Free from bondage to Corruption ...

Monday, July 27, 2015. There is a deep freedom promised by the biblical texts, by the apostles and by Jesus himself to those who believe in him. It is a freedom to be fully human and to be fully trustworthy. There is a freedom to live in the spirit of the Lord …

Glory of Childhood …

We humans tend to look towards many things, and overlook the most important ones. We talk about kingdoms and about business, about billions of dollars or euros or pounds, but we forget that we have most treasurable things in and around us all the time. We tend to celebrate writers and authors, and tend to forget that our humanity itself is most valuable.

On top of all of this we tend to forget that we are not alone, that there is the eternal God. Humans are not meant to be without him. We live in a separation from the Lord. Mankind has lost this connection to its own source, to its origin and its goal. These are monumental ideas and it is monumental insight, which can change your life and my life and the whole world. Let us listen to what the Apostle Paul writes:

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8, 18-23)

Fully Human …

Paul clearly sees and states the pain which is there in the middle of the present creation. And we all know this pain to some extent, we all suffer from the circumstances, from political difficulties, from personal problems, from some other people, from illness or failure or hatred or lies. The corruption Paul is talking about is everywhere.

We follow an illusion, if we ignore the pain which is there in this creation. But there is also much more present. There is the spirit of the Lord present within this creation, in the middle of it. He can even be part of us, when we give our life into his hands. And with this spirit, there is freedom from corruption. It has two dimensions: it is a universional salvation, and it is individual steps at the same time. We are made new by Christ through faith, are made new as a baby is born, new life. And we are called to act and to learn and to live in this freedom.

Our freedom in Christ will be challenged. There will be people who go against us, who want to keep their power, their money, their influence, their dominion. And also we ourselves fail, we bear a lot of this destruction with and in us. The pain and the destruction will not vanish completely, but we take part in this suffering of the whole creation. But as people who follow Christ, we can experience his spirit already today, and he guides and helps us to live as what we are already: kids of the most high, who follow him and live in him. (RWEP) ... more texts