What is the captivity that Jesus took away? And
how did He do this?
·
Eph 4:8 -> “Wherefore he saith, When he
ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”.
The
captivity is the law:
·
Col 2:14 -> “Blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of
the way, nailing it to his cross;”.
·
1Ti 1:9,10 -> “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous
man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for
unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for
manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for
perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound
doctrine;”.
Observe
that the law is contrary to our old man, which only inclines for what is
contrary to the Creator:
·
Rom 8:5-8 ->
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they
that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally
minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please
God.”.
While we
are in the flesh, we don’t have the Holy Spirit, we don’t belong to Christ and,
obviously, we aren’t saved from the sin and its consequences (including the
second death (Rev 20:14)).
·
Rom 8:9 ->
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of
God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his.”.
If this
is the case, we're still stuck to the law and we need to observe it until Jesus
shines in our heart:
·
2Pe 1:19 -> “We have also a more sure word
of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:”.
When
Jesus becomes real in our heart, we will be really free from the law:
·
Gal 3:23-25 -> “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto
the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster.”.
When the
true faith in the Creator comes, we will be really free from the law because,
as Paul said, we will be died to ourselves:
·
Gal 2:20 -> “I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”.
·
Gal 6:14 -> “But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”.
·
1Co 15:31 -> “I protest by your rejoicing
which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”.
And how
will we be dead to ourselves (and, thereby, to the law)? Staying in the body of
Christ while Jesus engrafts His Word in us:
·
Rom 1:16 ->
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek.”.
·
Jas 1:21 ->
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive
with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”
During
this time, we need to observe the law. When His cleanness is ready (see Titus
3:4-6), Jesus will live in our thoughts and feelings, and, thus, finally, we
will be dead to the law because we won’t have any reason to hurt anybody (see
Gal 5:22):
·
Rom 7:1-4 -> “Know ye not, brethren,
(for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a
man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound
by the law to her
husband so long as he liveth; but if
the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband
liveth, she be married to another man, she
shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from
that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law *by the body of Christ*; that ye should be married to
another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth
fruit unto God.”.
So, have
a good day staying in the Body of Christ and obeying His law (see John
13:34,35) until His Spirit dwelling in us, making all the principles of the law
to be fulfilled in us naturally:
·
Rom 8:2-4
-> “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”.
·
Gal 5:16-18 -> “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil
the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that
ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”.
When
this takes place, we will be ushered into a new and high dimension of
relationship with Jesus and His Church. Instead of us caring about what we
“can” or “can’t” do, we will concern about what we “should” or “shouldn’t” do.
That is to say, beyond we delight only in what is good and right before Jesus,
we will be able to shun ourselves from our rights if this, in some way, will
cause scandal or stumble to people around us:
·
Rom 14:13 -> “Let us not therefore judge one another
any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock
or an occasion
to fall in his brother's way.”
·
Rom 14:20,21 -> “For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it
is evil for that man who eateth with
offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to
drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy
brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.”.
