(Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Legacy Standard Bible.)

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36 (LSB)

Jesus said that he came to “set free those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18) What does that mean? If you are a follower of Christ, do believe that you have been set free? If so, from what have you been set free?

The apostle Paul wrote that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) That means that because of what Jesus did on the cross, our sins are forgiven and no longer counted against us. For true believers, there is no condemnation, (Romans 8:1) and that means that we have eternal life.

When I was a Jehovah’s Witness, I never felt free of condemnation. The gospel we were taught was one of works, not of grace. So, many if not most of us felt the need to earn our salvation and, understandably, we never quit felt saved. This is because imperfect humans are incapable of earning their salvation and, on some deep level, most of us are aware of this. If we were capable, Jesus would not have had to suffer on the cross in order to provide a ransom to save us.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the only religious group that teaches a works-based gospel. Many Christians from many denominational backgrounds feel unsure of their salvation and their freedom. So, what if you know that you love God and that Jesus Christ is Lord, but you do not feel free? What if in spite of the beautiful thing that Christ did for us, there seems to be a dark cloud hanging over you? What if, although you know you are a Christian, it feels as if your mind is being assaulted with vile and condemnatory intrusive thoughts? What if, though you want very much to be holy, you have a particular sin that you just cannot seem to overcome?

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote about a war being waged by the Devil against followers of Christ. He said that in order for us as Christians to win this war, we must “put on the full armor of God.” (Eph. 6:11) The armor he spoke of is not physical, because our war is not physical. He said that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” – Eph. 6:12

This is primarily a war of the mind. Jesus demonstrated how to fight this war when he was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness right after his baptism. It is not won with physical weapons of war, but with truth. Every time Satan spoke to Jesus in an attempt to get him to compromise, Jesus shot back with the word of truth as recorded in scripture. The last attempt that Satan made to tempt Jesus was when he offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he would fall down and worship Satan. Because of his authority as the Son of God, Jesus could rightly have spoken of his own accord. But instead, he chose to quote scripture: “For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” – Matt. 4:10

There are “spiritual forces of wickedness” that come against us too. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul said that “we are not ignorant of his (the devil’s) schemes.” Paul was not ignorant, but many modern Christians are. This should not be. It is important that you understand how the enemy works so that you will be prepared to defend yourself and to fight back. Christians who don’t understand the need for their spiritual suit of armor or how to put it on can end up feeling oppressed and defeated.

What is the spiritual suit of armor? This is how it is described in Ephesians 6:13-17:

“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...”

Without faith, the other parts of the suit of armor do not work. You must always speak the truth and have faith in the truth that we find in the scriptures, “doubting nothing…”(James 1:6) You must have faith that you are the righteousness of God in Christ and that you now have the power to overcome sin because Christ lives in you. (2 Corinthians 5:21) You must believe that you now have peace with God because of the shed blood of Christ, and that consequently, you also have salvation. (Romans 5:1; 1 John 5:13)

The only aspect of the spiritual suit of armor that is offensive rather than defensive is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Believing and speaking the word is our most effective weapon against the enemy.

Just as the Devil called into question Jesus’s true identity, saying “if you are the son of God”, the enemy does the same to us. In order to win the war against evil, you must understand who you are in Christ. We are not left in the dark about that, the scriptures are very clear. You need only believe the word. (Luke 8:50) What does it say?

We are hidden with Christ in God:

“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:3

We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ:

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God., and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” – Romans 8:16, 17

“Listen, my beloved brothers: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” – James 2:5

You are a new creation:

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Christ lives in you:

“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

You are chosen, royal, and holy. You belong to God:

“But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” – 1 Peter 2:9

You are created in Christ for good works:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

You are a child of God:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…” – John 1:12

You are the righteousness of God in Christ:

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” -2 Corinthians 5:21

You are a member of the body of Christ:

“Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”

You are made alive with Christ and seated in the heavenly places in him:

“But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” – Ephesians 2:4-7

You have authority over all the power of the enemy:

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” – Luke 10:19

You might be thinking that these statements sound too good to be true. You might be remembering all the mistakes you have made and wonder how you could possibly be the person that God says you are. It may help you to understand that humans are made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27) We are tripartite – body, soul, and spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:23) It is our spirit that has been perfected and which is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but our souls are works in progress and our bodies await redemption. (Matthew 5:48; 26:41; 1 John 3:9; John 3:6; Romans 1:9; 8:15-16; Philippians 1:6; 3:12; Romans 8:23)

We are “hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) When the Father looks at us, he sees his Son. Our righteousness is not our own, it is Christ’s, and when we abide in the Spirit, we do not sin. (Romans 8:4-10) If we do sin, it is because we are in the flesh and not the Spirit. As soon as we repent of that sin, we are quickly forgiven because we are under the shed blood of Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:5-2:6)

The enemy would love nothing more than to steal your identity and cause you to question your authority. He uses your past mistakes and insecurities to sow doubt about what the Bible says is true of you. This is because he knows that if you are secure in your identity and know your authority in Christ, he is powerless against you.

So, when the enemy speaks condemnation and doubt into your mind, what can you do? Make sure that the word abides in you, and you will be able to overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:14) The word of God is “living and active.” It is the “sword of the Spirit.” It is always true, because God cannot lie. (Hebrews 4:12; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 1:2) Believe God and do what Jesus did, fire back with the word. Use the scriptures above as weapons of spiritual warfare and say them out loud in faith, applying them to yourself. Say: “I am the righteousness of God in Christ! I am a new creation! I am seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus! I am chosen, royal, and holy! I am a child of God! I am an heir of the kingdom! I have authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt me!” No matter how strange it feels to say these things about yourself, know that if you are totally submitted to the Lord, it is true of you.

But what if you have a dark past that seems to have followed you into your walk with Christ? What if after believing and speaking the word over yourself many times, you still feel oppressed? What if you still feel that your sinful behaviors are out of control no matter how hard you try to change? What if it seems like the wicked intrusive thoughts won’t quit no matter what you do? This type of situation should be rare in the body of Christ, especially for those who are totally submitted to the Lord and know their identity and authority. But it is possible that you will need help from other Christians to be delivered from wicked spirits, especially if you are a new Christian who is struggling to grasp the truths I have presented in this post. (Mark 1:23-28; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 4:27 – NKJV; Acts 8:7; 10:38) That will be the subject of my next blog post.