Greetings Renaii, you replied:
I only seek one type of freedom and this world cannot provide it.
Luke 4:17-21 (New International Version)
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." [ a ]
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
What is true freedom to live life how we want to? Or to live life according to God's will?
Since true freedom brings with it a great deal of personal responsibility, I will try to answer your question with the truth that has been given me.
True freedom is a type of freedom unimaginable from a human point of view. It is a freedom so liberating as to be frightening to religionists and unintelligeable to the non-spiritual. These are people who are devoid of the guidance of God's Holy Spirit. So, in the case of religionists, they have to have religion to give their life meaning and direction. Their faith is ultimately in the man/men they follow. They have failed to advance beyond religion, beyond the physical, to a purely personal relationship with the living Saviour. The choices you provided (ie. live life how we want to or live life according to God's will) are self limiting according to the Watchtower organization's preconceived biased interpretation of Holy Writ.
True freedom only Christ can give. This freedom is given or is a supernatural consequence of becoming a child of God. It is a by-product, if you will, of the devastating, heart-pained recognition of our own sinful nature and the horrendous realization that we are simply incapable of NOT sinning. It's who we are.....the fallen human state. There's NOTHING we can do of our own cognitive power to save ourselves from this condition. Upon reaching this level of personal deprivation, we stand condemned, ashamed, and defeated before a Holy and Pure God. To be so naked in the presence of pure holiness is what compells us to seek forgiveness. It's only at this point that one realizes the need of a personal saviour. Scripture is faithful in relaying exactly WHO that saviour is. Accepting the One that God has provided for the forgiveness of our sinful state, coupled with our sinful lives (sins by admission and omission) is the only act that will bring a person release from the prison that my Lord is speaking of.
The beauty of the whole journey is that it is all God's doing. We are incapable of seeking God with pure motives of our own accord. In any declared 'god-seeking' claim, it is typically instigated by human selfishness and instinctive self-preservation. We're seeking something.....for ourselves. Hopelessness and helplessness is the natural human plight. It is God that reveals to an individual their sad and hopeless state. When a person reaches the absolute bottom, with nowhere to go and nobody to turn to, and if our own selfish motives are replaced by a 'seeking God's face' for His own Name's sake and not our own, then a wonderful spiritual journey is possible. For then the Father can bring us to the Son. And it is the Son that baptizes with the Holy Spirit (this is an actual event). And it is the Holy Spirit that guides and directs the lives of God's children. The freedom that Christ died to give allows his own to live life and to live it abundantly. It is freedom from religious manmade rules and regulations, because religion will not save anyone.....not now, not ever. Salvation is one-on-one.
When Christ sets a person free, they are free indeed.....free from the condemnation of our sinful nature, free from the dictates of sinful man, free to approach the throne of God to seek forgiveness for committed sins, free to see into the spiritual realm and see the Father, for it is Jesus that reveals the Father. Then the true meaning of worship is revealed for the first time. Worshipping God in spirit and truth is a supernatural, purely unadulterated form of adoration and praise, simply because of who he is. It is so unselfishly motivated as to be beyond human comprehension. It puts one in a spiritual state of absolute AWE, whereby falling to your knees in pure wonder at the magnificence of such a Being is a natural consequence.
The freedom that Christ Jesus gives is all consuming. It's a release from spiritual and physical bondage. It's a life experience of uncalculable value. And it's an on-going journey until we finally see him face-to-face. Thank God he gave us the Holy Spirit to help keep us on track.
Sincerely,
lnunya
PS. I thought perhaps I should add the fact that I was a Jehovah's Witness for 24 years...having become one at the age of 16. I've been free for 12 years now, having disassociated in 1997. It was God Himself that brought me out (supernaturally). It was Jesus Himself that visually showed me the spiritual darkness that surrounds the Jehovah's Witnesses. It was also Him that allowed me to sense His own weeping and to feel His over-whelming compassion over these lost people who prefer their self-imposed darkness rather than His wonderful light.
