You are free in Christ and no longer confined to rules and regulations found in the Law of Moses. Most of us today are not held by dietary laws, nor bound by ritualistic repetitions but are freed to worship God in Spirit and truth.
Jesus came as a baby who was to grow up and die for your sins so repeatable sacrifices no longer had to be made. The law no longer binds you.
Digging Deeper: Luke 2:22-52
Key Verses:And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:21-24)
I found the stories of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35), Anna (Luke 2:36-40), and the young Jesus conversing with the teacher’s fascinating. I’d love to study them deeper. I’ve got to say that today’s four key verses captivated me and got my heart grasping some truths in a way I never had before.
How are you free in Jesus?
What truth in this passage has taken hold of you?
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be circumcised and to fulfill purification rites as specified in the Law of Moses. (Luke 2:21-24) Jesus was God, yet he was not born above the law but so that it could be fulfilled perfectly.
We are free because of Jesus but not freed to live any way we want.
The thing that totally fascinated me in these verses was that all Scriptures point to Christ. Moses wrote about Christ.
When I am reading through the books of the law in the Old Testament, more than likely, I am trudging through a chapter, rather than seeing the big picture of how it points to Jesus. (John 5:39,46)
The whole point of Scriptures is to unlock the meaning it holds for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Without believing in Christ’s death or his resurrection the whole message of the Bible becomes meaningless. (Luke 24:27)
You are Not Free if Standards or Rules are Binding
Once you are saved, you should be a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17) There is a problem in the ‘church’ today where people are saying they are saved but nothing has changed. They still are living in the same sinful way as before.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
What if you take on ‘standards’ or ‘rules’ because others are saying you should? These can be binding to an outward appearance instead of Jesus being reflected in everything you do and say.
Righteousness is not found in a standard or rule but because Christ lives in you.
There are Hasidic Jewish people who live about an hour from us. They still dress similar to their distant relatives who came over from Poland in the 18th century. They have rigid laws that govern everything they do. They have totally missed that Jesus came to set them free so they can find righteousness in Him. Instead, they find righteousness in their laws.
There are two extremes to this.
You also can build a set of standards and rules around you that become your modern day ‘laws.’ Without even realizing it, these ‘rules’ can become your righteousness and you will not be free.
On the other hand, you can say, that you are ‘free’ and throw out all standards and rules.
Jesus became the law for us. He came to fulfill it.
We aren’t held to all the laws written out in the book of Leviticus anymore.
We are free in Jesus because He came to fulfill the law.
He is perfect. So we are to be perfect.
He is righteous. So we are to be righteous.
The temple was abolished under the old law. So we become His temple and He lives in us.
The standard we have is not measured against standards, rules or regulations, a particular church, a group of people but against Christ.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
How have you experienced a deeper walk with Jesus? Are you set free because he lives in you?
Judith lives in the beautiful Pocono Mountains with the most amazing husband for the past 45 fleeting years. She has been blessed with seven wonderful children through birth, adoption, and tubal reversal. When her oldest was five, she quit her job on the night shift and homeschooled for over 25 years. God has taken the imperfections of her life and keeps turning them into something that can be used for His glory. She writes in her spare time over at His Unmeasured Grace to inspire and equip women for grace-filled living.
