John 8:32; “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free”
About 28 years ago I began a journey that took me through unchartered waters. I will write about that defining day and its effect upon me later on in this blog. But first I need to give you some context. My first sixteen years as a Christian were lived as mentors, fellow journeymen, and preachers would tell me how a “Christian” should live. Even though these folks meant well and were much different from each other in their approach, they all were saying the same thing. The victory or failure as a Christian was tied directly to my performance. The varying messages I received came down to this: doing, not being!
The trouble with this message, which I did not fully realize at that time, was living as a Christian in a crooked and perverse generation was going to be fully dependent upon me. Yes, me! I would hear things like, “Butch, if you want God to bless you and your family, then you need to do________________,” and you fill in the blank. I was never told the rest of the story which was implied by the first part. What if I don’t do_____________? (and you can fill in the blank).
The opposite of blessing in the Bible is cursing. Now if you have reason to doubt this go to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, and read about the blessing and cursing that was placed before the people that were living under the Old Covenant. Now take the time, if you will, and read past John 8:32. Read carefully, and you will see that Jesus is talking to the Jews who had come to believe in Him. They began the conversation with a disagreement with Him about freedom. They protested quite adamantly saying, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that you say, ‘You can become free’?” What a short and convenient memory they seemed to have. Can we say Egypt? They spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 years in slavery. Fast forward to years spent in Babylon, seventy to be exact. But Jesus did not call them out for their convenient loss of memory. He instead went to the very heart of enslavement. “Truly, truly I say to you, EVERYONE (emphasis mine) who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Now is a good time to remind us the biblical definition of sin. “Anything that is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23 The context of this verse in a nutshell: Paul is making the point that anyone who is trusting in themselves about a situation, that person is sinning.
Now for sixteen years, as a sincere believer in Jesus, I trusted in me, not for my salvation, but for my “situations”. I knew I could not save myself from my sins, but never once thought I could not save myself from me! Approximately twenty-eight years ago, I read Romans 5:10, “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more {certain} now that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s (my self-dominion). (How) through His resurrection life. (AMPLIFIED BIBLE)
Freed from me! That is what Paul is telling us. Yes, Jesus’ resurrection life in me frees me from me! I no longer have to trust in me to make life work on those difficult days that I suffer from rejection. And this salvation from “me”, is just as important and on equal footing as my salvation that Jesus accomplished through His death.
I ask you to take a moment to reflect on your “me”. Is it like my “me”? Even as a believer my “me” was always trying to reform or perform to get God’s approval. I was a slave to “me”. Now because of Jesus’s life in me, I have been set free from “me”!
I close with this challenge to you: look at the person in the mirror; be honest with your “me”. If you are enslaved to your “me”, most of the time trusting in yourself to make life work, then give this a try by faith. Pray and thank Jesus that He went to the cross to save you from your sins and that He was raised from the dead so He could come to you to save you from your “me”. Then get up and believe by faith that the next opportunity that comes your way to make a choice of who to trust, trust in Him to express His life in and through that situation. That is when you will know for sure you are walking in the freedom He has provided for you each and every second of your life. Here is a word of caution: this freedom will not come easy and it does not come without a price. Choosing against ourselves never comes easy. But the end result is incredible. Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” His word is truth. I have just quoted Romans 5:10. That is His word and that is the truth that can set you free from our “me”.
You can learn more truth like this at Crossway Ministries. We are located in Anderson, SC. We are a Bible based discipleship/counseling ministry. We exist to share God’s truth with hurting people who are enslaved to their “me”. If you are one of those who believe you are ‘enslaved’ to your “me”, give us a call today, don’t delay.
You can reach us through our website at www.graceheals.org, Facebook and or telephone, 864-224- 5557. Get in touch with us and we will be glad to share His truth that will set you free.