January 18, 2012

Transliteration: eleutheria
Phonetic Spelling: (el-yoo-ther-ee’-ah)
Short Definition: freedom, liberty
Definition: freedom, liberty, especially: a state of freedom from slavery.

From eleutheros; freedom (legitimate or licentious, chiefly moral or ceremonial) — liberty.

The scripture on Monday was:

2 Corinthians 3:12-18
17) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

The analogy that I gave was that of a car and its alignment. If a car is in perfect alignment then it will travel in a straight line without someone turning the steering wheel. If a car is not in alignment then the car can be made to go straight with the steering wheel. Both ways the car will travel in a straight line.  But as I discussed on Monday, God is not concerned about the straightness of our path, but the internal alignment of our souls.

In order to tell if the car is in perfect alignment you must completely take your hands off of the wheel, to free the car to move on its own. If it then continues to travel in a straight line that proves that it is in alignment.

The law was the steering wheel that was used to keep the people aligned. But it was more to prove to them that they could not travel in a straight line without using that law to steer them.

So in order to see if we are traveling on a straight path God has freed us completely from the law in order to see if we will continue to travel in a straight line. Those who are born again and consecrated to living a life in the Spirit, following the Spirit, will travel in a straight line. Those who are not, won’t.

I want to express here that He has given us complete freedom which is necessary to see where a person truly is in their heart. Any control of the wheel at all could account for any appearance of straightness on the path.

I found it interesting when I looked up the work liberty. It does mean free. But that also means free from obligation, free from moral laws and ceremonial laws. In the definition above it states:

From eleutheros; freedom (legitimate or licentious, chiefly moral or ceremonial)

Here is the definition of licentious:

Definition of LICENTIOUS

1: lacking legal or moral restraints; especially: disregarding sexual restraints

2: marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness

To show this is an effort to show just how fully God has freed us. Our freedom is total and complete in every area. If He maintains control at all there is no way to see if the path is from an internal source or an external source.

God’s primary goal is for us to receive Christ as our savior. Then receive the Holy Spirit as our guide and cling to that on a daily basis. If that is the case, our hearts will desire to travel in a straight path, but it flows from us naturally as a new lifestyle not from a force of will.

This much freedom could be frightening for some, but in the comfort of the Holy Spirit we are safe to travel any course that He leads without fear of failure, without fear of sin, without fear of ‘missing God’.

God seeks for our inner transformation not outer formation. Submit yourself to the altar of God today and ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Don’t ask just for spiritual salvation, but give Him your whole life to lead you and guide you.

There is peace in the shadow under the wing of the Almighty God. Come join me there today.

 

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