II Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
There is no guess work with God. There are deep things that cannot be understood like reading a newspaper. There are doctrines to understand properly. However, any lost person can see there is only one way of salvation and that is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As we have mentioned before, a person has to fight against their conscience to accept Catholicism or New Evangelicalism or the ecumenical movement, etc. There are many Protestant denominations that each have their particular idols. They all fight against the truth. They would rather hold to evolving traditions, than settle for the truth.
The Word of God is readily available for all to read. God has been good in providing sound local churches that are accessible to all who are willing to be led by the Holy Spirit of God. God has been doing much pruning lately. There are many religious groups that have been exposed in a much more obvious manner recently, although God has always shown the difference between truth and error.
No one will have an excuse and be able to stand before the Lord and say: ‘I did not know’.
Romans 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.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
We live in a time when people want convenience. People will travel for shopping or for some entertainment. Lost people will not very often travel too far to hear the truth. They will travel to listen to a “good story”. A “good story” is much different from the truth. The poor entertainment offered by the “worship teams” and the upbeat stories told by the soothsayers do not feed the soul. Most people have put their souls to sleep. They have discovered ways to dull their senses so they can pursue their feelings.
If you read the Bible, you come across verses like verse 17 of our text. There we read that the Lord is that Spirit that is spoken of earlier in this chapter. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. He will reveal the Truth to those who will submit to God and trust in Him.
Notice that Paul wrote here that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” That is not what most professing Christians believe. They think they have liberty when they follow their ‘heart’. Jeremiah warned that the heart is deceitful about all things (Jeremiah 17:9). We need our hearts changed. We need to listen to the Word of God, not our hearts. Liberty is not doing what I want to do. Liberty is doing what God wants of me.
He knows what is just and true and pure. He knows how to guide His child in the way of righteousness. He knows how to bless His child with good things.
The apostle Paul assumed he was at liberty to go and arrest the people of “this way” and stop the preaching of Jesus Christ. He found out that when he humbled himself and repented toward God, and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, he found out what true liberty is.
Liberty is that ability to think right thoughts, not just holding on to empty traditions of men.
In verse 18 Paul was addressing the saints. He pointed out that true saints are all looking with an open, that is unveiled, face into a glass, a mirror, and we are seeing ourselves through the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the weakness of the flesh. We see how prone to wander we are. Yet we also see how perfected we can be when we submit to the Spirit of the Lord. You notice here that the true saint is being changed on a daily basis. He or she is being changed to be more Christlike. When you observe the average religious group today and the average “Christian” today, they are being changed, but not to be more Christlike, but to be more like the world. The music is the music of the world. The “preaching” if you can even call it that, is carefully guarded so as not to offend people.
The apostle Paul addressed the carnality in Corinth. The saints in Corinth needed to decide if they were going to accept the truth or continue to wallow in sin and be judged of God further for that. They chose to accept the rebuke and to take the necessary step to get moving in the direction spoken of here. They were going to be changed into the same image from glory to glory. There is a common look to true saints. That look is identifiable from the Word of God.
We do not need to do any fancy gymnastics with the Word of God to justify our actions, if we are saved and submitted to God. As we have mentioned, God’s Word is plain. It is not difficult to understand. The flesh does not want it, but the spirit of the saved person will want the Truth. True churches are around, but it might require some driving to find one. We are not in horse and buggy days. We have cars and we can travel further to find a good church. The soul of the saved person will want the Truth. He will want to be changed from glory to glory. His mentor, guide, example, authority, is the Spirit of the Lord. Who are you following today?
Pastor Bartel