Total Freedom in Christ: When Can you Declare Victory

TOTAL FREEDOM IN CHRIST

When Can you Declare Victory

Author: Dr. Tony Smart

TOTAL FREEDOM IN CHRIST

When Can you Declare Victory

© 2024 By Dr. Tony Smart

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INTRODUCTION

Much has been written concerning spiritual warfare and the need to identify the foes of the believer and the proper weaponry to combat these, but few have written about the outcome of the war. When may the believer in Jesus Christ declare victory in a given struggle of the soul and when is a given battle still raging? When is the believer ensnared and neutralized by the enemy and when is he or she most effective for the cause of the Lord? Spiritual freedom is extremely important but it must be defined.

John Newton was an abusive slave trader of Africans in the eighteenth century who was converted to Christianity after he and his crew survived a frightening storm at sea. He later wrote the famous hymn Amazing Grace, a marvelous song of testimony and the blessedness of living in the enjoyment of God’s free salvation. I believe it is safe to say that Mr. Newton experienced freedom in Christ not because he quit the slave trading business, but rather when he utterly grew to abhor it in its essence as a wicked activity that should not be tolerated. At that moment he experienced true and complete spiritual freedom. The apostle John wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit;

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:36

Liberation as defined by the Gospel of Jesus Christ means deliverance from the bondage of sin and its penalty. To be free in Christ a person must experience fellowship with Jesus Christ, the risen Savior whose bloody death on Calvary paid for the large assortment of sins of the human race. Those of us that allow HIM to order our priorities in life find deliverance from evil snares, whether they be philosophical, theological, psychological, emotional, social, or spiritual. Saul of Tarsus was a committed persecutor of first century Christians and he was very effective at what he did, wreaking havoc with the lives of the followers of the Nazarene. It wasn’t until after he had an encounter with the Son of the Living God that he truly found spiritual freedom. His soul became lighter due to his conversion and his subsequent zealous service for Christ proved its genuineness. Some would say, how can a man who declared himself a ‘bond servant of Jesus Christ’ be considered a free man? This is because true freedom is the status of being delivered from evil; whether it be evil deeds, speech, or thinking. This book will especially benefit those who acknowledge the need to emancipate from any behavior that would be considered unrighteous. Even if said behavior has received the approval of friends and a society which has fallen in lust with evil things. This book will also be a blessing to those who seek to exercise their right to free religious expression for the sake of demonstrating to the world that there is indeed power in the Gospel of Christ, and that this power is not limited to a select few people who lived in the first four centuries AD. I wish to emphasize that grace has never been a license to live in sin and disobedience. Licentiousness, immorality, decadence running rampant being disguised as liberty is in fact evidence that spiritual slave masters are in control of a culture. This is nothing of which to be proud, however, no culture has ever been delivered from slavery without first acknowledging its existence. May the joy of experiencing true and total freedom be yours as you read this book.

I

SLAVERY OF THE SOUL

Sin is now part of modern Western culture, because mankind has chosen his fleshly desires over the right ways of the LORD. What was once considered grossly immoral or perverted is now presented as ‘normal’ behavior, by some.

There are some people who are quite comfortable with the church doing charitable work like feeding the hungry, providing shelter and clothes for homeless people, and these are tasks that the church must do; however, there is also the spiritual and supernatural work of the local church which includes things such as preaching, repentance, soul-winning, spiritual warfare, and prophecy. Some are not as comfortable with these activities because these often bring conviction of sin and require change in people and renewed minds. If you benefit from the church’s charity, you should also receive the church’s message, and support the church’s spiritual ministries.

Because: ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ - Matthew 4:4

Many are troubled by the concept of an all wise Being who is willing and able to direct their lives; every aspect of it. This is one reason the Christmas nativity scene became so popular even among non-believers / secular people. The child in the manger is non-threatening to their way of life. They can smile at him and not feel convicted when the martini cocktails are being served at the Christmas party. The man hanging from the cross, however, is very offensive to some and is difficult to be ignored by others; the concept of an Almighty Holy King who will rule ALL NATIONS with a rod of iron forever without holding elections is terrifying to the un-regenerated mind and even some professing believers may find even thinking about this makes them uncomfortable. Why would a Christian be uncomfortable with the prospect of Jesus returning in HIS rightful role as King of kings and Lord of Lords? Because this event will demand accountability and today’s typical Lukewarm, Milquetoast Christian who is always complaining about his blessings and saying ‘judge not’ is not spiritually, intellectually, or emotionally prepared for the Blessed return of Jesus Christ to Judge and to Rule. And why are Christians who are the recipients of God’s greatest gift not ready to meet their God face to face? Because they are compromised with many pagan philosophies and reasoning orchestrated by the Enemy of their soul to lead them away from spiritual freedom. Some who exhibit this bondage may not really be saved at all. If this is the case then the Good News of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is still their only hope to escape the wrath of God in Hell Fire Judgment; however, some are actually saved and in need of liberation from a form of tyranny that affects every other aspect of their life. Whenever the desires of the heart do not match the standards that God has stated in His Holy Book, as the standard for good conduct which HE is able to bless and yet people persist in proud disobedience without repentance, this is evidence of spiritual bondage; a soul shackled by chains which, though they are invisible to the naked eye, are very real.

The Scripture admonishes us to " . . . Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16. This is Godly counsel, a holy commandment on par with any of the Ten Commandments; yes, it is a great summary of the life that honors the Mosaic code. Walking in the Spirit ought to be our standard. As the Psalmist stated we ought to delight in the ‘Law of the LORD.’ When one is unable to enjoy spiritual freedom as a norm in his or her life that is a sure mark of a soul who is in chains, a lackey of the impulses of the flesh. In other words, a slave. The walk in the Spirit is the life of obedience and liberty, the walk in the flesh is the life of a slave. This person has no joy or delight in living free. His carnal appetites control him. Not only the obvious but the internal as well.

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The first time I opened my Bible to this text and delivered a sermon about the works of the flesh I received looks from my congregation ranging from confused to shock. Most of them had not heard any preaching on this topic in 1995. By the late 20th century pastors who had the courage to preach against sin was in decline (not that there was ever any plentiful numbers in the black culture) the pseudo-prosperity theology had already invaded the church and preaching against sin was labeled draconian, irrelevant, or harsh by many. However, the wages of sin is still death and cannot be changed by public opinion. There are 17 sinful activities mentioned by the apostle under the dictates of the Holy Spirit as woks of the flesh. This is what the corrupt nature of man produces when not checked by the Spirit of God.

Adultery is listed first because it is a sin against the first institution ordained by God which is the family. Adultery defiles the marital bed and is an act of betrayal of a married person against their spouse. Fornication is sex between unmarried partners, and though it is deemed acceptable by our 21st century culture it is catalogued as a work of the flesh as sex is a pleasure reserved for married couples. Uncleanness is the state of being morally filthy and would include viewing pornography. Lasciviousness is lust out of control and translates to loose morality, wantonness, sexual promiscuity. Following the list of sexual sins the text then proceeds to identify two carnal activities that are clearly against the first commandment, namely the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is the worship of a false god or goddess which is guaranteed to anger the LORD our God, Idolatry includes the setting up of images as objects of worship but can also include man worship or nature worship. More will be said about this later in this book. Witchcraft is a translation of the Greek word farmakeia which means pharmacy; it has to do with potions, spells, and hexes and is also translated ‘sorcery’ elsewhere in the Bible. Witchcraft /sorcery is wrong because it looks to demonic powers for assistance solving life’s problems instead of looking to God.

Next on the list of carnal produce are nine traits of malice that does grave injury to the family, the church, and society in general. Hatred is hostility and enmity