Five Steps Forward

We are the land of the free and the home of the enslaved. "Everything is permissible," the apostle Paul wrote, "but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me'—but I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12). Christians have no master but Jesus. Even "permissible" behaviors should be avoided if they're not "beneficial."

In our culture we overwork, overeat, and overspend. We're educated, stimulated, caffeinated, and medicated (but still aggravated). New definitions have puffed their way into the dictionary for previously unpolluted words like high, joint, pot, buzz, and crack. Alcohol continues to claim its victims one gulp at a time—not only on skid row but on college campuses and in well-kept suburban homes as well. Sexual temptations wrapped in seductive packages labeled "free speech" and "free love" leave their victims bound by emotional brokenness. False doctrines trap their followers with guilt instead of grace, religious rules instead of a loving relationship with God. How can we ever be free?

Hebrews 10:22-25 tells us about five steps that can help, and each step begins with "let us."

1. "Let us draw near to God" (v. 22). Worship isn't just a nice thing to do. It's a necessary for survival! When Moses received the Ten Commandments, the people weren't allowed even to touch Mount Sinai or they would die. The message then was not "draw near," but "stand back." Now under the new covenant, "we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19). James wrote, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:7, 8).
2. "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess" (v. 23). Carl Sandburg wrote, "Who can live without hope? In the darkness with a great bundle of grief the people march." Christ came to remove our "great bundle of grief" and give us a reason to go on. "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).
3. "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (v. 24). Part of helping ourselves is helping others. God calls us to spur on our brothers and sisters toward love and good deeds instead of wallowing in our own problems.
4. "Let us not give up meeting together" (v. 25). Alcoholics Anonymous and similar groups have discovered the power of regular meetings to help those who battle addiction. We can't go it alone. "Pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" (Ecclesiastes 4:10). Christian fellowship isn't a luxury. Healthy community—meeting together to give and receive mutual support—is a vital part of spiritual freedom.
5. "Let us encourage one another" (v. 25). True friends serve as accountability partners who steer us away from temptation and help us do right. "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Twelve-step programs have helped many, but don't forget the five steps found in Hebrews 10. Draw near to God. Hold onto your hope. Help someone else. Meet regularly with other believers. Give and receive encouragement. And most of all, walk closely with Jesus who said, "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).