Early in my seminary studies a number of individuals challenged me as to whether or not the War on Terrorism was actually biblical. This message is associated with this study. I thought it fitting on this day as we memorialize those who served in our military and preserve our freedom, that we look at that provision, biblically. This is not an all-encompassing study, but one that is born from scripture and from the activity of God as recorded in scripture. This is a study on freedom and it’s cost. Freedom being the first tenet of the United States of America.
Please turn to Hebrews 9 and verse 22. Many would not realize that freedom (the actual state of existence of being unshackled or uninhibited in life) does exist in scripture. This is because many take religion as an inhibitive process. People think that religion is just a load of “cannots.” Following the “cannots” of your particular faith or religion gets you to your heaven. God Himself is free, and we are commanded to become more Christlike every day. Therefore, true freedom is found in Christ and being Christlike. It is not inhibitive, but liberating. We claim Christ as our Savior as Christians; therefore, we should actually be freer, not constrained, in our Christianity.
Hodges says, “the writer was thinking of the system as a whole, and the ritual of the Day of Atonement that pertained to the totality of the nation’s sins.”[1] In this verse alone, we are moved from the beginning of scripture under the Old Testament covenants to the New Covenant and the New Testament. There is a specific testimony of the blood atonement of Christ. We find, initially, that we should look at the Old Testament, we must start in the beginning and follow the instruction of scripture through. We will actually see from the Garden of Eden through to the Cross at Calvary that freedom is provided in one fashion. Freedom comes at a very precious price. Freedom, what we thrive on here in our nation, is not free itself. Freedom has a cost. I am talking about freedom both physically, and spiritually.
The Bible does not only record what we are called to maintain in our physical lives, as we rub elbows with folks each day. Our scriptures also call us to a spiritual purity, a condition commensurate with what we will attain in heaven (Matt 5:8). We are to practice here so we are not so shocked when we get there. Another thing we are to practice is freedom. Here on earth, brave men and women have given themselves throughout time for this freedom, both spiritually and physically. I was burdened to deliver a message more appropriate to this Memorial Day. We will return to our regular study in the Sermon on the Mount next week.
We should follow, then, the scriptural demand and look at the beginning.
I. Old Testament Freedom Price (Heb 9:22a).
A Tim’s translation of this passage reads,
“And almost all things are cleansed with blood according to the law.”
We will look at what the “almost” qualifier with respect to “all things” is. We will also look at the Law of Moses and discover what is purged with the blood. There are four verses associated with this part of our study. I will give them to you for reference but you need not turn to them if you do not want to: Genesis 3:21, Leviticus 4:20, 5:11, and 17:11.
A. Spiritual freedom (Gen 3:21).
Adam and Eve were chained to the world. They were in a position now, having sinned, that they had nowhere to go. Thorns and thistles now inhabited their perfect Eden. Adam also faced the fact that the land would not produce for his livelihood without his hands tilling the ground. Yet, they looked around and this lush garden had now turned into a jungle. Think about it. The jungle was lush, filled with fruit and water just waiting for consumption. In this new jungle, little daggers, and spears, the thorns and thistles now covered the paths. We can hardly conceive how Adam and Eve may have seen life. Where once they could frolic and run through the lush greenery without concern, they now had razor grass and prickly bushes. Right where they sat, unclothed, exposed to the foliage, they were imprisoned– they could not move without risk of injury. They could only watch as these bushes appeared or grew from nowhere before their very eyes. God takes the initiative to care for His creation by fashioning clothes from the skins of animals.
You might think that the word “make” here with reference to the skins may have a creative connotation. It does not. It is to fashion something, to accomplish something, it is making something from something. The creation word “bara” is not in this verse. We cut down trees to make doors from wood. God cut down an animal and made clothes from skin. God, therefore, took the first life, an animal, in order to provide some freedom from the dangers on earth, and spilt blood to provide redemption from their shameful sin. Therefore, the power of God shed the blood and provided coverings for and freedom to Adam and Eve. These are the two things that are required for freedom – Power and Blood. How do we know God took the life of this animal? We only need to look at Cain and Abel. They were taught by someone the proper sacrifices. Able gave one, Cain didn’t. The freedom provided to Adam and Eve through the shedding of this animal’s blood and the skin of the animal is both physical and spiritual. Physical for the new dangers they faced and spiritual to relieve them of the shame of their sin.
Abel provided the proper sacrifice. The only instruction before his sacrifice for sin is here, where Abel’s mother and father see the shedding of blood for their freedom. It is somewhat an argument from silence, however the only way Abel could know what a proper sacrifice was, is if he were told by his parents. Equally, the only way Adam and Eve could have known, was if they were instructed by God Himself.
God provided for many types of sacrifices in the Law. Everyone on earth needs to be freed from the bindings of sin. Therefore, almost all things are purged with blood. Other sacrifices, such as grain offerings are provided for those who cannot afford lambs or bulls (Lev 5:11). God sheds blood to free Adam and Eve from the attacks of His curse. He provided for priests to prepare sacrifices. He also provided the perfect Priest who was also the perfect sacrifice – Himself.
In Leviticus, God ordained priests to sacrifice for Israel’s freedom. In Leviticus, 4:20 we find sacrificial bulls for sin. In 5:11, we find turtledoves, young pigeons with a little flour. Then 17:11 tells us specifically the life blood is the sacrifice. In providing His law, God provided for all occurrences.
God shed blood first to redeem Adam and Even from their sin, and secondly to free them from the dangers surrounding them physically. This freed them from the imprisonment of their sin. Equally, God has provided for your freedom. He provided the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, and His shed blood to cover us in our nakedness and exposure to the evils of this world. This provided us also an atonement for the sins we committed to cleanse us as no other sacrifice could before. This cleansing gave us freedoms and access to heavenly places, to the Holy of Holies. This is why the curtain was rent from top to bottom. We no longer need the Old Testament priesthood; we are free to enter through the sacrificial blood of Christ.
Therefore, the power of God and the shedding of His blood give us spiritual freedom in Christ Jesus, and access spiritually to the God of heaven through Him.
Not only does God require shedding blood for our spiritual freedom, He established a pattern for our physical freedom as well.
B. Physical freedom (Deut 6&7)
As the Israelites entered the promised land, God wanted Israel to remain pure in their new land. He was giving them a second lease on life by freeing them from the bondage of Egypt. God wanted to maintain their purity on earth, maintain their physical freedom from idolatrous temptations and the evil influence of other societies. All through Deuteronomy chapter 6, God describes how He wants the Jewish people, and their children, and their grandchildren to remain pure from outside influence. In verse 14, He specifically warns against the influence of other gods. They are to do this by teaching these godly precepts to their children (v7); they shall keep His commandments (v17), do what is morally right (v18), and drive out enemies that are not God’s children (v19). Also by remembering what it was like to be enslaved (v21). These Israelites were to always be in remembrance that it was the power of God that freed them from the bondage in Egypt. This same power freed them to worship and be with God in the wilderness as they were miraculously cared for with manna, water, clothing, and military victories. In Chapter seven verses 1-2, we find the limit to which God is willing to go. He wants all the people that are in the land that is now given to Israel annihilated. He wants them eliminated, obliterated. This is so that Israel is not tempted to contaminate themselves (v3). In many ways this is a microcosm of what will take place at Armageddon, the elimination of the godless so that the godly can live in peace, dedicated to God, freed from earthly temptation to godlessness. If you think this is an isolated incident, God Himself wiped out all of Jericho by toppling the walls. No one was left except Rahab and those in her home. Moreover, you should know that the reason Rahab and those with her were spared, is the same reason you can be spared eternal damnation: belief. A faith in God to spare your life physically and spiritually provides you freedom from death and eternal damnation. They were saved out of faith and belief in the power of God, which preserved their singular home while all of the rest of Jericho, fell–again–by His power.
God had provided for our spiritual and physical freedom in the Old Testament. In doing so, He began a pattern we see taking shape in our world today. Blood must be shed for both. All we need to do is believe. Believe God will preserve His chosen people at all costs. He puts this same effort forward in every aspect of life, including your salvation. This cost Him the physical life of His Son on the cross at Calvary for our sins. For God so loved the world, He gave His only son, so that whoever believes in Him can have everlasting life. He gave His Son for our freedom.
Not only does the Old Testament provide for spiritual and physical freedom, the New Testament maintains this pattern.
II. New Testament Freedom Patterns (Heb 9:22b).
Again a “Tim’s Translation” is in order for the second part of our verse. Follow with me now beginning with the word “and” in your King James Version. “and without shedding of blood he (the one purified) receives no remission.” We have covered much of this section of the verse already with our study on shedding of blood. Therefore, we will concentrate on the word translated “remission.” This Greek word, “aphesis,” means to set free or liberate, release. Aphesis is used 17 times in 16 verses. It is translated remission, forgiveness, liberty, deliverance, and pardon. The predominant sense is to remove guilt, provide freedom from a constraining conscience that results from unlawful activity. In Mark 1:4 John the Baptist was preaching baptism for aphesis. This freedom comes from profession of faith. To forgive, therefore, means essentially to remove the guilt resulting from wrongdoing, therefore releasing the offender from the captivity of emotional and spiritual strain of sin. Thayer records this meaning as a release from bondage, or imprisonment such as in Luke 4:18 where captives are released.[2] In these two senses, we find spiritual and physical freedom to worship.
God provides freedom from all your sins. All we need to do is believe in His provision for the freedom of those sins.
Let’s look at this provision of freedom.
A. Spiritual freedom (Matt 26:28)
In Mathew 26:28 we read: “For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission (aphesis) of sins.” This is given us at the Last Supper, where Christ takes the cup and the bread and presents a specific pattern by which we are supposed to remember Him. This also displays for us the reason for His crucifixion. Christ will be punished for us, crucified for us, beaten for us, shed His blood for us, and take all our sins on Himself, on His own body, for us on the cross.
In Acts 2, Peter is preaching a sermon calling for his brothers and sisters in Judea to recognize that they have crucified Christ on the cross. He is preaching Christ to them, imploring them to recognize the messianic position of Jesus of Nazareth. Peter asks them to see, understand, and believe in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for the remission of their sins. He specifically calls for this repentance in verse 38. Peter calls for change, for a turning from the Law to the liberation in Christ, the freedom provided in the one pure sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross. This exhortation resulted in the salvation and baptism of some 3000 souls.
Christ died on the cross so you would not have to die the eternal death, which is permanent separation from God because of your sins. All you need to do is believe and you can be saved. This salvation provides you freedom spiritually in Christ Jesus and His perfect sacrificial blood. Jesus further exercised the power of God in His resurrection.
Christ on the cross was not just provided for the spiritual freedom, he provided for physical freedom.
B. Physical freedom (Luke 4:18)
The picture presented in this scripture is where Christ returns to His home in Nazareth and is invited to preach in the synagogue. He opens to Isaiah 61 and reads specifically about Himself, the Messiah, being provided to free people from their captivity in the law. God was specifically called to, designed for, and provided for this service. Barnes notes,
“This is a figure originally applicable to those who were in captivity in Babylon. They were miserable in this captivity. To grant deliverance to them and restore them to their country—to grant deliverance to those who are in prison and restore them to their families—to give liberty to the slave and restore him to freedom, was to confer the highest benefit and impart the richest favor.”[3]
This is paying the full price, the total cost, in order to provide pure freedom without any attachments; it is a gift. Christ tells His audience that He is the Messiah, the one sent by God to provide for their spiritual and physical release. The terms used in this verse are military in nature. They are of military captivity and release. The overtaking by spear, and release by the same. Christ with the sword of the Word of God will return and eliminate the enemy physically and spiritually. Christ with the atonement of His blood has already provided for our spiritual release. All you need to do is believe. Believe your are a sinner who needs salvation, believe Christ provided for that salvation, and believe He lives today actively interceding on your behalf as the perfect Priest we mentioned earlier. This faith then, opens your life to a physical freedom of not being bound to this earth. Your home, in Christ, is in Heaven, and you are now free to serve God without concern for the things of this world. You are free to serve spiritually and physically.
What then have we learned today?
God’s pattern of freedom is set in Genesis, spiritually and physically. The power of God who killed the first animal to cover Adam and Eve and free them from their shame because of their sin; and the blood shed to satisfy God’s wrath, propitiate His anger. The power of God to accept the sacrifice, and the blood of the sacrifice itself spilt to pay the cost.
God’s pattern is solidified in the Old Testament. In Exodus, where the last plague begins an annual sacrificial requirement, and it is maintained where we find the annual feasts and sacrifices of Israel as set forth in Leviticus. It is called for in order to maintain purity in Deuteronomy and Joshua.
His pattern is continued in Kings and throughout the Old Testament with continual war to keep spiritual freedom for the Jewish nation. God provided His power miraculously to Nehemiah and Ezra, giving them the ability to rebuild Jerusalem to free the Jews for His glory–to again free them to serve Him.
This culminates in a perfect sacrifice, the Messiah, Christ on the cross. The power of God to resurrect Christ and defeat death, hell, and Satan; and the blood of Christ spilt on the cross for our salvation from eternal punishment.
Today we fight for freedom, as the Jewish nation did. Not for our spiritual freedom, though that is involved. This freedom is far more temporary than what Christ’s sacrifice provided. Yet, today this freedom still comes at a great price. It costs great power, and precious blood. Today we use the power of our great Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps and spill the blood of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines to maintain our freedom from tyranny. This gives us freedom to worship God.
Those of us who have been here for a time understand it is only temporary. This sacrifice, this payment, this purchase price is dear and must be continually paid just as the sacrifice had to be repeated annually by Jerusalem before Christ willingly gave up His spirit on the cross.
Today, here before us we honor brave individuals stepping forward to say we will fight, we are willing to pay the sacrifice for this freedom. These men and women stand ready to fight back tyranny, to defeat totalitarianism, to stand for freedom. They stand ready to sacrifice for our freedom to worship, freedom to speak, freedom to vote, freedom to write. What is more, our drive for freedom is so strong; we fight to free others, to release them from this tyranny. Just as missionaries are sent out for Christ, we support others fighting for freedom because we know it will continue to keep us free. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines are America’s missionaries of freedom.
God set this pattern in His scripture. Christ fulfilled this pattern for us spiritually on the cross, and He will fulfill it physically at Armageddon. Until that day, we will follow the biblical pattern given to us faithfully.
I have one last thing for you all here. Consider this: have you accepted Christ’s gift? It is available now. Spiritually, a permanent freedom is provided already. If you accept Christ today, you can be spiritually free. With this freedom comes a great physical freedom from the realms of this world. You can be free today if only you take Christ for what He is, a living God who already paid the price for your freedom.
Will you choose freedom, or remain enslaved to the world and the people of the world? For me, I choose freedom! I choose liberty! Give me freedom, give me liberty, or give me death! In death, I go to be with the Savior, the ultimate freedom. Free yourself; take Christ as your savior.
[1] Walvoord, John F., Zuck, Roy B. The Bible Knowledge Commentary/ New Testament, Hebrews by Zane C. Hodges. Victor: Colorado Springs, 2004, p 802.
[2] Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, By Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D.
Public Domain. Formatted and hypertexted by OakTree Software, Inc. Version 1.1
[3] Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Public Domain, Derived from an electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, http://www.ccel.org Formatted and corrected by OakTree Software, Inc. Version 1.0
