Kenneth Copeland - Freedom from fear

Freedom From Fear

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

This verse of scripture sets out the two basic spiritual laws at work in the world: the law of the Spirit of life (in Christ Jesus) and the law of sin and death (in Satan). Webster's dictionary defines a law as "an established principle." You can depend on a law to work the same way every time.

The two laws in Romans 8:2 are reciprocals.

There is a spiritual law of reciprocals. The word reciprocal means "corresponding, but reversed or inverted." Let me give you an illustration of this: North and south are reciprocals. They correspond to one another because they are both directions on a compass, but south is the reciprocal of north.

They are exact opposites from each other.

Faith Perverted

Understanding the principle of reciprocals gives insight into how Satan operates. Satan is a fallen angel. Like all angelic beings, he has no creative power. He cannot create; he can only destroy. He can only work with the things already created. He is limited to the forces in this world.

Had he ever come up with anything original, that thing would be a truth. But Jesus said that there is no truth in him (John 8:44). He is a counterfeiter, a deceiver.

Satan became the illegitimate stepfather of mankind through Adam's high treason in the Garden of Eden. He received Adam's authority over the spiritual laws in the earth. He did not put spiritual law into motion. He just perverted the laws that were already there. Sin was not a new law. It was righteousness perverted. Death was life perverted. Hate was love perverted. Fear was faith perverted.

The faith that God gave Adam was meant to sustain his life. When Satan gained control, that force of faith was perverted. Satan then used that perverted spiritual force of fear to kill, steal and destroy.

After Adam sinned in the Garden, fear became the dominant force in his life. The first words he spoke to God were, "I was afraid" (Genesis 3:10).

The faith he had in his heart was turned into fear.

This is why faith and fear are so closely related.

They are almost identical. They work the same, but they produce opposite results.

The law of reciprocals works in every area.

God's Word is true, but there is no truth in Satan.

Satan is a counterfeit of God in every situation. At the opposite end of south is always north. At the opposite end of love is always hate. If Satan can come to you with hate, then you know God has love. If Satan comes to you with fear, then you know there is faith available to you in Jesus. Fear is the counterfeit of faith.

If you will put faith to work, it will always overcome fear. Love always overcomes hate.

Prosperity always overcomes poverty. The counterfeit never is as powerful as the real thing.

There is a promise in God's Word that will overcome every opportunity to fail that Satan can throw your way. There is not one thing in Satan's bag of tricks that the Word cannot overcome. By knowing the spiritual law of reciprocals and how it operates, you can keep Satan out of your life.

The force we know in this earth as fear was originally Adam's faith. When he bowed his knee to Satan, he put into motion the law of sin and death. Until then, Adam didn't know how to die.

All he knew was how to live. All he knew was God's Word. When he went against God's Word, he received spiritual death into his spirit. He received the law of sin and death, and it separated him from God.

When you separate yourself from God and from His Word, you separate yourself from life.

Adam separated himself from life, and what happened? He died spiritually first and then began dying physically.

Again, we see the law of reciprocals in motion. As long as Adam obeyed God, he lived.

But when he disobeyed God's law, he turned and went the other way. Death took the place of life.

He began moving under the power of death and the forces that death brings. Manifestations of sickness and disease didn't come into the earth until the law of sin and death was put into motion.

When Adam acted on something other than the Word of God, he severed the supply line between heaven and earth. When he did that, the law of life in this earth was perverted and became the law of sin and death. In the hands of God, it was the law of life. In the hands of Satan, it became the law of death. The same thing that happened to Adam happened to Jesus. They both fell from life to deathone as an act of treason, the other as an act of obedience (Philippians 2:8).

Death vs. Life

In Romans 8:2, we see the two spiritual laws of life and death in operation. The following charts show each law and its results. As you can see, they are complete opposites. The boundary line between them was crossed only one timewhen Jesus offered Himself as the supreme sacrifice to purchase our freedom from every part of the curse.

SATAN / JESUS

The law of sin and death The law of the Spirit of life (the curse) (the blessing)

Fear / Faith

Sin & Death / Life & Righteousness

Sickness & Disease / Healing & Divine Health

Poverty / Prosperity

Worry & Anxiety / The Peace of God

Hate / Love

Demons / Angelic Powers

The price that Jesus paid was twofold. He came, not only to destroy the works of the devil, but also to deliver us from the fear of death and the bondage it brings. Look at Hebrews 2:14-15: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The phrase fear of death is a result of the law of sin and death. The word destroy in the original text means "to paralyze." Jesus came for two reasons:

1. to completely paralyze Satan who had the power of death

2. to deliver us who through fear of death were held subject to bondage

We have not been given the spirit of bondage again to fear. Fear produces bondage. Jesus came to break the power of that bondage! How? By stopping the force of fear. Praise God!

In order for the power of death to ever be broken, Jesus had to absorb all the curse of the law, both in the spiritual realm and in the physical realm. He bore all the physical curse at Calvary.

All the demons of hell came against Him to annihilate Him. They wanted to torment Jesus forever and keep Him in bondage forever, thereby keeping God from ever having contact with mankind again. Satan could then rule and reign on this earth as he pleased with no restrictions or qualifications whatsoever. But God had something else in mind! Hebrews 2:14 says through death He (Jesus) destroyed him (Satan) that had the power of death.

When the price was paid, God breathed the breath of life into Jesus, and the law of the Spirit of life was set into motion for mankind. Because He did all that for you and me, we can live free! We can know beyond doubt that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death!

FearSatan's Main Weapon

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father (Romans 8:15).

When you were born again, your human spirit was completely recreated. You received all the qualities, all the spiritual forces, all the things of God that Adam had in him when God created him in the Garden of Eden, plus all the things in Jesus when God raised Him from the dead.

I want you to notice these words: You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear.

Fear is not a natural force to the born-again believer. It was natural to you before you were reborn. But your spirit man was recreated, and eternal life erupted in your heart when you made Jesus the Lord of your life. The reborn human spirit cannot produce fear. It can receive it and act on it and be choked by it, but it cannot produce it.