Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
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One of the most dangerous conditions on earth is liberty. Liberty itself is a wonderful gift, but an ungodly person does not know how to use liberty for good; instead, he uses liberty to the harm of himself and those around him. The greater the liberty granted to a sinful person, the more damage he usually manages to cause himself and others. Liberty leads to greater blessing only if those who have it will use it wisely.
Jesus said, "If the Son of man sets you free, you are free indeed." How very true that is! Most of the inhabitants of earth have never known the depth and power of the liberty that Christ gives. What sinners would do to each other if they possessed the liberty of the Lord can only be imagined, but it would certainly not take men long to destroy themselves. Thank God for the restraints on man's imaginations and desires that governments of this world impose upon them! God's liberty is so complete that it even presents a challenge to those who are good, much less to evil people! The apostles of Christ knew this and warned the saints of the temptation to abuse their liberty in Christ (1Cor. 8:9; Gal. 5:13; 1Pet. 2:16).
When Jesus sets someone free, he sets them free from wrong ideas about God, from every vain tradition and institution, from the power of sin and of Satan, from carnal thoughts and habits, and from confusion, doubt, fear, and unbelief. Jesus sets people free to live without sin, and to be able to know God as He is, no matter what they have previously been taught about Him. Jesus sets people free to follow the Spirit, no matter which direction it takes them. Jesus liberates people to obey God, no matter what they think God would or would not ever tell them to do. Some believers wisely use their liberty to love others and serve God acceptably in reverence and peace, but it is a way that some among the saints seem unable to follow. Liberty actually seems to frighten them, and they choose to sit in shadows rather than walk in the light of life. Fear is perhaps the most common reason that God's children remain in Christianity instead of obeying the Spirit's call to "come out of her, My people!"
For years, the Lord tried to communicate to me the truth about Christianity. Looking back on those years, I now can see how he tried repeatedly to persuade me that it was not of him and to come out of it, but my heart just could not take it in. At that time, I know now that to renounce Christianity was so frightening a thought that I would not allow myself to think it. Who in himself could ever have thought that Christianity, the religion that talks the most about Jesus and that calls itself after Christ, is the Great Whore of the book of Revelation? What man is wise enough to figure that out? It is an unthinkable thought, an unimaginable answer to the most basic of life's questions. Liberty from the religion of Christianity is a liberty that no child of God would even dare to dream of; it takes God Himself to give us the faith to believe it is His will to come out of it.
Still, God's children will never know perfect liberty and fellowship as long as they remain in Christianity. The liberty that belongs to the sons of God is so great that the religion of Christianity cannot contain it. In fact, the religion of Christianity stifles the liberty of God's children, and that is why our heavenly Father is calling us out. We cannot love each other as we should like to, while we remain under Christianity's influence and control.
I felt fear when Jesus revealed to me that Christianity is not of Him. I earnestly prayed for courage to believe what my Lord was telling me. But I loved the sweet smell of liberty that fills the air outside the walls of that city. The aroma of life, real life and liberty in Jesus, drew me on, and I followed it into the meadows of God's love.
The liberty of the sons of God is so great that God must help us not only to believe that it exists but to survive its glory. Our God is great beyond words! His liberty would destroy the nations of earth if they had it because they would feel no restraint against their carnal natures. It is a dangerous thing for a child of God to have a carnal mind and yet to possess some liberty from God. That is why part of the liberty from Jesus is the liberty from our own carnal minds! God loves us, and He does not want us to hurt ourselves with His blessings.
This is why we so desperately need the guidance and strength of the holy Ghost. Only by being led by the holy Ghost can we survive the awesome liberty that Jesus gives. Only the holy Ghost can lead us into all truth and away from all wrong ideas about God. Only the holy Ghost can give us the power to live free from sin. Only the person who from the heart loves righteousness and who has learned to follow the voice of the Spirit can live in the liberty of Christ without ruining his life.
Patrick Henry, a famous early American, said in a speech in the Virginia parliament long ago, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" He didn't know that for people whose hearts are unclean, to be given liberty is to be given death, for evil hearted people destroy themselves with liberty. They do not know how to live in the love of God. Paul said, "The Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2Cor. 3:17). That is the challenge. "Walk in the Spirit", he said again, "and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). That is the answer to the challenge.
The holy Ghost is our safety and our guide. It is God's presence, in spirit, and those who stay filled with the holy Ghost cannot sin. Those who follow the Spirit's lead have peace and joy, and do not fear any evil. Liberty is not a threat to a righteous man; it is what he desires most, for it sets him free to do what he wants to do: live according to the perfect will of the Creator.