Why we must embrace the freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit

By Dean Collins

The letter of the law will crush you. It is written on tablets of stone and is probably as weighty as a King James Bible dipped in concrete. So we would be well served to figure out how to get more comfortable with the freedom and life that comes from the Holy Spirit than swinging our Bibles at each other.

Before you throw me under the bus, let me explain. ‬‬ I am all about the living and breathing Scriptures that we have to guide our understanding of God. The good news is found there. It is in Scripture that we learn of the New Covenant that is ours through Christ’s blood shed on the cross. But it seems that sometimes we have trouble letting go of the old and discovering the life and freedom of the new.

Proof of his calling

This is something like the problem Paul faced in Corinth. Some had infiltrated the Corinthian church in Paul’s absence and had stirred up some believers to question the apostle’s authority and credentials as an apostle. Apparently, some even thought Paul needed proof or letters of recommendation to verify his competency and his calling as an apostle.

Many readers have written letters of recommendation for others and many have asked for letters of recommendation when applying for jobs or entry into some group. It’s a common practice. But Paul’s response was, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.” Paul’s point was that the very existence of the believers in Corinth was the direct result of his obedience to the call of God to preach the gospel and establish a church there.

These believers existed because Paul had obeyed God’s call.

Paul continued that the believers in Corinth were his letters and that these letters were written not in ink but by the Spirit of God. The letters were also not carved into tablets of stone as was the Old Covenant but were written on the tablets of the human hearts. Both theirs and his. The troublemakers in Corinth were suggesting more was needed to verify and prove that Paul was a sufficient leader for the church and capable of being an apostle.

Paul concluded that his ministry and apostleship were sufficient, not because of himself or his training. His sufficiency came from God. It is God who transforms hearts, fills us with the Holy Spirit, and sends us to do ministry that is considerably beyond what we could do or even imagine on our own.

Checking boxes

The culture in Corinth is not unlike our culture. Then and now we often want to resort to the letter of the law to prove our point or to determine whether another believer checks all the right boxes for us to listen to them or follow them. These boxes might include:

Doctrinal positions
Denominational affiliations
Statements of faith
Political affiliation
Positions on various issues
And on and on

It is frightening to consider that we often hold standards more rigid than the ones given to us in the New Covenant and exemplified by the life of Jesus.

Paul clearly got his ideas and, better, his life from Jesus. Jesus taught that his followers are known by their fruit and by their love for one another. It is our discipleship and our love that sets us apart to be used by God for his glory and for his purposes. When we choose to make believers line up to a certain checklist, we have reverted to following the law, which, we should remember, brings death. Not one of us is perfect. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But when we are transformed by the gospel and walk in the Spirit, we will discover the sufficiency of Christ and be free to live in wonderful fellowship with others who are on the same journey.

Your time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:2-3, 5-6, 11-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash

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