Founder’s Blog
Free from the Law?
Being free is a wonderful thing. We like having free time--time when we can do whatever we desire. We enjoy living in a free country--a place where we can choose our way of life and pursue happiness. But have you ever heard the phrases "free in Christ" or "free from the law"? What does that mean?
At first glance, it might seem like being spiritually free would mean that we are allowed to do whatever we please. But that cannot be right. After all, believing in Jesus does not give us license to sin. We still need to live godly lives, with boundaries and discipline. So in what way are we free?
In order to understand this, we must see freedom from a Hebraic perspective. The HaYesod program will help you gain this biblical worldview shared by Jesus and his first Jewish followers.
In the Hebraic mind, the idea of spiritual freedom is intimately connected with the story of the exodus from Egypt. The children of Israel were enslaved, but God rescued them with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.
Yet the freedom that the Israelites sought in Egypt was not the right to lead lives completely free of obligation. God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh, "Let my people go that they may serve me." Thus, the point of their freedom was not to shed all responsibility. Rather, they are freed from servitude to Pharaoh so that they may serve and obey the God of their fathers.
Indeed, the dramatic exodus from Egypt was not an end in itself. It was merely the beginning of a journey that would culminate both in the willing acceptance of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the conquest of the Promised Land, a place where they would be able to carry out in full all of the Torah's instructions.
The law of Egypt was a law of bondage and death. When God freed them, he was able to give them a law of liberty and life (Compare Deuteronomy 30:16-18). As the book Boundary Stones explains,
The imagery of the slaves in Egypt is particularly apt. Because of their burdens under Egyptian rule, it would have been impossible for them to obey the Torah's commands. They could not choose to rest on the Sabbath day. They could not be selective about their food. They had no ability to bring offerings to God. While slaves in Egypt, the Israelites could not have accepted the Law of God. Thus, when God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he was finally enabling them to carry out his will. (p. 19)
Each of us, in an unredeemed spiritual state, is like an Israelite under Egyptian bondage. Our circumstances and the forces that control us do not even make it possible to serve and obey God. That is why we need spiritual redemption and regeneration.
When we come to faith in Messiah, we experience a new birth. We become a new creation, just like the Israelites coming out from Egypt. We then embark on a journey with God where we learn what he desires from us, and we willingly accept his loving yoke upon us--the Torah.
But what about being "free from the Law"? Actually, that phrase only occurs once in the Bible, and here is the entire quote:
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
In other words, we are not transferred from law to lawlessness; rather, we are freed from the law of sin (which means breaking God's commands) to the law of the Spirit of life. That is the same law--or rather, Torah--revealed to Israel as they entered into covenant with God at Mount Sinai. James refers to it as "the law of liberty" (James 1:25).
Boundary Stones sums it up:
Scripture frequently frames salvation in terms of slavery and freedom. This salvation, "by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5), is not just an end but also a new beginning. Our new identity is in the Messiah, and now we can seek to live righteous and godly lives according to God's revealed will. Since the burden of sin is removed from us, we desire to serve God and keep his commandments. (p. 17)
Are you ready to embark on that journey and learn what it means to be a servant of God? HaYesod will equip you to begin taking steps in the path of biblical living.
We are looking for leaders to partner with us to share this message. Leadership is simple, easy and fun. Here are some comments from students completing HaYesod:
- The program has changed my life in many ways. I am learning so much about our Lord and I hate to see the class end.
- I am trying to integrate the Sabbath into my life on the seventh day of the week and trying to keep it holy. The program is a great learning tool.
- This class has energized my spiritual life! I spend more time reading and studying the scripture since I started this class. There needs to be second part to this class.
- Great Bible study!! Very easy to understand and follow along. HaYesod answered alot of the questions that I already had before I started the study.
Become a leader in the HaYesod program, reach out and effect people's lives by renewing a passion for the word of God and an understanding of a Christian's connection to the Land, the People, and the Scriptures of Israel.
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