Adam had the image of God upon him and had communion with God. But there is greater glory now shining in the gospel, in Jesus Christ, to poor sinners. For when man stood in innocence, God did good to...  Read More

Oh beloved, what a blessed condition it is to have spiritual liberty! Do we see the blessed use and comfort of it in all conditions? In temptations, we have the Spirit of God to free us from temptati...  Read More

If we have all these blessed liberties in this world and in that to come by the Spirit, then we should labour to have the Spirit of Christ, or else we have no liberty at all; and labour every day mor...  Read More

When we find the Holy Spirit is touching our souls, oh, give him entrance to come into his own chamber, as it were, to provide a room for him when he knocks. We that live in the church, the heart of ...  Read More

A man who is on the way to heaven may be in any of three states: (1) The state of nature, when he cares about neither heaven nor hell, so he may please the sensual nature and go on without fear or wi...  Read More

(5) Where this Spirit of liberty is, there is a freedom from the prevailing errors and the slavish courses of the times. There are two sorts of wicked persons in the world: one sort counts it their h...  Read More

(4) The Spirit of liberty gives boldness with God himself, who otherwise is a 'consuming fire’ (Heb. 12:29). It is in the time of temptation, affliction, and opposition, that a man may best judge who...  Read More

(3) With the freedom of the Spirit, there is courage and strength of faith against opposition. When the Spirit reveals with conviction the excellence of the state we are in, and the vileness of the s...  Read More

(2) Where this liberty from the Spirit is, there is a blessed freedom to do all duties with a full heart. Those under grace are anointed by the Spirit (Psa. 89:20), and that spiritual anointing makes...  Read More

But how will we know whether or not we are set at liberty? (1) Wherever the Spirit of God is, there is a liberty of holiness, to free us from the dominion of any one sin. We are freed ‘to serve him i...  Read More

Some might object that the work of the Spirit distracts from and overthrows the freedom of the will! By no means! This is not to diminish the liberty of the will, for the Spirit of God is so wise an ...  Read More

By freedom, I mean the ability and strength to do what is good. Any liberty and ability to that which is good is only from the Spirit. The defence of Martin Luther and others who wrote of this freedo...  Read More

Now, where the Spirit of Christ is, there is liberty and freedom from that bondage that we are in by nature and which is strengthened by a wicked course of life. For though we are all born slaves by ...  Read More

The words ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom' imply that we are in bondage before we have the Spirit of the Lord. For outside of Christ we are slaves, the best of us all are slaves. I...  Read More

(4) The Spirit of God glorifies us. Besides liberty in this world, there is a liberty of glory, called 'the liberty of the children of God' (Rom. 8:21). The liberty of our bodies from corruption, the...  Read More

When we are called out of Satan's kingdom, we are not only called out of that cursed state we are also made a part of a better kingdom; we are made the members of Christ. And so, in justification we ...  Read More

By the Spirit of Christ in sanctification we are made kings to rule over our own lusts to some degree. We are not kings to be freed altogether from them, but kings to strive against them. It is a lib...  Read More

In a wicked man there is nothing but flesh, and so there is no resistance. We must understand the nature of this spiritual liberty in sanctification. It is not a liberty freeing us altogether from co...  Read More

(3) The Spirit of God sanctifies us. In sanctification we are liberated from the slavery to sin. The same Spirit that assures me of the pardon of my sin sanctifies my nature. The Spirit of sanctifica...  Read More

(2) The Spirit of God justifies us. In justification the Spirit liberates our conscience from sin and the curse of sin. But you will say, the liberty of justification is wrought by Christ; we are jus...  Read More

The Spirit of God sets us at liberty, in the whole course of salvation, from the beginning to the end, when he calls us, justifies us, sanctifies us, and fully glorifies us. (1) The Spirit of God cal...  Read More

If we will have the Holy Spirit, study the gospel of Christ. Why, before Christ, was there was so little of the Spirit? Because there was but little measure of the knowledge of Christ. The more Chris...  Read More

(2) By the conviction given by the Spirit. The Spirit of Christ convinces (John 14:8). That is, he brings a clear, evident conviction that the truth of God is the truth of God. It is not doubtful. Th...  Read More

How can we know whether or not we have the Spirit of Christ? (1) By the activity of the Spirit. The Spirit is a vigorous working being, and therefore all three persons of the Trinity take upon themse...  Read More