Day 27: Freedom by Kristian Stanfill

Biblical Background

The theme of this song is in reference to 2 Corinthians 3:17.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

However, as with most scripture, this can be taken out of context if you only read one verse. When read out of context it might seem like we should do whatever we want to do and the freedom is a freedom to sin, to act crazy, to be offensive, etc... Taking the phrase out of context like this would not match up with the rest of the passage of scripture and would also not match up with the rest of the song. I would highly recommend reading the full thought that the Apostle Paul is writing here in 2 Corinthians 3:7-18.

7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

This verse is actually talking about the excitement of how Glorious the Gospel is to those who believe. In the Old Testament there was an awesome power in the Holiness of God and Moses had to put a veil over his face so that people wouldn't die from the Glory of God that shone from him. Jesus is different. You can show Jesus with freedom because that is the Glory of the New Covenant. A greater Glory has come and it is a Glory of Grace. The weight has been lifted, the chains of sin and death have fallen off of you, and your life can be made whole in Jesus name. We are able to contemplate the Lord's Glory without instantly dying. We are transformed instead of transfigured.

Lyrics

Step out of the shadows, step out of the grave
Break into the wild and don’t be afraid
Run into wide open spaces
Grace is waiting for you
Dance like the weight has been lifted
Grace is waiting

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, there is freedom
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, there is freedom
Come out of the dark, just as you are
Into the fullness of His love
The Spirit is here, let there be freedom
Let there be freedom

Bring all of your burdens, bring all of your scars
Come back to communion, come back to the start
Run into wide open spaces
Grace is waiting for you
Dance like the weight has been lifted
Grace is waiting

Chains will fall, prisons shake
At the sound of Jesus’ name
Lives made whole, hearts awake
At the sound of Jesus’ name

Abundant Life Fellowship Version

Jesus Culture Version featuring Kim Walker-Smith

Final Thoughts

I think it's incredibly common to take scriptures out of context. I've heard it said that you should never read a bible verse, you should read the ten verses before and the ten verses after as well as the verse. If we did this, how protected would we be from falsehoods? I hope and pray that this verse has been put in context for you and that I could provide a small bucket of Grace for your day.

Read These Next:

Comments

What does "Deep Cries Out to Deep” mean?

There is a new song that the Worship Team at Abundant Life Fellowship has been working on. As you learn this song and give Him praise through it, our prayer is that you let go of your deep and let it call out to the Deep in God. Here is some background to the biblical roots of the song with a link to the music video done by Bethel Church at the bottom. Background for the Background: In Numbers 16 the Bible records an event in the life of a man named Korah. He was of the tribe of Levi and therefore set apart to be a member of the priesthood in Israel. He rebuked Moses, saying: " You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly? " -Numbers 16:3 He resented Moses' and Aaron's authority, and felt that he and his supporters could lead the Israelites more effectively. Later in the chapter, the earth opens underneath him and swallows him along with the others

The Fruits of the Spirit Series

Simple Translation into English: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. - Galatians 9:22-25 In the original Greek: But the fruit of the Spirit is agape , chara , eirene , makrothymia , chrestotes, agathosyne, pistis, praotes, and egkrateia . Against such things there is no law. The fruit of the spirit are commonly referenced in sermons, conversation, and even children's songs. I will be blogging a series which contains an in-depth study of each word in the original Greek with my commentary on its meaning. In the original language of the Biblical writers there is a connotation for each word that can be lost with a simple translation. Therefore, since these are extr

ereine = peace

Peace is a gift from God: Peace being a fruit of the spirit is interesting because the word can be used as a political term referring to entire countries or as a very personal word referring to an inner state of being. I think that it is obvious that as a fruit of the Spirit the Bible is using this second meaning of the word peace and throughout the New Testament we can see that peace does not mean safety. Peace does not mean that there aren't people deliberately trying to destroy you. Many, if not all, of the writers of the New Testament were being persecuted for their beliefs and the early church was not at peace in the sense of the opposite of being at war. However, it shows God's Spirit dwelling inside of you when you have inner peace in the middle of this type of persecution. When you lose your job the fruit of the Spirit is still peace. When loved ones die the fruit of the Spirit is still peace. When people hate you and slander you saying all sorts of lies about

All verses with chara in the New Testament

The Gospel usage of the word chara: Click to go back to the word study on chara. Mat 2:10 KJV - When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great chara . Mat 13:20 KJV - But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with chara receiveth it; Mat 13:44 KJV - Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found , he hideth , and for chara thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath , and buyeth that field. Mat 25:21 KJV - His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the chara of thy lord. Mat 25:23 KJV - His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the chara of thy lord. Mat

One Thing Remains by Jesus Culture

Why study what we sing? When I worship through music, it is very helpful to me to look into how the Bible lines up to what I'm singing. This knowledge makes a superficial singing of the words much more difficult for me, and I hope that sharing this will help you to focus better on what you are singing and who you are singing to. The newest song that we’ve sung as a congregation is “One Thing Remains,” by Jesus Culture: The lyrics to the song: Verse 1 Higher than the mountains that I face, Stronger than the power of the grave, Constant in the trial and the change, One thing remains. Chorus Your love never fails Never gives up It never runs out on me! Your love! Verse 2 On and on and on and on it goes. It overwhelms and satisfies my soul. And I never ever have to be afraid: One thing remains. BRIDGE In death. in life I’m confident and Covered by the power of Your great love. My debt is paid there’s nothing that Can separate my heart from Your great

Prophecies of Jesus fulfilled Part 1 [Genesis]

Well here is an ambitious project. There are hundreds of prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament which are fulfilled in the New Testament. My aim is to catalog them all and show where they are fulfilled. In this first installment, I will concentrate only on the Prophecies about Jesus contained in the book of Genesis. My hope is that this will also be a helpful reference for others when it is finished. The prophecies are in bold followed by an outline of what the prophecy says [sometimes multiple ideas in a single verse] then the references to where it is fulfilled int he New Testament. I have left out commentary on these passages for now and am letting the Scripture speak for itself. [All Scripture references are from the NASB translation.] -Genesis 3:15- "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." He will be the seed of a woman [virgin birth].

Rich Men North of Richmond: A Christian's Perspective

Millions of people in just a few days have been listening to Oliver Anthony (Christopher Lunsford) sing passionately about the plight of blue collar America. After coming out with his viral song "Rich Men North of Richmond," followed up by a plethora of reaction videos, providing more songs and comments himself, the news channels weighing in, the media influencers seizing the moment to get a few more clicks and ad revenue, even the politicians themselves having commented on how much they agree (it of course being the other side of the political spectrum that is being sung about...) I am left to ponder. What is the Biblical View of Rich Men North of Richmond? Here are the lyrics: I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay / So I can sit out here and waste my life away / Drag back home and drown my troubles away. Pre-Chorus: It's a damn shame what the world's gotten to / For people like me and people like you / Wish I could

Ecclesiastes Part 2 The Meaning of Life

Ecclesiastes 2 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) The Meaning of Life: Part 2: When will you be happy? ____________________ Chapter 1:12-2:11 12 I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13 applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. 14 I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said to myself, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow. Chapter 2 1I said to myself, “Come now, I

Prophecies of Jesus fulfilled Part II [Exodus]

Click here to see Prophecies of Jesus fulfilled Part 1 [Genesis] Here is the second installment of prophecies in the Old Testament that have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Please let me know in the comments what you think. Do you like this kind of reference-series? Or would you rather have analysis and commentary? -Exodus 3:13-15- " Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘ The Lord , the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations." Jesus is The Great

Logos: The Reason for the Season

Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher in the 6th century B.C. He was the first man to use the term Logos. In his writing, he used it to show that there is a divine reason or plan that coordinates a changing universe. [http://www.iep.utm.edu/heraclit/] In the New Testament book of John, this word "logos" is translated into "word" however, there is a connotation that we lose in the english rendition where logos means " the reason behind the universe ." So, I'd like to share with you my rendition of John 1:1-18 in this Christmas season, where I'm replaced each instance of logos and references to Him and He [the personal pronouns referring to the Logos] with "" the reason behind the universe. " I hope it helps you contemplate the true reason for the season. John 1:1-18 1 In the beginning was the reason behind the universe , and the reason behind the universe was with God , and the reason behind the universe was God

Bucket Full of Grace

Search This Blog