Freedom From The Ultimate Prison
What Does the Bible Say About the Ultimate Prison and Oppression?
The Bible is God's story of release from prison, darkness, slavery and oppression. These are words the Bible uses to describe our spiritual captivity to the curse of sin and death. Although man was created without sin he was given the ability to commit sin. God placed the man, Adam, and the woman, Eve, in the garden of Eden with one commandment, "Don't eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil." God then allowed Satan to tempt them. Why? Because without the fall we would never have known the depth of God's love.
Eve believed the lie of the serpent in which the spirit of Satan had entered. She offered the forbidden fruit to Adam and he also ate of it, disobeying God's law. The result was that the representative of mankind, our father Adam, sinned and through sin death came into the world (Romans Ch 5) therefore, all men sin and die because we are from Adam.
Since that time, man has been subject to the curse of death both in the physical, as well as, the spiritual sense. He is also subject and enslaved to the power of sin, imprisoned in spiritual darkness, cursed and unholy, bound to spend eternity in the lake of fire with Satan and his angels.
The story starts off pretty grim but we see hope, in the promise of God in Gen 3:15 that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent but the serpent would bruise his heel. This prophetic promise was fulfilled a few thousand years later by Jesus.
Paul tells us in Galatians 3:16 that this promised Seed is Christ, referring to the promised son of Abraham who would bless all nations by His victory over the serpent through the voluntary sacrifice of His own life. By dying on the cross, the curse of sin and death was placed upon Him and removed from those, who by the power of the Holy Spirit, believe in Him. This is the Good News (AKA) the Gospel and it is life and light and freedom to all who believe. This is also called the New Covenant that was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31 and Ezekiel 36:26-28.
Between the giving of the promise in Gen 3:15 and the fulfillment of that promise by Jesus on the cross, the Bible records for the benefit of our faith the story and destiny of humanity divided into two nations. The one nation rejects the promise and remains under the curse while the other nation, the Holy Nation, embraces the promise since they are the true people of God who worship Him in spirit (the Holy Spirit) and truth (eyes that see and ears that hear the Word of God) John 4:23. Because Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness - Genesis 15:6, so we see, "it is by grace we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2: 8,9
The Holy nation (formerly in prison) is called by God out of darkness (1 Pet 2:9) and delivered from captivity and set free Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18. They are a blessed people that mourn over their sin; they are humble because they know they are without goodness, or merit and deserving of no good thing from God. This nation clings to the promise of God and stakes their entire life that He will always keep His Word. They know in their hearts that Jesus is the Promise, He is the Seed that crushed the oppression of the serpent and took away Satan's claim of ownership upon them. He did this by paying the ransom fee with His own blood on the cross. Only His blood has the power to wash away the stain of sin. So that when a believer stands before the judgement throne of God, He does not see sin but the righteousness of a perfect sacrifice.
Psalms 102:19,20 and 79:11 Says that God "looked down from...His sanctuary ...to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death." This was a prophecy of the freedom he would give us. We are no longer prisoners of sin, condemned to die, but rather we are alive to God for all eternity to love Him, worship Him and enjoy Him forever. Have you repented for your sins and forsaken all things in obedience to Him, and placed your life in His hands, trusting in the work of Jesus Christ our God and King?
CFA are ambassadors of Christ and advocates for finding ultimate freedom in the work and power of Jesus
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed - John 8:36
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who ever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life - John 3:16
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10: 9,10