Because it is so far reaching, what we are about to discuss is probably the most significant of all the topics in this publication.  The human body has certain vital organs, which are absolutely essential to life.  Some of these, such as the heart, are given a high profile, whereas the unglamorous liver is less frequently lauded, despite performing scores of functions for the body.  Similarly, although correct understanding of the topic at hand is vital to our spiritual warfare, it has been subtly compromised and made to appear unimportant.  We are about to examine a traditional expression that is deeply engrained throughout conversation, preaching, prayer, and song.  When the concept is correctly understood and proclaimed in faith, unprecedented spiritual victories are the inevitable result.

In Luke 4:16-21, we find the Lord Jesus reading the scripture concerning Himself to the congregation of the synagogue, handing the scroll back to the minister, and declaring ?This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.?  When He sat down, every eye was upon Him, because He had occupied the long empty chair reserved for the Messiah of Israel.  He had read, of course, from Isaiah 61, verse 1 and the first part of verse 2: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me: because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.

Even prior to His sacrifice on Calvary, the Messiah of Israel was proclaiming liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those in bondage, saying the scripture was fulfilled that very day.  Note that the liberty of captives was announced, as well as the opening of prison doors.  This portion of scripture is a classic demonstration of double meaning:

1. It applies of course to what the Lord Jesus did between the time of His death on Calvary and His resurrection from the dead.  He emptied the compartment of Sheol where righteous saints of the Old Testament were detained (Psalm 68:18 & Ephesians 4:8-10), and He preached to imprisoned spirits, declaring their judgment (1 Peter 3:19 ).

2. In Luke 4, the Lord Jesus did not read the last portion of Isaiah 61:2 concerning proclamation of the day of God's vengeance, because it was not that day fulfilled or applicable to the synagogue gathering.  What He did read applied to the people of His day, and of course to us now.  Because of Christ, we are free, and all prison doors are open.

Although the scripture was fulfilled as He spoke freedom and ministered liberty, it is difficult to explain how much better conditions became for all those receiving the Holy Spirit infilling after Christ's ascension, and especially for us who have the New Testament scriptures.

The traditional expression for this blessed deliverance from bondage has been subtly distorted, and in some cases, self-righteously justified.  It has become habitual, to the extent that even ministers of renown innocently use the expression.

The encouraging news is that amelioration is exceedingly simple and easy, but we must concentrate on what we are saying in order to break an old habit.  God is gracious, and when welcomed, the Holy Spirit will help us, fully demonstrating His proficiency as Paraclete.

Ask almost any believer, pastors notwithstanding, to finish the scripture portion where Jesus said: And ye shall know the truth, and??  The quick response will almost invariably be: ?the truth shall set you free.?  Answering that known truth sets us free is only half correct.  The Lord Jesus said: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32 ), and: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36 ).

Suppose we quietly go to a prison or penitentiary, distract the guards, and set some prisoners free.  As soon as the captors discover what has happened, there will be an immediate unrelenting effort to round up the escapees.  Why is there the determined campaign to recapture every last one who got away?  It is because they have no legal right to be free.  All inmates are tried, judged, sentenced to incarceration, and required to serve the time associated with the conviction.

The Word of God clearly teaches that all those who have believed on Jesus have been made free:  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Romans 6:18 ).  This is repeated four verses later in the same chapter:  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life (Romans 6:22 ).

Spiritually, the enemy has no legal right to keep God's people in bondage.  [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1,2).  The word 'condemnation' here means 'the judgment against', which brings a penalty, but because the Lord Jesus bore our judgment, paid the penalty for sin, and rose from the dead, we who believe on Him have been made free from the law of sin and death.

Because of His sinless life, the Lord Jesus could not legally be held in death.  The wages of sin is death, and He died because He bore the sin of all mankind.  The price was paid for our redemption, but because of His holiness, He did not deserve eternal damnation and could not legally be detained any longer than three days and nights.  The Father did not leave His soul in hell or suffer His Holy One to see corruption (Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:27,3l; 13:35 ).  There is likewise no legal claim against those who are risen with Christ, that is, all who are saved (Romans 6:3-5), because they were made free by His resurrection from the dead.

We have thus been made free, and have the legal right to be free.  The apostle Paul exhorts us to live that way:  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1).  Being made free designates that we have been fashioned that way by the Lord, not simply released (set free) from bondage.  In the plan of God, we were ordained to be free, because of the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

When you 'spring' someone from jail, they're then on their own, trying to avoid capture.  God didn't just set us free and tell us to keep running, He made us free, and expects us, unlike unbelieving Israel, to understand His Word of liberating truth by the Spirit given unto us:  Now the Lord is that Spirit:  and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).  We are to put on the whole Armour of God, and having done all, stand in the evil day, because we are not fugitives subject to recapture:  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (Ephesians 6:11 ,13,14).  No running, sense of guilt, or unworthiness apply to those who have the righteousness of Christ.

Some may still question the significance of using the word made rather than set, as long as we know the difference doctrinally.  The short answer is that the two words are not interchangeable, but let us elaborate on this point further:

Many believers can testify of God's grace in healing of their bodies.  Some will tell of the many times God has healed them of various ailments.  Such testimonies are wonderful, but at the same time almost tragic.  There is something much better than becoming sick and getting healed over and over again.  Perceived vulnerability to sickness is pathetic, since it presupposes that one simply has to expect at least occasional subjugation to some sort of disease.

Moses delivered the Word of the Lord to Israel :

• And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians:  for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26).

• And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.  There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in they land:  the number of thy days I will fulfill (Exodus 23:25 ,26).

• Thou shalt be blessed above all people:  there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.  And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all [them] that hate thee (Deuteronomy 7:14,15).

We find in these references that God not only provided healing for Israel , but promised immunity from diseases, declaring that infertility and abortion (miscarriage) would not be experienced by man or livestock.  These promises were of course conditional upon Israel's obedience, but divine health was nevertheless available under the Law.

We likewise must follow the Lord with our whole heart, but we have a better covenant established on better promises, than did Israel, and it is mediated by Christ Jesus:  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises (Hebrews 8:6).

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13 ), borne our sicknesses, weaknesses and pains (Isaiah 53:4), and we have been healed by the stripes our Redeemer bore (1 Peter 2:24 ).  Once we understand that we have been made free, repeated subjection to sickness and disease should be disallowed, and we are able to walk in divine health.  We don't need to be set free, remain in liberty for a while, come into bondage again, be set free, etc, etc.  Because we have been made free, we do not need to experience sickness or any evil disease.

Divine health is available for those (1) who are upright before the Lord and (2) appropriate the promise.  Nobody can live a Christian life for someone else, so both prerequisites to divine health are dependent upon each individual personally.  Imagine the degree to which each pastor's performance would be facilitated and progress made in reaching the lost, if the majority of Christians laid hold of this truth.  Much of the preoccupation with self, and the repeated requests for prayer to be set free would be gone. Hospital visitation would be greatly reduced, and money formerly designated for elaborate, expensive pharmaceutical prescriptions or medical bills could be redirected to worthy mission outreaches.

It should be emphasized that the liberation of Israel from Egypt was an emancipation to make each individual whole in spirit, soul, and body.  Believers today should likewise recognize that the divine health afforded by the vicarious atonement of Christ applies to the entire makeup of mankind.

The apostle Paul's exhortation to believers at Colosse is noteworthy:  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.  For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: (Colossians 2:8-10).  It is every Christian's responsibility to appropriate the benefits purchased for them by the sacrificial Lamb of God.

Just as we were redeemed from all manner of physical disease, we were also redeemed from emotional, mental, and psychological disease!  The list of things from which we have been delivered is truly remarkable.  A partial list of that from which Christ Jesus made us free from includes:  aggravation, agitation, antagonism, anxiety, complaining, confusion, cowardice, disobedience, disorganization, disrespect, distraction, fear (including all phobias), forgetfulness, frustration, hyperactivity, hypercriticism, impatience, impertinence, inefficiency, ingratitude, insanity, insolence, insubordination, intolerance, intractability, irritability, jealousy, laziness, lying, misery, moodiness, murmuring, pessimism, pride, rebellion, restlessness, retaliation, self-exaltation, self-importance, selfishness, self-pity, self-rejection, self-righteousness, shame, short temperedness, strife, stubbornness, tension, timidity, worry.

The psalmist David knew the Good Shepherd very well:  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul:  he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake (Psalm 23:1-3).

Because the Lord is our shepherd, we have no want or lack.  He is our shepherd, and we have abundance.  We have no sense of boredom, frustration, inferiority, or of being unfulfilled, and our life has meaning.  The Prince of Peace causes us to rest where we may be refreshed and where there is no frenzy or tumult as we simply trust Him:  Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind is stayed [on thee]:  because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3).

The rest God provides is not simply cessation of activity, and His peace is not merely absence of turmoil.  It supernaturally imparts restoration, security and recognition of well-being.

Notice that our Good Shepherd restores our soul (emotion, intellect, and will), so that we are free to dispense compassion and kindness, remembering His grace, mercy and goodness.  We are able to choose to forgive and show His love, even to our enemies.  In writing to his son in the faith, Paul stated:  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear (timidity); but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

The Good Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness, but the choice is ours whether or not we will follow Him.  The restored will must be exercised to walk in His righteousness.

When assailed, beleaguered, and in distress, the Psalmist 'got a grip on himself', by using reminders to shake off depression, because it is reasonable to place hope and confidence in God.  This is mentioned three times:

• Why art thou cast down, O my soul?  and [why] art thou disquieted in me?  hope thou in God:  for I shall yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance (Psalm 42:5)

• Why art thou cast down, O my soul?  and why art thou disquieted within me?  hope thou in God:  for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God (Psalm 42:11).

• Why are thou cast down, O my soul?  and why art thou disquieted within me?  hope in God:  for I shall yet praise him, [who] is the health of my countenance, and my God (Psalm 43:5.)

He also demonstrated his confidence in God:  [Yet] the LORD will command his loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song [shall] be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life (Psalm 42:8).

Christians should remember that nobody is always happy all the time, because happiness largely depends on happenings, not all of which are necessarily pleasant.  Joy, however, is another matter.  The joy of the Lord is available even in the most trying circumstances or situations.

When we rejoice in Him, we are even strong physically as well as emotionally and spiritually:  Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared:  for [this] day is holy unto our LORD:  neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.  So the Levites stilled all the people, saying Hold your peace, for the day [is] holy; neither be ye grieved.  And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them (Nehemiah 8:10 -12).

Because the people followed the instructions, it is obvious that we can decide not to grieve or dwell on problems, but rather concentrate on rejoicing.  The people of Israel had great mirth because they understood the word of the Lord unto them from Nehemiah.

The Lord Himself is the source of the joy which is our strength:  Thou wilt shew me the path of life:  in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11 ).  The oft quoted portion from Isaiah is easily explained by what the Psalmist declared:  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).  Joy is imparted unto those who get into the presence of the Lord in worship and prayer.  Spirit and soul are refreshed; they are strengthened and the worshipper does not tire physically.

The apostle Paul takes up a similar refrain:  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost (Romans 15:13 ).  We take our hope in God, believing His Word unto us, and from the peace we have in Him, joy becomes our portion.

There is no joy in grumbling, complaining, murmuring, backbiting, or criticizing.  There is joy in believing God.  In his epistle to the church at Philippi , Paul refers to joy associated with having faith:  And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; (Philippians 1:25 ).

The Apostle Peter also alludes to the association between joy, rejoicing, and faith in God, declaring that the soul is saved (restored) as people exercise faith in God and rejoice:  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  Receiving the end of your faith, [even] the salvation of [your] souls (1 Peter 1:8,9).

We can have the peace of God that surpasses human reason, but we must give no place to anxiety.  We are rather with gratitude to make the desires of our hearts known to God in prayer, and then our hearts and minds are sustained:  Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6,7).

We are not to dwell on anything that undermines faith, but rather gird up the loins of our mind to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8).

Everyone who has received Christ as Saviour has been made free.  They received the gift of righteousness when they believed:  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:  for there is no difference:  (Romans 3:21 ,22).

Believers should exercise the wisdom of God:  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:  (1 Corinthians 1:30 ).  Those who are saved should also think as the Lord thinks:  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16 ).

The apostle Paul would not have prayed as he did for the saints at Ephesus if the objective was impossible:  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19 ).

Additionally, God's nature is imparted to us through His promises:  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:  that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:3,4).

These many scripture references emphasize the truth of our salvation in the past tense.  There can be no illusionary appeal to intermittent neuroses or spasmodic melancholia from which we think we must be set free.  Neglecting personal Bible study, prayer and worship is a recipe for spiritual anemia, misery of soul, and physical weakness.  Christ made us free and is returning for a Church without blemish or imperfection, clothed in garments of righteousness that he has graciously provided.

Knowing that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine (Proverbs 17:22), we keep God's praises on our lips from an overflowing fountain of joy in our hearts:  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; (Ephesians 5:18,19).

Up to this point, it has been shown that divine health and the continued blessing of God were available even in the Old Testament, and may be more easily appropriated today because of Christ's victory.  Moreover, the benefit of the abiding Holy Spirit to New Testament believers can hardly be overstated.  Let us now examine our spiritual obligation in this matter and how we are to lay hold of these benefits.

The apostle Paul explained to the Corinthian church that what happened to Israel is recorded for our admonition, and these examples (ensamples) demonstrate eternal principles:  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:  and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come (1 Corinthians 10:11 ).  Accordingly, to avoid spiritual pitfalls, we should study and understand God's dealings with His chosen people, because human nature has not changed, and God cannot change (Malachi 3:56).