0114 - What is the captivity that Jesus took away? And how did He do this?

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.”.