"And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, you are loosed from the your infirmity. And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." (Luke 13:10-13)
In the verses following we find the statement made by Christ, that the woman had been bound all those years by Satan. Christ loosing her, was therefore a direct evidence of His power over Satan.
In this miracle we have an illustration of the loosing of men from the bondage of sin. Sin binds its victims: "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be held with the cords of his sins." (Proverbs 5:22) "Everyone that commits sin is the bondservant of sin." (John 8:34) "Sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4)
Therefore the bondage is that of a law-breaker. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7)
So the poor woman with the spirit of infirmity accurately illustrates the condition of the sinner. She was bound down; so is the sinner. She was bowed together so that she could not lift herself up. She was obliged to go looking down toward the earth. So the psalmist, describing his sinful condition, says, "My iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up." (Psalm 40:12)
The woman would fain have walked upright, but she could in no wise lift up herself. So the sinner would often gladly do that which is right, but he is not able. "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that you cannot do the things that you would." (Galatians 5:17)
Nevertheless the sinner's case is not hopeless. "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
This being the case, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
Christ said that this scripture applies to Him, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed meto preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." (Luke 4:18)
To the woman that was bound Christ said, "You are loosed from your infirmity." (Luke 13:12)
So it is with His word that He looses men from the bondage of sin. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which had believed Him, If you abide in my word, then are you truly my disciples; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32)
The Jews boasted that they were not in bondage, but Jesus showed that they were, by saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that commits sin is the bondservant of sin. And the bondservant abides not in the house forever; the Son abides forever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
The bondage, therefore, is the bondage of sin, and the freedom which Christ gives is the freedom from sin. Christ said that it was by the Spirit that He gave liberty. So we read that: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17)
The Spirit gives liberty, because it is righteousness; it is the source of the law, for, "The law is spiritual." (Romans 7:14)
The fruit of the Spirit is obedience to the law. For, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance; against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
Those who have this Spirit, and are led by it, are free, because they keep the law; for the psalmist said, "I will walk at liberty; for I seek your precepts." (Psalm 119:45)
As Christ healed the poor, infirm woman by His word, so He sets sinners free by His word. His word is law; He speaks the words of the Father; and the commandment of God is life everlasting, because it is His own life. "And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak." (John 12:50)
The words that Christ speaks are Spirit and life: "It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)
And since it is the Spirit that makes free, it is evident that the reception of the words of Christ will make the sinner free. As the bondage is the bondage of sin, and the words of Christ are the words of righteousness, the receiving of those words is in itself the freedom from bondage.
Simple faith in the word of Christ is sufficient to give the sinner his liberty; but to every one who has thus been made free, the words of inspiration come, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free." (Galatians 5:1)--Present Truth, November 17, 1892.