Captive

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
In the blink of an eye, the fish in this photo became a captive to this pelican. The period of captivity for this fish was very short as death followed very soon after its being taken captive. Human beings are also captives. We are born captive to sin and in great need of being freed from its darkness and power or we, also, shall perish. Isaiah 61:1 above is a messianic prophecy about the ministry of Jesus approximately 600 years prior to his incarnation. In Luke 4:18-20, Jesus confirmed this when he spoke in Nazareth and quoted this verse and said…. “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Freedom from the captivity of sin and death came to fallen humanity in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus sets sinners free…. John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. There is no other way to escape this captivity and there is no neutral position. There is not a probationary period while a person considers to believe Jesus and accept the freedom he offers. No, humans are born captive and remain captive until they are freed by Jesus Christ. Jesus, and Jesus alone, frees the prisoners and he did it by paying their sin debt on the cross of Calvary. Being a ‘good person’ or sincerely following other religious faiths will not obtain release from captivity. Belief and trust in Jesus for his atoning sacrifice as our substitute is the only way that is available for our captivity to end in the freedom of eternal life rather than to perish like the unfortunate fish above. Perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, says it best….. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Faith in Jesus secures eternal life. Everything else leads to perishing. Let us thank God that he has provided a way rather than complain that he does not accept mankind’s invented ways.