Levitical sacrificial system (laws regulating dress, laws regulating diet)—is all part of the ceremonial law given by God to govern His relationship with His covenant people, Israel, in the old covenant. Paul is saying, “We have been set free from the ceremonial law.

Paul is not talking about the moral law. The moral law given in the Old Testament is given for all people the world over. It reflects the will of God for all of mankind, male or female. So, Bible scholars and theologians distinguish between the moral law and the ceremonial law. The moral law is given for all people. The ceremonial law governed the lives of the Jews of the Old Covenant. Generally speaking, the Ten Commandments, for instance, are viewed as part of the moral law. There is some question about the fourth commandment, the Sabbath law. Some view that as part of the ceremonial law, but the principal of the Sabbath law is binding on all people because it is the will of God that all people take time from their normal routines for their family and for worship of God.

So, you have the moral law in the Old Testament and you have the ceremonial law. Generally speaking, the moral law of the Old Testament is reaffirmed through the moral instruction of the new, but we have been set free from the ceremonial law. Indeed, every Christian, be they Jew or gentile, have been set free from the ceremonial law.

And before I move on, Paul tells us, “When we are with certain people who still honor the ceremonial law, it may be we would limit our freedom, for their sake, when we are in their presence.” This is not a denial of our freedom in Christ. It’s just that, in order to honor the conscience of the person we’re with, we may choose to restrict our own freedom, Paul says, when we’re with somebody who still honors the ceremonial law.

There’s another law that we have been set free from and that is the pharisaic law. We have been set free from the pharisaic law. Now, the Scribes and the Pharisees developed their own laws. To understand this, I want to tell a little joke. My wife Barbara gets a “joke of the day” from the internet. I’m not sure exactly how or where she gets this, but you get a joke every day. Now, some of them are okay. Some aren’t so good. I’m not sure about this one. This joke tells us about a young man who goes into a fast-food restaurant. He sees an elderly couple. They’re just sitting down, and they have purchased a hamburger and fries and a Coke. The elderly man takes the hamburger and cuts it in half. He keeps half and gives half to his wife. Then he begins to count the French fries, one by one, giving one to his wife and keeping one, splitting them equally. Then he takes out an extra cup, and he pours half of his Coke into the extra cup, and he splits the Coke with his wife.

The young man who is watching them notices that the elderly man then begins to eat but the elderly woman just sits there. The young man feels sorry for them. He goes up to them and he says, “You know, could I buy you some more food? Could I buy you another hamburger and fries?” The elderly man says, “Thank you very much, but we’re just fine. We have all we need. We split everything 50/50 and that’s plenty enough for both of us.” The young man then looked at the elderly woman and said, “Are you going to eat?” because she was just sitting there. She said, “Not yet. It’s his turn to use the teeth first!”

Now, I think you would agree that in marriage we’re all called to share. In marriage, we’re all called to share whatever we have. The Bible says, “The two shall become one.” There’s this principal of sharing that is properly part of marriage, but I think we would also agree that you can take that principal too far. I mean, you could take a lot of good things just a little too far. Even something so good as sharing you can take too far.

The Pharisees are the ones who did that with the law. They took something that was good, the law, and they just took it too far. For instance, with regard to false teeth… and believe it or not, in the ancient world they did have false teeth. They were not nearly as functional as the false teeth we have today, but they had false teeth. The Pharisees actually made it a law that you could not wear false teeth on the Sabbath. You could not even carry your false teeth in the pocket of your robe on the Sabbath because that constituted a burden. It was improper to bear a burden on the Sabbath. Now, there was no law from God regarding false teeth, no law that’s part of the ceremonial law of the Old Testament regarding false teeth. This was a pharisaic law. They took the laws of God, both moral and ceremonial, and they added to them, making them more and more a burden.

Of course, that kind of pharisaic law still exists today. Even within the Christian community, there are some people who take the moral laws of the Bible and add to them. They come up with long lists of do’s and don’ts and they make Christianity a burden. Sometimes they’re called legalists. Sometimes they’re called fundamentalists, but we have those within the body of Christ who go beyond the Bible, adding laws of their own. Sometimes these laws become subcultural and children are reared in them.

Paul tells us that we have been set free from all of that. We’ve been set free from the ceremonial laws, set free from the pharisaic law. Even with regard to the moral law, there is a sense in which we have been set free. We have been set free from the moral law as a means of salvation. You see, the moral law is still binding in our lives. If we love Christ, we’re going to seek to honor His commandments, but we understand as Christians that we are not saved by our conformity to the moral law. We’re saved by Jesus Christ. We understand that the moral law is not salvific. It cannot save us simply because we cannot keep it. We do not have the power to keep the moral law. This was the whole message of Christ to His people in the Sermon on the Mount and in the Sermon on the Plain. Jesus said, “You’ve heard it said of old, ‘thou shalt not kill; whoever kills will be liable for judgement.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother or sister is liable for judgement. Whoever calls his brother or sister ‘raca’ will be liable for the Sanhedrin. Whoever calls his brother or sister ‘moros’ will be liable for hellfire.”

The words “raca” and “moros” mean “idiot.” Raca refers to someone who is intellectually bankrupt. Moros is a person who is morally bankrupt. But Christ is trying to tell us what the moral law in its purity requires. “You’ve heard it said of old,” Jesus said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery. I shall say to you, whoever looks upon a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart. You have heard it said of old, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. I say to you, love your enemy. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you.” You see, Jesus wants us to understand we can’t live up to the moral law.

Now, we seek to honor the instructions and commandments of Christ, but we understand that we cannot live up to the moral law. The moral law cannot save us. We’re saved only by Jesus—not by our sinlessness but by His sinlessness. We are saved not by our sacrifices but by His sacrifice on that cross. So, we’ve been set free even from the moral law as a means of salvation.

As we conclude, I want to give one teaching regarding the word freedom in the Bible. It’s the word “eleutheria.” This is the word Paul uses. Paul says that this word freedom describes our life in Christ Jesus. Now, this Greek word was used by the Greeks to describe a person who had been set free from slavery. There was a ceremony that took place. The person who was a bondservant or slave was taken to a Greek temple. There in the Greek temple, that person who was being set free from slavery was committed to the gods. Indeed, the former owner and master would actually pay money to the temple coffers as though the gods were paying money for this person so that this person would now be owned by the gods and could no longer be owned by men. The person could no longer be a slave of any man because this person had become a slave of the gods. There was a legal form that was filled out, and the word “eleutheria” was placed upon it, “set free.”

Now, we understand biblically that when we come to Christ, He purchased us. There is a sense in which we, as Christians, are in bondage to Him. That’s why the Apostle Paul and the Apostle James and the Apostle Jude and the Apostle Peter began their letters by saying, “A Servant” or “A Slave,” “doulos,” “of Jesus Christ.” We have come into bondage to Christ, but coming into bondage to Christ we have been set free from all else. We have been set free with regard to man. We have been set free with regard to sin, with regard to death, and with regard to the devil. You see, the Bible says there are really only two options. You can be in bondage to Christ and set free from everything else, or you can be free with regards to Christ and in bondage to everything else. The choice is yours.

So, the invitation of scripture is to give yourself to Christ, commit yourself to His ownership, and be set free from the world. Let’s close with a word of prayer.