RE: Open Letter - Dear Saints in the Lord's Recovery - Joann Casteel

[Jo S]

Originally Posted by Raptor

from Austin Sparks, "Overcomer Testimony", chapter 2. On the word "Remnant" (Overcomer):

2. Freedom from Slavery

There is another word which just means that which has escaped from slavery and is breathing free air. That is a fine picture, a fine portrait for Overcomers - that which has escaped from slavery and is breathing free air. I dare not stay to interpret that. Some of us, even in our Christian lives and histories, know what it is to escape from slavery. Oh, the old bondage of the Christian system and order, expectation and demand, all the old rota and legality! - to be free of it all! Not only to be raised with Christ, but to have the grave-clothes taken off and to be breathing the free air of the spiritually emancipated! That is what this word calls a remnant, and that is not something extra to Christianity. It is exactly what you find at the beginning with the Church. The Lord had cried in the midst of a burdened, tyrannised, religious nation - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). What is the old yoke, the old burden, which has harassed and worn these people so that they are weary to death, drawing out His compassionate appeal - "Come unto me, and I will give you rest"? It is the old yoke and burden of legalistic religion, 'thou shalt' and 'thou shalt not': 'you must' and 'you must not' - the whole system built up like that, a great burden. "They bind heavy burdens." He said "and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger" (Matt. 23:4). And this word for remnant means such as have escaped slavery and are breathing the free air. You find them in the beginning of the book of the Acts. Overcomers are those who go back to the beginning in experience. They do not take up something further which is deeper teaching, fuller light. It is the primal freshness and fulness of Christ that Overcomers represent - unfortunately, in contrast to the general situation.

I don't agree with the authors assessment of what Christ meant by the use of the terms "yoke" and "bondage". He takes Matthew 23 out of context to support his argument. Christ actually said that we need to listen to the teachers of the law (that is, when they're teaching in line with the truth), just not to be hypocrites like they are.

Christ meant that by coming to him, he'll free us from the bondage and yoke of sin, not necessarily an oppressive religious system.

Just as God imposed harsher rule the more rebellious the Jews were, it's precisely our sin and rebelliousness that outwardly manifests legalist religious systems. And these oppressive systems aren't responsible for keeping people enslaved to sin but in a sense allowed by God as to keep people from complete spiritual anarchy or apostasy.

Making religion the enemy is setting up a strawman for what really is sin and unrepentance. It's taking blame from the individual and projecting it onto others. It doesn't mean that abusive leadership won't be judged for their actions, but it does mean that we need to judge ourselves properly first before judging others.

All corrupted systems started out with the very same mindset; we need to free ourselves from the boogeyman, which is religion, without actually addressing the root issues. In the end these movements end up the same or worse than the systems they were fighting against.

It's a hard truth to accept but the Catholic church, Mormon church, and the Local Churches ect. are a reflection, not only of the leadership, but of their entire congregation as a whole.