Day 9/13 – Freedom in Christ

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Freedom in Christ
Day Two Hundred Fifty-six

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.” 1 Corinthians 9:19

Twice in this chapter Paul reminds the Corinthians that he is free. This freedom in Christ allowed Him to become “a slave to all, that I might win the more.” He would do anything short of sin and violating his conscience to identify with the lost in order to win them to Christ. He said, “To the Jew I became a Jew.” 339 In Christ Paul lost his identity with the Jewish race; he was now a citizen of heaven. Free from Judaism, free from the Law, free from any tie with the world, Paul could now concentrate on being an effective witness for Christ.

Both your slavery and your freedom reflect your values. You can be free from all restraints, but you will use people because you are a slave to your appetites and desires. Freedom can only come to those who serve. You cannot use people and be free. Paul was free from all men simply because he decided to be the slave of all. The two go together. Either you will be enslaved by your inability to meet your own expectations and fulfill your hope, or you will become a slave of Christ. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”340 This is the freedom known by Paul and the only true freedom possible for anyone.

People seek to be free by being different, wearing strange hairstyles and clothes, only to find that they dress and look just like all those who think like them. When you “become all things to all men, that you might by all means save some,” you find a freedom found only in Christ.

339 1 Corinthians 9:20
340 John 8:36

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Proverbs 16-18 2 Corinthians 6 (New King James Version)

Proverbs 16-18
Wisdom Is Better Than Gold
16
The preparations[a] of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.
3
Commit[b] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.
4
The Lord has made all for Himself,
Yes, even the wicked for the day of [c]doom.
5
Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join [d]forces, none will go unpunished.
6
In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.
7
When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8
Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.
9
A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
10
Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
11
Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His [e]work.
12
It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness.
13
Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
14
As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will appease it.
15
In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.
16
How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17
The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18
Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before [f]a fall.
19
Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the [g]spoil with the proud.
20
He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
21
The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22
Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.
23
The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.
24
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25
There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
26
The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives him on.
27
[h]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28
A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29
A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30
He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He [i]purses his lips and brings about evil.
31
The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.
32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33
The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.
The Lord Tests Hearts
17
Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of [j]feasting with strife.
2
A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests the hearts.
4
An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a [k]spiteful tongue.
5
He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6
Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.
7
Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
8
A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9
He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
10
Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
11
An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12
Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13
Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
14
The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
15
He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16
Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?
17
A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18
A man devoid of [l]understanding [m]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes [n]surety for his friend.
19
He who loves transgression loves strife,
And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.
20
He who has a [o]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.
21
He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22
A merry heart [p]does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.
23
A wicked man accepts a bribe [q]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.
24
Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25
A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.
26
Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.
27
He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
28
Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower
18
A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all [r]wise judgment.
2
A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his own heart.
3
When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.
4
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.
5
It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
6
A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
7
A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
8
The words of a [s]talebearer are like [t]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [u]inmost body.
9
He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are [v]safe.
11
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
12
Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.
13
He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
14
The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?
15
The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16
A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
17
The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
18
Casting lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.
19
A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
20
A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.
23
The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers roughly.
24
A man who has friends [w]must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Footnotes:
• Proverbs 16:1 plans
• Proverbs 16:3 Lit. Roll
• Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil
• Proverbs 16:5 Lit. hand to hand
• Proverbs 16:11 concern
• Proverbs 16:18 stumbling
• Proverbs 16:19 plunder
• Proverbs 16:27 Lit. A man of Belial
• Proverbs 16:30 Lit. compresses
• Proverbs 17:1 Or sacrificial meals
• Proverbs 17:4 Lit. destructive
• Proverbs 17:18 Lit. heart
• Proverbs 17:18 Lit. strikes the hands
• Proverbs 17:18 guaranty or collateral
• Proverbs 17:20 crooked
• Proverbs 17:22 Or makes medicine even better
• Proverbs 17:23 Under cover, lit. from the bosom
• Proverbs 18:1 sound wisdom
• Proverbs 18:8 gossip or slanderer
• Proverbs 18:8 A Jewish tradition wounds
• Proverbs 18:8 Lit. rooms of the belly
• Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high
• Proverbs 18:24 So with Gr. mss., Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT may come to ruin

2 Corinthians 6
Marks of the Ministry
6 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. 4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much [a]patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by [b]sincere love, 7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Be Holy
11 O Corinthians! [c]We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. 13 Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what [d]fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what [e]communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you[f] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18
“I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”
Footnotes:
• 2 Corinthians 6:4 endurance
• 2 Corinthians 6:6 Lit. unhypocritical
• 2 Corinthians 6:11 Lit. Our mouth is open
• 2 Corinthians 6:14 in common
• 2 Corinthians 6:14 fellowship
• 2 Corinthians 6:16 NU we