Scripture of The Day
February 22, 2021
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
By Ed Henderson
We were recently interviewed on a live Christian radio show concerning marriage. Toward the end of the program the moderator asked me what was the most critical thing I had learned after 49 years of marriage and 32 years of ministry. My answer to that question was that I had learned to listen to my wife. You could tell by the silence on the other end that my answer was not what was expected. The moderator then asked me why I would say that and how could I back that up. My answer to him and to you is, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Let’s look at that word “liberty”. The Greek word used for liberty is “eleutheria” from the root word “eleutheros”. The Strong’s Concordance lists the following definitions of these Greek words (freedom, unrestrained, free {man, woman}, not a slave). Now, let’s think about this. The scripture tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Does that exclude any race or gender? I don’t think so! On the other side of the coin, if freedom and liberty are not present then the Spirit of the Lord is not present.
One of the major truths we share at all our marriage seminars is that when God created man in Genesis man was both man and woman. God created woman by reaching in and taking certain parts out of man. Now, here is the revelation!!! A man and woman (husband and wife) are more like God, and therefore more powerful, when they are in unity than at any other time. That unity requires freedom and liberty on the part of both the husband and the wife.
The so called religious world has struggled with the woman issue for centuries. You see it even today ranging from girls that are not allowed to go to school, to women that are not allowed to show their face, to women that are not allowed to teach or preach, etc. My suggestion is to go back and read about every interaction Jesus had with women. You will find that He treated them all with respect and they had the freedom and liberty to worship and serve Him. We could learn a great lesson from just watching Jesus and not listening to religion. Some great examples are:
The Woman at the Well (John 4)
The Woman with the alabaster box (Mark 14)
The Woman caught in adultery (John 8)
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (John 20)
