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Knowing You’re a Christian
Although it is one of those things we talk most about in church, especially the evangelical church, Salvation seems to be one of the most misunderstood concepts in Christianity. Don’t get me wrong, we know HOW we’re saved but we don’t know WHY we’re saved. Now, of course, I know some of you can very easily give me the standard church-approved response when I ask “Why are you saved?” Most likely you’d say something very theological like, “We are saved so that we can be free.” Good answer. But what if I asked, “Free from what”, would you know? You see, this is especially a problem here in America because we think of liberty and freedom as meaning “independence”. Though that is probably correct…well, arguably correct politically, it is not correct Biblically. Let me shock you by declaring, “There is NO such thing as independence in the Bible.” Jesus once said of Himself…actually quoting Scripture, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…”(Luke 4:18). This is the key verse in understanding what our freedom actually is. We are set free, yes, but you see there that the King James says “set at liberty them that are bruised”. That is an odd statement…as written; wouldn’t you agree? The original word infers oppression or some sort of pressing down. Some Biblical commentators say the inference is the oppression of sin. Jesus says that He is sent to set us at liberty from the oppression, the pressing down, the bondage, the captivity of sin. But, here is my point, we are free BUT we are not INDEPENDENT. In fact, the opposite. Paul put it perfectly when he said, “…ye are not your own. Ye are bought with a price.” (1st Corinthians 6:19-20)
Therefore, there is a reason you were saved and I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s not so you can happily hop from one heavenly cloud to another upon your arrival in the hereafter. You were bought. The image is purposely that of a slave market. Slaves are NEVER bought to be set free. Slaves are bought to be put to work. If you don’t like that then don’t accept Jesus’ offer (but I beg you to reconsider).
So, why am I telling you this? Because you need to know. It is important that you know who you are. It’s important to know who you belong to because knowing who you are and who you belong to is necessary in finding your purpose…and don’t we all want to know our purpose? In today’s episode we go back to the days of the wandering in the desert. For 40 years the Israelites went from place to place in the barren wilderness region of Palestine. It was grueling and dangerous and the only way they were going to get through it was they had to listen to God and work together. Each man and woman had to know what their part was in God’s Plan and then do it. As is usual with God’s Word, this has application to us to this very day.
Please join us as we discuss this very important topic out of God’s Word. I trust you will find something in it that will help you discover what God has called you to. However, as I say each week, before you begin, make sure you take a moment of two…just you and God, seeking His help in finding His Will for you. Ask Him to open your heart and mind so that His Word can touch you and instruct you and bring you closer to Him.