Q&A's: Godly Liberty As Sons

Sonship Decisions Versus 'Liberties' What Sets Them Apart?

2nd Cor.3:17] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

[18] But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

God desires that the members of the Body of Christ operate upon His Word in all their decision-making day by day. And it is by His Word (Spirit) that the Saints would make proper Godly decisions based upon what is "that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." We have been given "liberty" by our Father to "live" unto Him in all Spiritual things. But this is done by 'utilizing our time' in Christ for godliness sake, not for our own sakes. In the verses above, Paul says, "and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Godly liberty of the Saints would be accomplished by walking by the "Spirit of the Lord" (the Word of the Lord) in the sight of God. And therein lies the key to how the Saints ought to walk and live “the rest of his time” in our “liberty.”

1st Pet.4:2] That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

And our ‘liberty life’ is a life in Christ Jesus that the “natural man” cannot fathom, or discern. He would view this type of life living as foolish, or when the Corinthians Saints judged Paul because of his walk in Christ, they counted him as a fool, but as Paul mentioned, he was a “fool for Christ's sake.” and when those that desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus they too will suffer persecution based upon others being not able to discern the life of the saint, nor the thinking of the saint, nor the doctrine by which the saint is now living in.

Gal.2:4] And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

[5] To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

And by our walking in 'Godly liberty' as sons and daughters by His Word, we are "free" from the bondage of the word, and traditions of men, but are given liberty, and a 'Godly freedom' by our Father to live, and make our decision based upon His Word alone. But oftentimes, the word "liberty" can be mis-used as a 'license to do what you will,' but the liberty that we have been given consists of being entrusted by our Father to make mature 'sonship decisions' as we have been matured by His Word. Israel also was taught that they will walk in the “law of Liberty” as we see in the verses below. The law of Liberty is the “way” that the saint would now live his life in Christ by the word of God and be a “perfect man” in the sight of God. This Liberty “law” that he would now walk in would be by the word of God Alone, and “his time” on the Earth would be spent to a ‘life living’ unto God, and not unto himself.

James 1:25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

James 2:12] So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

1st Pet.2:16] As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Gal.5:1] Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Our 'Godly freedom time' as sons and daughters ought to be spent by walking in the doctrine of His Dear Son, and making our decisions based upon what we have been taught. But this world views "liberty" as freedom to walk according to this ungodly world. And even by some of those who are saved, they oftentimes confuse their liberty as a life to live freely in sin, knowing that they cannot lose their salvation. But this is not how our Father would have us to "think" about our liberty as mature sons and daughters in Christ. But there are many who would say that we have liberty in Christ, but that only spoken about when we are not walking as we ought, but instead our understanding ought to be that the Liberty that we have is a life of being no longer conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. And our lives in this ‘liberty life’ ought to be by ‘reproving” those things that we turn back unto, and 'abstaining from “every appearance of evil,” and desiring to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” and walk as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation, instead of continuing to make excuses for our walk in the works of darkness, and ‘excuse it away’ as our Liberty that we have in Christ.

Rom.6:1] What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

[2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Rod Jones