Captivity to Betrothal

Our comprehension of the life of a captive is limited to what we have read, not what we have experienced.  We live in a society that has many forms of captivity or slavery but none that compare to the true existence experienced by multitudes throughout history into our present time.  From our own American history, we have learned much about the generations that were trapped in this way of life.  From that understanding it is hard to comprehend that someone could be lifted from the status of slavery to the betrothed of the plantation owner.  Yet that is exactly how the Word describes our transformation once we accept the blood of Jesus as our justification.  

Biblically we can study the plights of the Hebrew people as they moved in and out of slavery at various times of history.  Scripture tells us that God redeemed His chosen people from Egypt as well as later from other nations, rescuing them and giving them another chance to honor Him with their lives and pursue relationship with Him.  Exodus 6:5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.  Leviticus 26:13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.  Deuteronomy 15:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.

However the Hebrew people did not have the ultimate redemption: the blood of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.   Hebrews 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  That ultimate redemption broke the bonds of slavery for us - once for all.  Jesus' death on the cross was a one time act that had eternal consequences.  The justification - us being made right in the sight of God - happened at a single moment in history and then became available to all of mankind to choose to receive it, accept it.  

Throughout the Word, God's chosen are called His bride.  When we accept His act of justification, we are accepting His proposal to be His bride.  We are betrothed to Him.  Our engagement ring is Holy Spirit.  Sound weird to you?  Consider these scriptures.  2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  2 Corinthians 5:5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.  When a woman becomes engaged, she wears an engagement ring to tell the world that she is now committed to a relationship with one man, at least in our culture.  There are various other means of communicating this commitment in other nations.  The point is the same however.  "I am now taken.  I have made a decision to set myself apart from everyone else and am committed to one relationship with one person."

God is calling for us to do the very same thing.  We are His betrothed.  There is some confusion in the body of Christ about our status.  We are not married yet.  We must walk out our "engagement" until the time of redemption.  We are not redeemed yet.  That is an event that will take place at one time for all of mankind and all of creation.  The verses quoted above talk about what is to come - the inheritance.  The Word uses future tense when it describes our salvation and redemption.  1 Peter 1:9  The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.  1 Peter 1:13  So think clearly and exercise self-control.  Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.  

Therefore what is our obligation?  We are to behave as a fiance should.  Our behavior should reflect our commitment to our Bridegroom.  We do not engage in "adultery" which means that we do not engage other "lovers".  What might some of those other lovers be for you?  There are multitudes of them.  Anything that preoccupies our mind, behavior, time and money becomes another lover.   The list is endless with possibilities from concrete like materialism, jobs, hobbies to the not so concrete like addictions, relationships, status to the spiritual like fear, anxiety, anger, bitterness.  Anything like these mentioned distracts our focus from our Lover God, our Betrothed, our Husband to be.

2 Timothy 1:14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.  The Lord's expectations for us are very clear.  Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  We must guard this incredible promise we have been given for an eternal marriage to the Bridegroom.  Until we face Him at the Wedding Supper, we are not married.  We must at all costs protect this engagement.  We are the ones that make the choice to either stay faithful to Him or walk away from that promise through our decisions.  Visualize an engagement ring on your finger that is representative of Holy Spirit living within you.  Visualize the world seeing that commitment through your words and your actions.  Return His passionate love for you with your own passionate commitment to stay with Him no matter what the cost.  It is so worth it!!  Eternally so!!