Freedom

The religionist from organized church have convinced many that if you live free you will fall into uncontrollable sin. The teaching of this view comes down to us from the earliest days of Christianity: “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.” (Galatians 2:4)

The reality of the situation is this: infants and children need care and protection. This is what organized church provides. As you mature into a son, you no longer need this kind of care. Through your growing spiritual maturity, you become more able to operate by the spontaneous leading of Christ’s life in your spirit. This is our living as an individual self. It is here that we become the most effective and useful for doing the will of the Father.

The issue of freedom most not be confused with independence. As we grow in freedom in Christ we are actually growing into a place of greater dependence on the Father. As we depend more on the Father we depend we depend less on the world’s systems, other people and ourselves. The Christians trapped at the infant level are always dependent on themselves, institution and other people. This dependence goes so far as to make these Christians dependent on the institutions of men for their relationship with the Father. This is why many people feel that they cannot break away from and form of organized religion.

What the institutional church sells as “protection” and “guidance” is all too often regulations and the denial of our God-given freedom. The institution’s actions in this area are motivated by the desire to maintain control over its members. The organizational church cannot bring itself to suffer loss of its position and status that would be necessary to allow its members to be free. Institutional church “protection and guidance” is, in reality, slavery. This is slavery to a worldly way of understanding things. From organized religions the “guidance” you often get is really regulation. The “protection” you get is really repression. All of these things are provided by the organization because there is insufficient trust by them in the Father’s ability or desire to provide our resources for effective living directly. Religion works on the fundamental premise that God does not want to have any kind of an ongoing personal relationship with each of us.

Rich