Christ's Freedom

Corinthians 6:4–12 “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections.”

As I’ve been reading the Word lately, the passages that have struck me with great intensity have displayed immense freedom from man. As a general rule, I believe we have a human desire to please, to be affirmed and to be approved of. But as I read these passages, I see that this desire has most often been misplaced. We desire to please each other, to be affirmed and approved of by our fellow man, when this desire should instead first fall on the Lord.

Oh, to please the Lord! To be affirmed and approved of by Him!

This difference is immense and the results are infinite. When we are bound to the opinions of man, we are susceptible to the whims of sinful minds and hearts. We are fallen men and women with fallible morals and character. But on the flip side, when this human desire is rightly placed on honoring our Creator, we find a beautiful freedom. Freedom from man means freedom to live for God.

This freedom was painted to perfection in the man of Christ. Consider this passage from Isaiah, where there is a description of Christ on the night He was betrayed and wrongfully condemned to death. Isaiah 50:6–7: “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helped me, therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” This passage literally made me crumple as through my mind flashed passages and pictures of what Christ went through. He was taken in the night by an army of soldiers, put in chains and dragged before a panel of judges for a facade of a trial in which He was falsely accused, mocked, spit upon, beaten, taunted and tormented. He was brought before Pilate and Herod for the purpose of being sentenced to die as a criminal. He was beaten to such an extent that Pilate had to remind himself that He was a man. He was ridiculed, stripped and put on display as a bleeding “king” for all to see. His kingship was jeered at and sneered at as soldiers pretended to bow to Him as they tortured Him. He was paraded through the streets on the way to the hill of Calvary, to which His weak body couldn’t even carry His own cross. He had nails pounded through His hands and feet and was lifted high above the heads of every bystander so all could see His shame. The voices surrounding Him denied His holiness, His purpose and His power...even the thief dying beside Him looked on Him with disbelief and disgust. Every device and plan that man could think of to shame our heavenly King in earthly form was used against Him. And yet, He said, “But the Lord God helped me, therefore I have not been disgraced.”

Even on the cross, He stood above all the shame and disgrace that man could muster.

I thought about Christ’s words and His lack of words. Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter, as a sheep before its shearer is silent, He opened not His mouth (Acts 8:32–35). I thought of where I would feel the most pain throughout this ordeal...would the pinnacle of pain that caused me to cry out have been when tortured with Pilate? Would it have been when the first nail pierced my flesh? Would have been when the force of the cross fell into the hole leaving me upright? I can’t imagine. And yet, I considered Christ and what caused Him to cry out. His words were, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? (My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?)” In all of the physical, mental and emotional pain poured on Him, the real pain as He forged through hell to heaven was the separation from His Father as He became sin and a curse, absorbing the judgment and wrath that was rightfully ours.

He came to die, His purpose was to lay His life down for us. The passage in Isaiah says that the Lord helped Him fulfill His will for Him. In John 10:17–18, Jesus declared that no one could take His life from Him, only He could lay it down and only He could take it up again. He willingly walked with the soldiers out of the Garden of Gethsemane, He let them put Him in chains. He stood before the high priest through a fake trial because He chose to. He allowed Pilate’s men to beat him and took the blows as His blood poured out onto the ground because He had a greater purpose to His life. He climbed up onto the cross to die for the sins of the world because He loved the world and wished to reconcile it to Himself. He died on the cross because He wanted to give us life.

I think of Hebrews 12:2–3, where it says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Jesus had perfect freedom from man, and therefore, complete freedom to live for the Lord.

The passage from 2 Corinthians (above), paints a lovely picture of Paul’s freedom in Christ. Walking in the fruits of the Spirit, in the Lord’s leading, he lived free from the world around him. He walked in truth and peace with boldness, knowing he possessed eternal reward.

Lord, may I walk before You in the freedom You have provided through Christ. May my life be free from the opinions of man, and may I walk in Your ways with boldness. May my eyes be fixed on the joy set before me, and may I never forget that You are that joy and the purpose for which I live. In the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.

Click here to read last Lenten season's thoughts on Christ's Kingship