THE FINISHED WORK

I firmly believe that when Christ died to set us free, He didn't set us free to keep us in any form of bondage. I firmly believe that, "whom the Son has made free is free indeed." I firmly believe Colossians 2:14 which says, "...blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;..." and beyond that is verse 15 which adds, "...and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

What does that mean to a simple layman like me? It means that in the beginning were the ordinances set forth for all believers to practice in order to retain some form of righteousness in God's sight. Jesus did away with rites and authoritative commands. He did away with principalities which gave one the authority over all. So, in essence, all the rules and rituals, the ceremonies and laws (known as the "letter of the law") were triumphed over when Christ performed his work at the cross.

Note the part of verse 14 that reads, "...which was contrary to us..." What does that mean to you? To me, it means that those laws, ordinances, rituals, ceremonies, and/or all those rules just weren't working for mankind and that's the need for the work at the cross. To make one sacrifice for all time, all sin, all mankind in one act. That one act is the act that set me free!

When something is "contrary to us" it means it's not working smoothly with us but working against us and our nature. So, see in the Old Testament no matter what the letter of the law stated, mankind couldn't keep up with it. No matter how many times the Lord lessened the load by saying, "Okay, no Ram to bring? Then bring me a dove," it still wasn't working smoothly and God began to see that no matter how he "wrote the terms out" mankind continued to fail at it. He needed to make a way to unhook the chains that bound us and to put mankind right. By "right" I mean, into our natural place of being. We aren't able to follow ordinances, rules, regulations, to a perfect science of behavior without failure. So, if God had not sent Jesus to overcome all of that then so many would perish. So many would stand no chance simply because our minds are so different  from one another, and our hearts so rebellious, that many just can't abstain, or follow, or be commanded, or even understand the implications.

So this all begs the question, where would I be today if God had not sent Jesus as the propitiation for our sins? Where would I be today, with regards to salvation and hope, if God still demanded our good deeds and the following of the letter of the law? Would I be able to light the right amount of candles at the exact right moment of the exact right day? Would I be able to raise the right animal without blemish and make it to the right place to give that animal up for sacrifice to atone for my sins? Would I be able to show up for every ceremony dressed in the right outfit made from the correct thread and having just the right amount of embellishment at the hems? Would I remember when my time was to be clean or unclean? What if I accidentally consumed a peace of bacon while traveling through a strange town? What if I had a human moment and did something that goes against the letter of the law? What if I did that and the people didn't catch me in time to stone me to death for my infraction? What of their place in heaven for their failures? What of all of this bondage that we were once in? I see why people couldn't keep up and succeed. I see why God saw what He saw with regards to our weaknesses. 

I see why He sent Jesus to do away with the letter of the law and thereby set us free. (This is not a revelation I'm just having but a point I'm reiterating). So, the next time I hear someone try to pin religion on me or tell me what I'm "supposed to do" I will remember what I've learned (through the guiding of the Holy Spirit) and I'll keep reminding myself that "whom the Son has made free is free indeed," and once again I say, we can "do" nothing right.

My time on this earth was never meant to be spent observing rules. Through Christ Jesus, I am righteous in God's eyes. Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I have received an anointing which is a teacher to my soul. I don't have to try so hard because I have the Holy Spirit who teaches and guides me along. When I wake up in the morning, I follow my guide unto all righteousness. At times I fail and my flesh gets in the way. For those times, I cry out for forgiveness and allow the cleansing. Then, every moment is a new chance and a clean slate. I can boast in my weakness because I know it's not up to me anymore. I can rest in the arms of Him with Whom I have to do.

"Lord, thank you for revealing the truth to me and giving my soul rest in the knowledge that when you died on the cross, you truly made me free."