Freedom & Liberty: Only through Jesus Christ

Luke 4:18-19

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],

¹⁹ To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day ^[a]when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].

(Additional reference: Isaiah 61)

The message of this verse resonates throughout the entire Bible: Freedom & Liberty. After having celebrated Independence Day, I know that the only way we are truly free is through Jesus Christ. “What does it mean to be free?” some may ask, while others question, “What does it really feel like?” In my own words, freedom is simply resting in the finished work on the Cross.

Many have challenging situations or financial hardships in life, while others appear to have it all together born with a “silver spoon” in their mouths. Some battle domestic violence while others may have a home filled with love and nurturing. No matter what the environment, we all have our crosses to bear and for some of us it may be a little heavier than the next person, but we must remember that to whom much is given, much is required (reference Luke 12:48).

One of the most beautiful accounts of freedom I’ve heard about came from a passage in the book Tortured for Christ written by Richard Wurmbrand. His experiences of being tortured in prison because of his faith in Jesus Christ epitomize the meaning of beauty for ashes. Although his body was beaten and forced to endure all kinds of cruelty, his faith was strengthened. He looked to the Lord where his help came from. Wurmbrand had to keep his mind on the Lord even as others cursed and ridiculed him. The battlefield is in the mind and we must keep our minds stayed on God, that’s the only way we are guaranteed peace.

As I continue my walk with the Lord, I pray that I recognize more opportunities to share the love of Christ with others and to let them know that freedom is available to us all, we just have to accept it by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  ~Romans 10:9-10

Salvation, can it be lost?

This was a topic that I questioned for a long time. I’ve heard ministers, preachers, and respected leaders speak on this and I’ve only heard two people, within the past couple months, consider what my husband and I discussed. We considered against the mass and believe that salvation can indeed be lost.

Many have said that salvation cannot be lost because if it is lost, that means you were never saved in the first place. Others have said, well, maybe they were false converts because once you accept Christ, you are in it forever. Is that really true? The reason why we questioned this is because the Bible specifically states that there will be a falling away. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, AMP, read, “Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the [a]apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great [b]falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition).” Apostasy is defined as an abandonment of one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause. The key word here is abandonment. The Bible also states that there will be blotting out of names. “You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever,” Psalm 9:5, AMP. So, that leads me to believe that salvation can indeed be lost.

Now, understand that this does not mean that Jesus walks away or turns His back on us, because He most certainly does not. It is quite the opposite; we can walk away from Him. Consider this, when you marry someone, you make a firm commitment to be with them until death do you part, right? When you made that commitment, you were sincere at heart and meant everything that you said. I know some people aren’t sincere, but consider those who were when they stood at the altar. For many, there was no doubt that this was what they wanted to do. They were thoroughly convinced that this person was the one and no matter what happened they were going to stick it out and see things through to the end.

At some point in time, one in the marriage begins to feel differently about the decision they made. The other, still as committed as they were on day one and standing firm, even through the trials. The first person decides to walk away. They are tired of the union, they have lost faith because every thing that he or she wanted did not happen or has not happened yet and they file for divorce. What happened? One was committed and determined to be there no matter what the trial and the other wanted the marriage to end because it wasn’t worth all the stress. Jesus is committed. Although there will be tough times and moments of despair, He said that He will never leave nor forsake us.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:5, KJV, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels.” So, I believe that salvation can be lost, because Jesus speaks about the blotting out. The name had to have been there in order for Him to blot it out. He never walks away from us, but we have the ability to walk away from so many things…including our salvation which rests in Christ Jesus.

Additional References: Psalm 9:5, Hebrew 13:5