In this blog post and video, I want to talk about where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. There is a wonderful verse in 2 Corinthians 3 that has stayed with me for many years. I remember it particularly from the early days after I became a Christian, because it describes so well the difference that Jesus Christ makes in a person’s life.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV
Recently, I was reading through 2 Corinthians 3 and thinking about the glory of the New Covenant. When I reached verse 17, I was reminded again of the tremendous liberty that comes when someone genuinely knows Jesus Christ.
Before I was born again, I simply could not see that freedom. Christianity did not make sense to me in the way that it does today. However, when I eventually said yes to Jesus, everything changed. The freedom I had previously been unable to see suddenly became very real.
Freedom That Comes From Knowing Jesus
There are many ideas about freedom in the world today. Some people believe freedom means being able to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Biblical freedom is much deeper than that because Jesus sets us free on the inside.
When the Spirit of God comes into a person’s life, He changes that person from within. Our circumstances may not immediately change, and the world around us certainly does not suddenly become perfect. Nevertheless, something fundamental has happened inside us.
We have a new hope, a new direction and a new understanding of life. Most importantly, we have a relationship with Jesus Christ and the wonderful promise of eternal life.
This is one reason I have previously written about being born again and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is not simply about improving our behaviour or becoming more religious. Genuine Christianity begins with a spiritual transformation.
Unless One Is Born Again
Jesus explained this truth when Nicodemus came to Him. We read these familiar words in John’s Gospel:
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
John 3:3 NKJV
That verse describes my own experience remarkably well. Before becoming a Christian, I could not see the kingdom of God. I could not understand what Christians were talking about, and their faith seemed strange to me.
I remember wondering how Christians could pray to someone they could not physically see. From the outside, it simply did not make sense. Yet the problem was not that the kingdom of God was unreal. The problem was that I was trying to understand spiritual things entirely from a natural perspective.
Then came the new birth. When I genuinely turned to Jesus Christ, the darkness began to disappear and I started to see something I had never been able to see before.
If you would like to understand more about taking that first step of faith, I have written a separate article explaining how to accept Jesus Christ today. This is not about adopting a religious label. It is about surrendering your life to Jesus and receiving the new life that only He can give.
Why Spiritual Things Can Appear Foolish
Another Scripture helps explain why Christianity can seem so strange to someone who has not experienced the new birth. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians:
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV
Once again, I can identify with that verse from personal experience. Before becoming a Christian, I was looking at spiritual things through natural eyes. I could hear what Christians were saying, but I could not truly understand what they were experiencing.
That changed when I was born again. It did not mean that I suddenly understood everything in the Bible or that I never had questions again. However, the spiritual blindness that had prevented me from seeing the reality of God’s kingdom began to lift.
This is why there can sometimes be such a gulf between the way a committed Christian sees life and the way someone without Christ sees it. We may be looking at exactly the same circumstances, yet our understanding and our hope can be completely different.
Freedom In A World Filled With Fear
We only have to look around us to see how much fear and uncertainty there is in the world. News reports constantly remind us of wars, political turmoil, economic problems, social unrest and many other difficulties.
For someone whose hope rests entirely upon this present world, it can sometimes appear that there is no way out. Every new crisis can create another reason to worry about what might happen next.
Christians are not immune from difficult circumstances, and believing in Jesus does not mean pretending that serious problems do not exist. The difference is that our ultimate hope does not depend upon governments, economies, politicians or the direction in which society happens to be moving.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ.
When we know Him, we know that this present life is not the end of the story. We have been given the promise of eternal life, and that knowledge brings tremendous liberty.
I have previously looked at this subject from another angle in my article asking whether we still have freedom of speech in the UK. Political and civil freedoms are important, but the freedom Jesus gives reaches much deeper. Governments may change laws, yet they cannot take away the eternal life that belongs to someone who is in Christ.
Life In The Spirit Changes Our Perspective
One of the things I notice when I am around Christians who genuinely know Jesus is the freedom they carry. There is a life and a joy that cannot be manufactured by simply following religious traditions.
This does not mean every Christian walks around smiling every moment of every day. We all face difficulties, disappointments and pressures. However, underneath those circumstances there can be a deep confidence that comes from knowing who we belong to.
The Apostle Paul develops this further in Romans 8, where he contrasts life according to the flesh with life according to the Spirit. I explored that passage in Set Your Mind On Things Above: Walking By The Spirit. Romans 8 reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and that the Spirit brings an entirely new direction to our lives.
That is genuine Christian liberty. It is not freedom to return to everything that once held us captive. Instead, it is freedom to walk with God and become the people He created us to be.
The World Is Not Our Final Destination
When we look at current events, it can sometimes appear that the world is falling apart. From a biblical perspective, however, we also understand that history is moving towards a conclusion that God already knows.
Christians may hold different views about the precise timing of future events, but Scripture makes one thing very clear. This world in its present form is not our final destination.
That truth should not make us careless about what happens around us. We should continue to pray, help people, speak truth and be a light wherever God has placed us. At the same time, we do not need to live continually overwhelmed by fear.
Jesus Christ has given those who trust Him something far greater than temporary security. He has given us eternal life.
Would You Like To Know This Freedom?
Perhaps you are reading this and you are not yet a Christian. Maybe you can identify with what I described earlier because Christianity does not make much sense to you at the moment.
I understand that because I was once in exactly that position.
You may also be looking at everything happening in the world and wondering where it is all heading. Perhaps the future worries you, or you are searching for something deeper than what this world is able to offer.
Jesus Christ came so that we could be reconciled to God. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again, making eternal life available to everyone who genuinely puts their faith in Him.
Coming to Jesus is not about finding the perfect set of words. A prayer does not save us simply because we repeat certain sentences. What matters is genuinely turning to Christ in faith, acknowledging Him as Lord and being willing to surrender our lives to Him.
If that expresses the desire of your heart, you might pray something like this:
Dear Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as Lord and Saviour of my life. I repent of all my sins, and I ask You today to take over complete control of every aspect of my life. Amen.
If you have sincerely turned to Jesus Christ, I encourage you to begin reading the Bible and speaking to God in prayer. It is also important to find a good Bible-believing church where you can grow, learn and spend time with other believers.
Where The Spirit Of The Lord Is, There Is Liberty
Nearly three decades after I first came to Christ, I can look back and see the enormous difference that decision made. Before I was born again, I could not see the kingdom of God. After turning to Jesus, something changed that I could never have produced by my own effort.
That is why 2 Corinthians 3:17 remains such a powerful verse for me.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV
There really is freedom in Jesus Christ. It is a freedom that does not depend upon everything around us going according to plan. Instead, it comes from knowing that we belong to Him, that His Spirit lives within us and that our eternal future is secure in Christ.
If you already know Jesus, be thankful for the liberty He has given you and do not allow the fear of this world to rob you of that freedom.
If you do not yet know Him, perhaps today is the day to discover for yourself what Jesus meant when He spoke about being born again.
If you have any questions, or if you have recently put your faith in Jesus Christ, please feel free to leave a comment. I am here to encourage people in their Christian faith and, most importantly, to point people towards Jesus.
Thanks for reading,
Roy Bretton
A Countrymen’s View