The Meaning of True Freedom

"For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same scarifies, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us for after saying. "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds." "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:1-18). The most extensive object lesson God ever gave mankind was the Law, especially the animal sacrifices required by the Law. Time after time, animal after animal, year after year, blood offering after blood offering, the sacrificial smoke filled the altar and ascended to heaven. The act of sacrifice was as commonplace under the Law as the sound of music in our churches is today. But actually, it all was "a shadow of the good things to come." None of it ever took away sins! Animal sacrifice was merely an object lesson; it was a picture without words, a sermon without substance. Not until the Lamb of God offered Himself, one sacrifice for all time; was the picture made perfect. First, note the limited freedom under the Law (10:1-4). The ritual of worship was absolutely prescribed under the Law, with no room left for creativity. In spite of its obscurity, the Law was of life-or-death importance; but it had its limitations. It could not make anyone perfect (v.1). It is obvious that if the Law did perfect people, they never would have had to repeat their sacrifices for the cleansing of their sin. The repetition announced that the Law was never permanently effective. It could not make anyone clean (v.2). Again, if the Law had thoroughly cleansed its subjects the would not have needed to keep going back to the priest for sacrificial cleansing. It could not permanently take away sins (v.4). The writer stresses the impossibility of the removal of sins by shedding the blood of goats and bulls. Second, we see the complete freedom we have in Christ (10:5-14). Because the Law could not do for men what was needed, God gave us His Son, who is introduced in v.5 by the word "therefore." Note two contrasts involving Christ. He offered Himself, rather than an animal (vv. 5-10). God was not pleased by the killing of the animals; His pleasure came from the obedience expressed by the sinners who came to the altar for the cleansing of their sins. Note v.9. Through His obedience, Jesus brought an end to the Law and its requirements as they had been known for so long. He didn't dilute the Law or diminish its importance: He took it away. He made one offering, rather than many (vv. 11-14). Once Jesus offered Himself as the enduring sacrifice, His work was done: He didn't keep returning to the cross or to the tomb. He didn't wear out a path between heaven and earth. He sat down at the right hand of God to intercede on our behalf. The question we must ask ourselves is, "Then why do I keep working so hard to earn favor with God?" Every generation of people has tried to do what Christ has already done. We work, struggle, fight, pray, worry, strive, compete, while He sits resting, just as we ourselves should be doing. The text says, "by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" )v.14). We have been perfected. We must resist the legalists who give us lists of things we must and must not do to accrue God's favor. Rather than focus on the things we are not to do, we are to cultivate within ourselves an obedient attitude-the kind modeled for us by our Savior. Third, observe the freedom benefits we have as believers (10:15-18). When you have a sacrifice-once for all, free for all-you have no boredom, meaninglessness, or monotony. Available to each of us each morning is a fresh day of grace in which to live our life. Why? Two reasons emerge from these verses. Sufficient power is now available within us. The sin issue is no longer our primary concern. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Spiritual Warfare and Holiness

Jesus is called the "Holy One' in Psalm 16:10. God tells us, "Because He is holy, we are also to be holy" (see I Peter 1:15-16). God has called us to be holy (pure and blameless) and like Jesus in every way. Nonetheless, this offers another place for the great deceiver to spin his atrocious lies. How does he do it? By equating holiness with keeping rules. He drives us to do religious things, and he is quick to tell us that if we do just a little more God will accept us. This is the essence of "legalism," a false doctrine that says keeping a list of does and don'ts is the way to become acceptable to God. For many Christians, this system becomes a monstrous burden that they cannot carry. Some give up. Others become judgmental and hypocritical, condemning everyone who isn't practicing the same laws they are, whether it be wearing their hair a certain way, saying prayers at certain times during the day, or attending certain church services "without fail." Satan is the father of this legalistic, performance-oriented, burnout-for-God belief that permeates many churches. We need to understand that true holiness comes by obeying God out of love. Indeed, He calls us to obey Him out of restful love relying on grace to empower us. Jesus despised the legalists during His days on earth. He confronted the greatest legalists of all time, the Pharisees, who had helped devise and enforce hundreds of laws for holy living that even they didn't keep, but pretended to. They had become classic hypocrites, saying one thing in public and practicing another in private. They commanded all Jews to embrace their system of legal holiness. One of Jesus' greatest invitations was to come out of this burdensome system of false religion. In Matthew 11:28-30, He said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." In this classic statement, Jesus proved for all time that He was not a legalist. He offered us rest and freedom, not a long list of dos and don'ts. Yet, many Christians come to me out of such a system, pleading for relief. I am only too happy to point them to the true friend of friends, the One who can make us holy only through the power of God. As a professional woman who dressed well and radiated confidence, Lynn looked supremely elegant and in control. In my office, however as she related how as a child her mother was never home, she wept uncontrollably. The reason: Mom was always working for the church. Her mother often said she was "frantically seeking acceptance by the Lord" and that was what drove her to do so much around her church. Unfortunately, this led Lynn to feel deep rejection by both her mother and God-she had not done as much for the church as her other had-as well as feeling unloved and unlovable. As we studied Scripture together n my office, these "lies" were dispelled, and not only did this lady find acceptance in Christ, but she also was able to forgive her mother. Another lady told me how awful life was after she "lost her salvation." Her sin: She remarried after her abusive husband divorced her. Because of some hard and legalistic teaching she'd heard in her church, she believed that her second marriage constituted perpetual adultery. Her pastor told her, "Adulterers all end up in the lake of fire when they die." This is not an uncommon teaching in the church today, and it disables many Christians emotionally and spiritually. I was able to offer this lady some straight forward scriptural teaching on God's grace and mercy, as well as what constituted adultery and divorce and how God's forgiveness for even the worst cases was always available. As she read the truth of Christ's forgiveness and compassion in her own Bible, her assurance of salvation came back, and through that the Lord confirmed that He loved and accepted her. She told me later it was the most life-changing experience she'd ever had. In my estimation, legalism is the greatest battleground for deceiving Christians today. We have to remember that it is not merely hard to live a holy Christian life; it is impossible! Without the filling and power of the Holy Spirit, no one can possibly please God. No list of rules and trying to keep them (and failing) can generate real holiness. But through the Spirit, the power to live out God's real rules, beomces resident inside us. We can please God as we walk in the Spirit. We will follow the rules because they're written on our hearts, not on our Bible flyleaves. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Fool Me Once Shame on You

Please read Galatians 2:1-10. "This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." Paul's first fight for Christian liberty was at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:1-35). His second was at a private meeting with Peter (Gal. 2:11-21). Because of Paul's courage, the Gospel was kept free from legalism, and it was carried to the Gentiles with great blessing. We must get acquainted with the participants. 1. Barnabas-son of encouragement. 2. Titus-a Gentile believer. 3. Peter, James, and John are the pillars of the Church in Jerusalem. Remember Peter was given the keys. James was the half brother of Jesus and pastor of the Jerusalem Church. Note the three acts in this drama. I. Act 1-the private consultation. Jewish legalists were teaching that a Gentile had to become a Jew before he could become a Christian (Acts 15:1). They taught that submitting to circumcision meant accepting and obeying the whole Jewish law. When Paul and Barnabas confronted these men the result was a heated argument (Acts 15:2). Thus the Jerusalem conference was held. The result was the Apostles and Elders approved Paul's Gospel (Gal. 2:6b), and thereby declared the Judaizers to be wrong. II. Act 2-the public convocation. The first witness was Peter. He makes it clear that there is but one way of salvation: faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 15:7-11). Next Paul and Barnabas told what God had done among the Gentiles (Acts 15:12). Titus, uncircumcised, became a "Test case" (Acts 15:1). James gave the summation of the arguments and the conclusion of the matter (Acts 15:13-21). Paul won. Paul's concern was "The truth of the Gospel," not the Peace of the church." The wisdom that God sends from above is "First pure, then peaceable" (James 3:17). III Act 3-the personal confirmation. The assembly recognized publicly that God had committed the Gentile aspect of His work into Paul's hands. Peter and Paul preached the same Gospel. Paul explained his independence from the apostles then he points out his interdependence with the apostles. In this passage we then move from the Theological to the practical-helping the poor. Correct doctrine is never a substitute for Christian duty (James 2:14-26). Right teaching results in right living. Are you enjoying your freedom in Christ? "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and don't be entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1). Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The God Box

Jeremiah 2:11 "Has a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit." The above verse speaks of putting God in a man made box. Here are some of the boxes I have observed God being stuffed into. I. The ritual box. God is a distant presence who only wants to be honored by patterned worship. II. The fairy godmother box. Whenever we have a need we can run to him, expecting him to wave his hand and make everything better. III. The Burger King box. God will do it our way. We treat His truth like a smorgasbord. Flannery O'Connor said "The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." IV. The generic box. Churches today compete for attendance by making Christianity as watered down as possible. Such Churches never face a call to discipleship that befits the Lord of glory and transforms their lives. V. The self help box. Ben Franklin said "God helps those who help themselves." Robert Schuller said "You can be anything you want to be, you can go anywhere if your are willing to dream big and work hard." The idea is you are the master of your own destiny; God only helps out as a silent partner. VI. The formula box. The most evident result of scientific thought on theology. We serve God by obeying principles such as six steps to a more vital prayer life, five steps to deal with anger. We must never miss the Person of the principle. VII The God told me to box. This box allows us to pursue our own ambitions by stamping them with God's endorsement. Its amazing how many people today God has called to be rich and famous, and how few He has called to self-sacrificing ministry. In conclusion: these boxes motivate people to action, and those actions can produce temporal results. Extra effort can make significant temporal change for many people, but they never learn to trust God, to hear His voice, to submit their lives to His ways and find true life in Christ. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Your Mission

Paul wrote to the Colossians because there was heresy being brought into the church. In order to destroy false teaching he taught them the truth. "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." (Colossians 1:28,29). Before his conversion to Christ Paul had been a member of the Sanhedrin. He had been a strict Jew of the sect of the Pharisees. Paul really knew what bad new was, it was living as a legalistic Pharisee, apart from God. Once Paul received the revelation of the grace of God it became the theme of every conversation. He couldn't stop talking about Jesus and what the Lord was doing in him. Being led by the Holy Spirit, he would warn (counsel) and teach (instruct) everyone in the wisdom of God, with the purpose of presenting them to the Lord as mature (perfect) believers. Paul didn't just preach the gospel, he preached the whole counsel of God. Paul proclaimed a person (we proclaim Him), not just a philosophy. Paul had to expend physical, mental and spiritual energy toiling to this end. The entire statement shows that through faith in Christ we can link our life with a source of strength that enables us to rise above our natural limitations. This was a total change from his Pharisaical days when religious duties were performed in the flesh. We live in a day when good is called evil and evil is called good. Anyone who stands for the truth taught in the Scriptures is likely to be castigated by being labeled intolerant. Paul knew it takes Biblical truth to change a life and he wasn't afraid to stand up and declare it. How about you, are you willing to proclaim Christ, that others might come to know Him? Are you helping others grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ? Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

What are you filled with?

The theme of filling is important. When I was in Seminary one of my professors came up with the idea that the filling of the Holy Spirit was not for this age. the theory when like this, there is only one verse in the New Testament that commands us to be filled with the Spirit. "Be not drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." Looking at the verse through academic lenses it was thought to teach that we are to have the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. It was explained to me that if a person is filled with baloney, he has the characteristics of baloney. Thus a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit would thus develop the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. This teaching began to catch on and spread like wild fire. During this time period, in the circles I was in, there seemed to be an over reaction to some of the Holy Spirit excesses in another movement, thus is seemed best to strip the Holy Spirit of all power in this age. These "brilliant academics" still allowed to Holy Spirit to save souls and to "help" when you read the Bible. When one of these enlightened professors ended up going to prison for attempted murder the "doctrine" was re-examined.In Colossians 2:9-10 we read "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. "The Father, and the Holy Spirit live in Christ, and Christ lives in the believer. God say we have been given fullness in Christ who is the head over "Every power and authority." For the believer it's never a power problem, it's a relational problem. How am I relating to the One who lives in me? Am I trusting Him fully with my life? Do I enjoy sweet fellowship with Him on a moment by moment basis. Do I view Christ as my Lord, Savior and Friend or do I see him as one judgemental legalist who is out to get me should I step out of line. We tend to see our Lord in the light of the "Santa Clause is coming to town" theology. The old song goes "You better watch out, you better not pout, Santa Clause is coming to town." This all knowing legalist is watching you all the time and if you step out of line he is going to only give you a lump of coal, no toys or warm soup for you. Our culture created Santa Clause because they couldn't handle Jesus. The truth is they can't handle Santa Clause. Do you spend your day looking over your shoulder? Do you live in constant fear that you might step out of line and God will zap you. Are you afraid when things are going well that the next shoe is going to drop. Do you assign your trials and hardships to God getting back at you because you did not buck up and do your very best. Maybe it's time to step back and look at God through the lens of the Scriptures. Here is the truth, He lives in us, loves us and has our back. He is very willing to work on our sin with us when we are ready to. He certainly wants us to live out what He has already done in our lives. We are righteous, whole, and forgiven because of His blood. We are accepted in Him. In Christ there is no condemnation for the believer. Jesus loves us and likes us. He is so crazy about us that He can't take His eyes off of us.This same God lives fully in our lives. He is not way out there, He lives right in the center of our lives. "Christ in me the hope of Glory." What are you filled with today?

Spiritual Maturity

Please take the time to read Galatians 4:1-18. One of the tragedies of legalism is that it gives the appearance of spiritual maturity when in reality it leads the believer back into second childhood. Paul takes three approaches in this section of Scripture as he seeks to convince the Galatians that they do not need legalism in order to live the Christian life. They have all they need in Jesus Christ. First, Paul explains adoption. What we were: children in bondage. What God did: Redeemed us. What we are: sons and heirs. The son has the same nature as the father, but the servant does not. The son has a father, while the servant has a master. The son obeys out of love, while the servant obeys out of fear. The son is rich, while the servant is poor. The son has a future, while the servant does not. Second, He laments their regression. They abandoned liberty for bondage. They were giving up the power of the Gospel for the weakness of law, and the wealth of the Gospel for the poverty of law. Third, he seeks their affection. Paul now turns from spanking to embracing. He reminds them of their love for him and his love for them. Paul asks "What has happened to that love?" Paul had proved to be their loving friend. He told them the truth, but the Judaizers told them lies. Paul sough to glorify Christ, but the Legalists glorified themselves and their converts. They had not lost the experience of salvation, but they were losing the enjoyment of their salvation. The tragedy is they did not realize their losses. Is your Christian life moving forward into liberty or backward into bondage? Think carefully before you answer.

The Elder Brother Syndrome

In Luke 15 we have the story of a prodigal son who repented and an elder brother who did not.The account gives us insight into the heart of our Heavenly Father. When the sinful son came to himself in a hog pen he drew three implications from his sin. 1. He sinned against heaven. 2. He sinned against his father. 3. The son recognized that he was no longer worthy to be called a son-sin leaves us with an acute feeling of having lost the Fathers fellowship. When the son repented he headed back to his father. True repentance cannot be divorced from action. Repentance drives us to the arms of our Heavenly Father, who stand ready to forgive and restore. Note the signs that the prodigal had been fully restored to the status of son. 1. The signet ring, given so that the son could act in the name of his father. It was a sign of trust and authority. Luke 15:22. 2. The father did not mourn or regret the return of the son, he celebrated the restoration. The real point of the parable is the attitude and action of the elder son. Luke 15:26-28. The statement "There go I but for the grace of God," may be a statement of pride. Our view of sinners should be one of great sorrow, for they are lost. Only by purging the "elder brother syndrome" from the church can we ever hope to win the world for Christ. Serving God involves more than a slavish adherence to a legal code, it includes love for ones fellow man. We have no right to be selfish when it comes to the love and blessings of God.We have no right to hog God's grace. The elders brothers hurt feelings tumbled out in a torrent against the father. 1. It omitted any form of respectful address. 2. It spoke of his relationship as being less than a son, "Behold these many years I have slaved for you." 3. He reminded his father that he had always obeyed his commands. 4. He bitterly accused his father of having never rewarded him properly. 5. He indulged in character assassination of his brother. The bitter, unforgiving elder brother missed grace, he did not understand that grace is what the Lord does for us, not what we do for the Lord. Grace is the very thing that allows us to put up with the yokels that show up week after week in our local churches. The amazing thing about them is that they have been redeemed and they in truth are very much like we are. Really, the amazing thing about grace is they are able to put up with, accept and love us. That's God's grace in action and it's very attractive.

Spiritual warfare and legalism

Let's look at snapshots in the life of Abraham (Gen. 12-22). In Gen. 12:1-3 Abraham is called by God (his matriculation in the school of faith). The promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) was that he would be blessed of God so that in him all the nations (or families) on the earth might be blessed. This was the Old Testament "Great Commission." Abraham was chosen, and, through him, Israel was called as the people of God. The initial choice of Abraham, however, was for the benefit of all the nations (see Gen. 22:18). In Gen. 12:10-20: Abraham forgets Who is in control and instructs Sarah to lie about their relationship (an unexpected pop quiz which Abraham fails). There are no explicit instructions given to Abraham about God's provision in the famine, so he goes on his own initiative to Egypt. Fearing the Egyptians, and forgetting God's ability to save, he lies about his relationship with Sarah to the Egyptians, Pharaoh's rebuke of Abraham's lie is unanswerable. God is not beyond using unbelievers to teach us about the faith. In Gen. 15:1-6: Abraham believes God, and his belief is credited as righteousness (his mid-term exam, which he aces). Abraham had not yet produced the child that God had promised, and he was questioning whether this would be fulfilled (Gen. 15:1-3). God assures him that it will by taking him outside and showing him the splendor of the universe. The One Who created the stars is the One Who made the promise (Gen. 15:4-5). Abraham's response was to believe (Gen. 15:6), he stopped looking for the gift and started looking at the Giver of all gifts. Abraham "believed in the Lord." This faith did not come as a result of Abraham's work or emotions, but as a response to God's display of His power and majesty. Abraham placed his complete certainty in God's ability to accomplish His purposes. It was reckoned to him for righteousness. God reckoned (credited, hesheb), this Hebrew word is used 121 times in the Old Testament. The basic root of this word refers to using the mind in thinking activity. It has six clearly distinguished variations, including planning, making a judgment, meditating, imputing, inventing and accounting (bookkeeping). Imputing, or counting, is the sense here. Faith is not righteousness, but the reason for it. Righteousness is given to Abraham as a result of his faith. In Gen. 16:1-6: Abraham and Sarah (another pop-quiz and another failure). Abraham has just been declared righteous for believing God will provide descendants-and now he chooses his own way to bring about the fulfillment of God's promise. God is determined to eliminate every possibility except the miraculous in providing Abraham with an heir. It is important to see here that Abraham is guided by the voice of Sarah, not the voice of God. In each character can be seen false pride, false blame, and false neutrality. In Gen. 20:1-7: Abraham again does not trust God (learning another failure). Even so, God protects him. Just before the story of Isaac's birth we once again see Abraham lying to protect himself. Again we are reminded that it is by the grace of God that Isaac is to be born. In Gen. 22:1-18: Abraham's ultimate test: the sacrifice of Isaac (his final research paper, which he passes with flying colors). This is the most significant test of Abraham's entire life. Can he trust God to provide even though Isaac be slain? Who comes first in Abraham;s life-Isaac or God? The parallel between what Abraham was asked to do and what God actually did is obvious-the offering of a son as the ultimate sign of commitment and love. Please read Galatians 4:19-31. The Gospel is a huge threat to Satan's kingdom, because it takes lost souls out of the kingdom of darkness and places them in God's Kingdom of Light. In response the evil one stirs up false teachers to pervert the Gospel. These heritics are called the Judaizers, who appealed to the law, Paul accepts their challenge and uses the law to prove that Christians are not under the law. he takes the familiar story of Ishmael and Isaac and draws from it basic truths about the Christian's relationship to the Law of Moses. I. Let's do a quick recap of the historical facts. At age 75 Abraham was called by God to go to Canaan; at this time God promised him many descendants. At age 85 the promised son has not arrived and Sarah becomes impatient. She suggests that Abraham have a son by Hagar. At age 86 Abraham impregnates Hagar and Sarah gets jealous. At age 99 God speaks to Abraham and promises again that he will have a son by Sarah. At age 100 the son is born. At age 103 at the feast of weaning Ishmael mocks Isaac. II. The spiritual truths taught. Isaac illustrates the believer in several particulars. He was born by God's power. He brought joy to his father. He grew and was weaned. He was persecuted. Hagar, illustrating the Law, was added. Hagar was a slave. Hagar was not meant to bear a child. Hagar gave birth to a slave. Hagar was cast out. Hagar never married. God did not give the Law to any other nation or people, including the church. III. The practical blessings. The law and the old nature want to persecute us and bring us into bondage. We can try to change them, however flesh can't change flesh, this strategy will always fail. We can try to compromise with them, this leads to double mindedness. We can cast them out. "Put off the old man." "Walk in the Spirit and do not obey the lusts of the flesh." Paul said "I die daily." We are not under the Law, but under grace. The new birth we received is just as much a miracle as when Isaac was conceived. The Law brought condemnation, Jesus through the new birth brings life. "He came to give life and that more abundantly." The Law did not give you life and the Law will not sustain life. Paul said "Christ is our life." Don't fall under the spell of a modern day Judaizer.