Feel the Freedom of Grace

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  --Galatians 5:1

source:  Internet

I searched my State library system for books by Dr. Andrew Farley and only found one:  "Heaven is Now - Awakening Your Five Spiritual Senses to the Wonders of Grace," published in 2012.  He did an excellent job using our five human senses, Touch (Feel), Hearing, Sight, Smell, and Taste to explain the freedom we have in Christ.  When I finished the book I added it to my Books Read List and discovered I'd already read the book back in 2016!  It seems I wasn't ready back then to fully understand yet what Freedom in Christ is all about.  In 2003 I'd written a Daily Devotional entitled Freedom in Christ to try to help me discover why, as a Christian, I did not feel free.  I published that devotional here on Blogger in 2011.  Over the next five months I want to discuss each of these spiritual senses that Dr. Farley's book covers.  Writing about it should help drill it into my psyche so that I don't have to be brought back to this topic in the future!

Dr. Farley points out that we "ride the roller coaster of the soul every day."  Our "feelings come and go."  He wants us to understand that our "feelings" and the reality of the Holy Spirit in us do not always match up.  There are many factors that can make us FEEL like we're not saved or have the Holy Spirit.  Faith is all about believing the Truth of God's presence in us and acting upon that Truth.....not how we might be "feeling" at any given moment because of circumstances (lack of sleep, the weather, and in my case, a bad hair day!)

Dr. Farley has questions for each Spiritual Sense along with scriptures some of which I will include each month.  I hope in providing the questions and answering them for yourself you will gain a new understanding of how you might experience the Holy Spirit in you more fully.  Dr. Farley wants us to experience Heaven now.  He explains...

We're told that God "seated us with him in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 2:6), that "our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20), and that we are "aliens and strangers" in this world (1 Peter 2:11).

This month I will give a brief overview of the first spiritual sense.....

Sense #1:  Feel the Freedom of Grace - Questions

• Why do you think it's so difficult for us to trust in God's grace for anything beyond salvation?

Dr. Farley uses skydiving as an example.  Skydivers carry an extra chute in case their main chute fails.  He says heaven's grace is like a parachute, only without the back-up chute of self-effort, i.e. the law.  The New Covenant frees us from the law of having to make ourselves righteous by keeping the laws.  Our "parachute" of grace sets us on "the skydiving adventure of a lifetime."  

For me the reason (excuse) for having a back-up chute is it helps me feel I am in control.  After all, God might have other plans for me that I'm not comfortable with!  Our ego has a way of justifying our back-up plans that keep us from just relaxing into God's plan for our lives.  How much better I'd sleep if I'd just awaken to this realization.

• At the heart of the new covenant is God's faithfulness to himself.  How does that affect your view of salvation and life in Christ?

Dr. Farley quotes Hebrew 6:13:  "Since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself."  The verse that came to my mind is 2 Timothy 2:13:  "If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."  Understanding this has helped me see that God will never give up on me.  I have no excuse to think I can cause God to abandon me and thereby try to justify having a "back-up chute."  The fact that Jesus is in my heart secures my salvation once and for all.

• Can you relate to the story about Prohibition in the U.S.?  In what ways has being under laws or rules excited sin in your life?

Dr. Farley reports that Prohibition (1920-1933), the period when the sale of alcohol was outlawed, actually increased  consumption of alcohol.  In addition, all sorts of criminal activity resulted.  He has spoken in sermons about how Christians are not immune to sinning, but we feel miserable when we do.  Sinners (those who have not accepted Jesus) on the other hand do not feel remorse.  Because I accepted Jesus when I was eight years old I really don't remember "enjoying" sinning.  I've always felt miserable when I've sinned and always resolve to do better.  Well into my 20's I was constantly on a self-improvement kick, which in itself kept me focused on self-effort.  My perfectionistic tendencies kept me on my toes, too.  It was only when I read about the Quakers and their reliance on the Holy Spirit within that I realized the only way I could ever change was to rely on the Holy Spirit's work in me to help me change.  No law or good intention was going to cause a permanent change in me.  

• How does understanding the old covenant context of Jesus' harsh teachings (cut off your hand, be perfect, sell everything etc.) help you feel the freedom of grace on this side of the cross?

Dr. Farley was the first to correct my thinking concerning when the new covenant was put into place.  It was not at Jesus' birth, but rather on the cross.  All that Jesus preached while on earth was to sinners, not to Christians.  

The old covenant law was meant to set an impossible standard so that when Jesus came the Jews would recognize him as their Savior.  The Gentiles were never under the old covenant law, but many Christians (Jew and Gentile) seem to think the 10 Commandments are part of the new covenant. Realizing that Jesus was talking to the unsaved to show them the old way was impossible helped me see how I've put impossible standards on myself and how it has blocked feeling my freedom in Christ.  

  

Keeping the Law (old covenant) does not change a person's heart.  It's only the new covenant that can change our heart (Hebrew 10:16).  The new covenant commands written on our hearts and in our minds are: 

"Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34)  

Believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." (1 John 3:23)

• The prisoners of Shawshank prison were uncomfortable with freedom after their release.  In what ways do you think our freedom in Christ can be uncomfortable at first? 

Dr. Farley relates several scenes from the movie  The Shawshank Redemption where some of the ex-prisoners struggled with their freedom.  He says some of the reasons Christians struggle with their freedom are:  "Freedom means personal responsibility...we can't pull out a measuring stick to evaluate our status....our life choices will have to be motivated by something other than guilt or fear."

For me old habits and routines can give me a sense of security and knowing what to expect.  Even if it's restrictive, it gives me that sense of being in control I mentioned earlier.  This is why it's so important to look to Jesus for all our needs so that we don't fall into our old ways of getting our needs met.

 Father,  thank you for bringing this book to my attention again!  We humans do have an innate desire to be in control!  Thankfully, you have provided the Way to return to Your loving arms where we can put our trust in You.

Link to Scripture:  Galatians 3:13

Take Action:  In Christ Alone