Key to the Shackles

By Jerry D. Ousley

            What a glorious time it was.  Paul and Barnabas had been traveling on their first missionary journey.  Great things had taken place and many converts had come to Christ from among the Gentiles.  People were coming to God and the Church was growing rapidly.  The men had returned to Antioch where it had all begun for them.  After reporting what had been accomplished through God for the Kingdom, they rejoiced greatly and they stayed there for a long time (see Acts 14:28).

            However, just as it seems to be with everything, while they were there a group of men, apparently Jewish Christians, came to Antioch and told them that “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1). There’s always a spoil-sport; someone to throw a wrench into the smoothly running cog wheels of success.  The Church was growing as apparent evidence proved, without the shackles of the Jewish Law.

            Paul wasn’t one to take it on the chin easily.  When he knew he had heard from God, who wasn’t going to sit back and be run over.  The Bible tells us in Acts 15:2 that there was “no small dissension and dispute with them …”   In attempt to settle the matter Paul and Barnabas left for Jerusalem to go before the leaders of the Church, namely Peter and James (the brother of Jesus). They presented their case and it was Peter who spoke first.  Remember, that the presentation of the gospel to the Gentiles was first given to him when he was sent to the house of Cornelius.  After prayer and careful consideration, they decided to send a letter to the Gentile converts.  In it they wrote that they should do these things and not be bound by the Law of Moses:

That they abstain from things polluted by idols

That they stay away from sexual immorality

That they refrain from meats that had been strangled

And that they stay away from eating meats with the blood still in it.

That was it.  Later on, Paul wrote to the Corinthian church “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.  All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) and again, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful, all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”  (1 Corinthians 10:23).  Both of these verses simply mean that as a free believer in Jesus Christ, we are given the right to do what we want, but to always remember that everything we might desire to do is not helpful for us or others, and that not all things edify Jesus Christ.  Also, that, just as Paul did, we should not allow anything to make us slaves to it. One more thing; Paul also wrote, again in 1 Corinthians, that “… all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11).  This is in reference to the Old Testament occurrences, wars, laws and even the “Big Ten” – the Ten Commandments.  Now before anyone rips their clothes and cries blasphemy, let me clarify by saying that the “Big Ten” are wonderful precepts to live by.  They teach us to put God first and to love and consider our neighbors and fellow men. They teach us to obey our parents and learn from them.

While they are good precepts to live by, we must realize that Jesus Christ came to be our final sacrifice for sin, and to free us from the bondage of sin and the law (read Romans 7 and 8).

Then we have the words of Jesus Himself from Matthew 5:16-18, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” 

So, how do we put this all together?  Jesus spoke the key in the verses above.  He plainly said that He came to fulfill it.  He didn’t do away with it.  After all, it is the Law given by God.  However, Jesus, through His very own sacrifice, fulfilled all the requirements of the Law.

Jesus has become the key to remove the shackles placed on man by, first of all, his own sin and then by all the requirements of the Law to make man be good.  When Jesus was asked which of the Laws were the greatest, He answered, “… ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40). 

I have written all of this because I have noticed a lot of reference today, both on Facebook and in articles written as news regarding what Christians should and shouldn’t do.  There are many today who are once again trying to say that we must fulfill Old Testament Laws that Jesus plainly said that He had fulfilled.  He did this in our place, knowing that we could never do it ourselves.

We Americans want to think that we are like the Jews, or sometimes even better than the Jews.  But we are not.  We are Gentiles. As such we are not subject to the Old Testament requirements but to those outlined by our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Apostles and Paul.  We have freedom in Jesus.  He has unlocked the shackles placed upon us by our own selves, by our own sin, and by the Law.

However, in our freedom, let’s not forget that we should be careful not to let those things that do not edify God or His Church and that could cause us to return to a greater physical bondage, overcome us and become our new masters.  Don’t trade one shackle for another.  But remain free – Free from the shackles of men and of the devil.  The shackles have been unlocked.  But many choose to now shake them off.  Do that now and know that the key, Jesus, has freed you.  Walk in your freedom wisely.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.?  Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.