“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loosen the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6
How can we associate the newness that God promises us, which is a part of the inheritance of all believers in Christ, and speak at the same time concerning being freed from “bands of wickedness…heavy burdens…oppression, and liberation from every yoke?” We can do so when we look at the power and promise of the salvation that we have in Christ. The Lord Jesus did not come only to provide us an answer for eternity, even though we hardly begin to grasp the wonder and greatness of it all. Christ came to earth, walked and lived among us, suffered and died, tasting death for every man. He did this so that His kingdom would come into the hearts of all who would seek Him for the answer to not only the guilt and penalty of sins unforgiven, but also, for the effects and consequences of sins. If the experience of His newness by the Spirit is to come to the heart and life, and this every morning, there must be the realization by the power of the gospel of freedom from bondage to wickedness, burdens, oppression, and bondage. Christ has come to set the sinner free from sin’s dominion, self’s control, and Satan’s oppression. That freedom is essential if there would be the abundant receiving of all that Christ desires to give. It is as His perfect salvation is applied by faith, and the prayer of faith made, that the bonds fall off, the heart is free, and as Wesley put it, “…we rise, go forth, and follow Thee.” But how is this to be done and accomplished in the life?
The first thing we must begin with is “truth,” and the One who IS the truth. Jesus told His disciples on one occasion, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:32) That which is essential to true faith is the truth of faith, those pillars and unchanging laws of God, which He will always bless, and according to which, He will certainly work. We see this when Jesus continued by saying, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (v.36) Herein is the power of truth, the One who IS the everlasting, ever-present truth. God’s power in Christ is always, constantly available to the believer who would know the freedom from bondage to the lies, twisted concepts, and distorted “commandments of men” in this world. Truth is the great divider between that which is of God and not, that which He will bless, and pour His power into it, or not. Paul’s word concerning the Gospel affirms this: “…the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.” (Rom. 1:16)
The second thing we need to see and grasp is the enormity of this salvation in Christ, as it touches every aspect of our lives, and living. From the most secret thought, to the most overt action, the work of Christ on the Cross has a direct, and blessed effect on the whole of one’s spirit, soul, and body. As to sin, self, the world, and the devil, Christ took to that cross with Him “the old man” of every believer, there to be crucified with Him. This divine perspective is so important because of the truth of it, and Christ’s power. By the crucifixion of the “old man,” all that the sinner was in Adam, all that pertains to sin, all was done away with. This is the beginning point to know the newness of Christ. ALL that was of the old life, outside of Christ, has been dealt with entirely in the eyes of God, setting us free in mind and heart to love God. The believer is called upon, though imperfect in faith, to take his stand upon the truth, trusting in Christ’s power, knowing His newness every morning.
Dear Father, Grant us Thy newness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.