Topical Bible: Christian Liberty: Foretold

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Christian liberty, a central theme in the New Testament, is the freedom believers receive through faith in Jesus Christ. This liberty is not an unrestrained license to sin but a liberation from the bondage of sin and the law, enabling believers to live in righteousness. The concept of Christian liberty is deeply rooted in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament, which foretold the coming of a new covenant and the freedom it would bring.

Prophetic Foundations

The anticipation of Christian liberty can be traced back to the Old Testament prophets who spoke of a time when God would establish a new covenant with His people. Jeremiah 31:31-34 declares, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people." This prophecy points to a transformation from external adherence to the law to an internalized, heart-centered relationship with God, a hallmark of Christian liberty.

Ezekiel also prophesied about this new era of freedom. In Ezekiel 36:26-27 , God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances." This passage highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering believers to live in the freedom of obedience to God, not out of compulsion but out of a transformed nature.

Fulfillment in Christ

The arrival of Jesus Christ marked the fulfillment of these prophecies. In Luke 4:18-19 , Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah, proclaiming, "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." Here, Jesus identifies Himself as the one who brings the promised liberty, not just in a physical sense but in a spiritual and eternal sense.

The Apostle Paul further expounds on this liberty in his epistles. In Galatians 5:1 , he writes, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery." Paul emphasizes that Christian liberty is a freedom from the law's condemnation and the power of sin, made possible through Christ's redemptive work.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the realization of Christian liberty. As foretold by the prophets, the Spirit indwells believers, enabling them to live according to God's will. In 2 Corinthians 3:17 , Paul states, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." This freedom is not anarchy but the ability to live in accordance with God's purposes, free from the constraints of sin and legalism.

Implications for Believers

Christian liberty, as foretold and fulfilled, carries significant implications for believers. It calls for a life of holiness and service, motivated by love rather than obligation. In Galatians 5:13 , Paul exhorts, "For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love." This liberty is a call to live out the law of Christ, which is love, in the power of the Spirit.

The prophetic foretelling of Christian liberty and its fulfillment in Christ underscores the transformative power of the Gospel. It invites believers to embrace their freedom in Christ, living lives that reflect the grace and truth of the new covenant.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 42:7
To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of Matrimony.
... Again, such laws were condemned beforehand by Paul, when he foretold that those ... See,
then, how Christian liberty has been crushed by the blindness of human ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/of matrimony.htm

Another Instance of Marcion's Tampering with St. Paul's Text the ...
... Paul's Text The Fulness of Time, Announced by the Apostle, Foretold by the Prophets. ...
Creator, by His Christ, the Fountain of the Grace and the Liberty Which St ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter iv another instance of marcions.htm

Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism
... enough that every man should be at liberty to make ... set free by baptism, since the
Christian is bound ... those things of which the Apostle foretold: "Speaking lies ...
/.../first principles of the reformation/concerning the sacrament of baptism.htm

The Savoy Declaration of the Congregational Churches. AD 1658.
... have been perilous, or difficult times (as the Apostle foretold); and that ... In the
chapter on 'Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience' slight modifications ...
/.../the savoy declaration of the.htm

Of the Fortunes of the World at the Last Time, and of the Things ...
... the Fortunes of the World at the Last Time, and of the Things Foretold by the ... then
be sent, who, having destroyed all the wicked, would set at liberty the pious ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xviii of the fortunes of.htm

The Success of the Apostles, and their Sufferings in the Cause of ...
... exchanged the obligations and burdens of the law for the liberty of the ... therefore,
and likewise subjoining the fact that Christ suffered, He foretold that His ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter xxii the success of the.htm

One and the Same God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, is He whom ...
... same God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is He whom the prophets foretold, and
who ... to the lowly, to heal the broken up in heart, to proclaim liberty to the ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter ix one and the same.htm

Twenty-Seven Articles Respecting the Reformation of the Christian ...
... know nothing; they were instituted by the Christian congregations, so ... and he should
be left at liberty to marry ... instigation of the Devil, as was foretold by St ...
/.../iii twenty-seven articles respecting the.htm

The Completion of Our Saviour's Prophecies Confirmed Pagans in ...
... renounce Christianity, and to procure their liberty and rest ... it with what our Saviour
foretold, would think the historian had been a Christian, and that ...
/.../sect viii the completion of.htm

The Danger of Deviating from Divine Institutions.
... them to stand fast in their Christian liberty, and suffer no ... philosophy is as useless
to the Christian, as Jewish ... times and laws;" which was foretold of him ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxviii the danger of.htm