“… to preach deliverance to the captives …” Luke 4:18 (KJV)
No one but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty comes from Him alone.
It is a liberty righteously bestowed. The Son, who is Heir of all things, has a right to set people free. The saints honor the justice of God, which secures their salvation.
It is a liberty which has been dearly purchased. Christ speaks it by His power, but He bought it by His blood. He makes you free, but it is by His own bonds. You are free and clear, because He bore your burden for you. You have liberty because He has suffered in your place. But, though dearly purchased, He freely gives it. Jesus asks nothing of us as a preparation for this liberty. He finds us sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and encourages us to put on the beautiful array of freedom. He saves us just as we are, and all without our help or merit.
When Jesus sets free, the liberty is perpetually entailed. No chains can bind us again. Let the Master say to me, “Captive, I have delivered you,” and it is done for ever. Satan may plot to enslave us, but if the Lord is on our side, whom shall we fear? The world, with its temptations, may seek to ensnare us, but mightier is He who is for us than all they who are against us. The machinations of our own deceitful hearts may harass and annoy us, but He who has begun the good work in us will carry it on and perfect it to the end. The foes of God and the enemies of man may gather their forces together, and come with concentrated fury against us, but if God acquits, who is he that condemns? Not more free is the eagle which mounts to his rocky nest and out soars the clouds than the soul Christ has delivered.
If we are no longer under the law, but free from its curse, let our liberty be practically exhibited in our serving God with gratitude and delight. “O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.” (Psalm 116:16) Ask: “Lord, what would You have me do?”
Question: If true freedom is not total lack of restraint, but the divine enabling of being all we were meant to be, why does the Christian life sometimes feel restrictive?
Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon. Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer 2010.
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