John 8:36
"So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."
Galatians 5:1
"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law."
Romans 12:2
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s Will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
[emphasis mine]
Juneteenth, Independence Day... Everyone wants to be free, everyone should be free, but not everyone is free, at least in their mind and actions. There are many reasons for that and I don't claim to know them. What I do know is that the only freedom that is the master key to unlock freedom in all areas of our lives is freedom in Christ. Freedom in Christ is first knowing Who Christ is and second knowing who we are in Christ. The foundation of both is thinking rightly about Jesus and subsequently ourselves; which can often feel oh so elusive and hard to do! In July 2023 I talked about the Jesus "Who is". Jesus the Christ is God Incarnate; God in human flesh who walked this earth for 33 years with the sole purpose to die for humanity and redeem it from Sin, thus restoring humans back to right standing with God. And Jesus now rules at the right hand of God the Father as the King of kings, Lord of lords and Prince of Peace with the government on His shoulders, all while mediating for us. "The Moody’s Handbook of Theology" defines Hypostatic Union as “the second person, the preincarnate Christ came and took to Himself a human nature and remains forever undiminished Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.” Christ didn’t simply inhabit a human person, He took on an additional nature, that of a human as the God-Man. Being both fully God and fully man dictates no mixing of the two or loss of either’s distinct identity and without any perception or designation of dual personalities, simply the ability to operate in one sphere or the other. This allowed Him to be both the ultimate High Priest and the Sacrifice for us.
A key step in walking freely and boldly as a Masterpiece child of God is having our minds renewed. When we seek to have the mind of Christ we are in effect "washing our brains" by taking every thought captive to His mind and not entertaining the thoughts of the Devil, the flesh or the world. This does not mean we are homogeneous robotic Christians that never disagree or have differing opinions; but rather are Christians aligned with God's Will. When you think right, you act right. God loves us perfectly no matter what, but right thinking flourishes into full freedom and fellowship with Him. An unrenewed and shackled mind is not free, but instead is a breeding ground for old fleshly habits to geminate, resurface and flourish; while a renewed mind is good soil where God's seed of renewal by Jesus is watered by His Holy Spirit to produce good fruit in us as Believers. God doesn't want us simply saved but transformed, body, spirit and mind, i.e. free. When we operate with the mind of Christ two things happen: We don't focus on the broken world in which we live, and we operate in step with and focused on Him. This unleashes the freedom available in Christ because it is the freedom to see ourselves as God sees us, righteous and clean.
Renewing our mind to walk free in Christ is a daily intentional act. Fix your gaze on Jesus and think on these things as your mind is renewed: TRUE, HONOROABLE, RIGHT, PURE, LOVELY, ADMIRABLE, EXCELLENT, WORTHY OF PRAISE*! God has a Will for you: It is good. It is pleasing. It is perfect. It is freedom. Amen.
Takeaways for you to remember:
#1. Hypostatic Union – Jesus existing as fully God and fully man simultaneously.
#2. Renewed Thinking = Thinking like Father God by having the mind of Christ.
#3. Right actions follow right thinking = FREEDOM.
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry?
[NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
References:
1) Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. Moody Press. Chicago. 1989.
2) Erickson, Millard. Who’s Tampering with the Trinity? An Assessment of the Subordination Debate. Kregel. Grand Rapids, MI. 2009.
3) Hawthorne, Gerald. The Presence and the Power: The Significance of the Holy Spirit in the Life and Ministry of Jesus. Word. Dallas. 1991.
4) Lewis, C.S. Reflections on the Psalms. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.1958.
5) Packer, J.I. Knowing God. Intervarsity Press IVP Books. Downers Grove, IL. 1973.
6) Ryrie, Charles. Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Moody Press. Chicago. 1999.
7) Shedd, William G.T. Dogmatic Theology, vol. 2, 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, repr. 1980.
8) St. Bonaventure in Excurses VII.
9) Stoner, Peter W. and Newman, Robert C. PhD. Science Speaks. Moody Press Chicago. 1958.
10) Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Zondervan. 2016.
11) Strong, J. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Abingdon Press. 1890.
12) Thayer, J. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers. 1995.
13) Thiessen, Henry C, revised by Doerksen, Vernon D. Lectures in Systematic Theology. Eerdmans. Grand Rapids. 1979. pp. 216-217.
14) Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our Lord. Moody Publishers. 1969.
15) Ware, Bruce. The Man Christ Jesus. Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ.
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