More on Freedom

My post on "Unforgotten Messages" yesterday centered on freedom. A passage I read this morning lent me a fresh perspective on it.

First, Hebrews 4:11-13

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

The prior context has been "entering God's rest." This is not some kind of retirement center with shuffleboard and checkers, it's a condition of peace now in spite of whatever the world throws at us, and a lasting eternity of joy and peace later. (It's not a bland, boring harps-in-the-clouds thing then, either, but I can't go into that here.) The contrasting condition is battle and death. The Israelites at the time of the Exodus--most of them--failed to enter into God's rest because of their disobedience and unbelief.

The current passage could give anyone serious goosebumps. God is watching. The "word" of God here has a complex sense: primarily it is Jesus, as he is described in John 1:1 and following; and there is also the sense that the "word" is God's self-expression, his revelation. This "word" sees your thoughts and intents; before him you and I are naked and open to his eyes.

A friend of mine used to say, "Imagine that everywhere you go there is a screen behind your head, and on it are projected all your thoughts, the images that pass through your mind, all your desires, all your feelings." That's what God actually sees. Not one of us is as nice-looking on the inside as we are on the outside, and God knows every detail. Does that make you feel uncomfortable? Inadequate? Perhaps unclean? Remember that God is perfectly righteous and holy. How do you and I look in his eyes?

I said I was writing about freedom. It doesn't look like it so far, does it? This is more like Big Brother! But see what it says next :

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

God sees our weaknesses--and he can sympathize. He freely gives mercy and grace! And in spite of all that's wrong inside, we can approach God's "throne of grace" boldly. God knows everything wrong about us and loves us anyway. I wish I had time to explain all this about Jesus being the High Priest, which includes a wealth of rich connection to Hebrew history and religion. The main point is the Jesus Christ provides the way for us to come to God.

Here indeed is freedom. We can't hide from God, but we don't have to. We can be as real as we are, as flawed as we are; God still accepts us in Christ. Our part is to come to him through Christ, not presuming that we can make it on our own. God's part is to free us for the great life he created us to live.

Posted: Fri - May 25, 2007 at 07:46 AM |

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More on Freedom

Thinking Christian by Tom Gilson