"Unchained"
is a song from Van Halen's fourth album, Fair Warning. Vocalist David
Lee Roth's working title for the song was "Hit the Ground Running". In
the middle of this song, David Lee Roth makes fun of an executive that
walked into the studio while they were recording it ("that suit is
YOU..."). Roth would add commentary on a separate track while the band
played the instrumental parts, and his comments were sometimes added to
the mix ("Everybody Wants Some" is an example). The voice that says,
"Come on, Dave, gimme a break" is their producer, Ted Templeman. When
Van Halen released their album 1984, they crossed over to the Pop realm,
but Fair Warning (released in 1981, the same year Eddie Van Halen
married Valerie Bertinelli) was very much a rock album. No singles were
released from the album, but "Unchained" got lots of airplay on Album
Oriented Rock (AOR) stations, which were prevalent at the time, and
endured as a live favorite for the band.
You said
I cannot get there from here, baby
And I don't care where I'm goin'
Here's to your thin red line
I'm stepping over
Thought you'd never miss me
'Til I got a Fat City address
Non-stop talker, what a rocker!
Blue eyed murder in a size 5 dress
Change, nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah you hit the ground running
Change, and nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah you hit the ground running
No, I don't ask for permission
This is my chance to fly
Maybe enough ain't enough for you
But it's my turn to try
Thought you'd never miss me
'Til I got a Fat City address
Non-stop talker, what a rocker!
Blue-eyed murder in a side-swiped dress
Change, nothing stays the same
Unchained, and ya hit the ground running
Change, and nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah ya hit the ground running
Change, nothing stays the same
Unchained, and ya hit the ground running
Change, and nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah ya hit the ground running
Take a look at this!
Hey, man, that suit is you!
You'll get some leg tonight for sure!
Tell us how you do!
(Come on, Dave, give me a break.)
Hey, hey, hey, hey, one break coming up!
Change, and nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah ya hit the ground running
Change, and nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah ya hit the ground running
Change, and nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah ya hit the ground running
Change, and nothing stays the same
Unchained, yeah ya hit the ground running
Freedom
is the theme of this mornings devotion. The Van Halen song "Unchained"
speaks of a kind of freedom to do and express who you are. A kind of
freedom that is 100% and all encompassing. Paul the Great apostle speaks
of this kind of freedom in Romans chapter 8 when he is speaking of the
Spirit of God.
“No
condemnation” can be defined in courtroom language. To have “no
condemnation” declared means to be found innocent of the accusation, to
have no sentence inflicted and no guilty verdict found. By the grace of
God, believers in Jesus do not face the condemnation of God. “We have
passed from death to life” (1 John 3:14).
In our day and age we do not want to hear that the Bible teaches that every human being will be brought before the judgment throne of God for an ultimate and decisive judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10), and Christ Himself will be the judge (John 5:27). We are all naturally under the condemnation of God: “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already” (John 3:18b). But Christians will not be found guilty on Judgment Day (John 3:18a; Matthew 25:33–34). The bible is clear on this unpopular theme.
However, the “no condemnation” involves more than acquittal on Judgment Day. In Romans 8:1 the apostle Paul speaks in the present tense, as evidenced by the word now. Also, notice the word therefore, which points the reader to the previous passage of Romans 7:21-25. In Romans 7 Paul describes his struggle against the sinful nature—a struggle that every believer experiences. Paul writes, “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:21) and, “What a wretched man I am!” (Romans 7:24). Paul is expressing his hatred for the sinful nature which continues to war against his new nature in Christ—Paul hates the sin he commits, but he is also thankful because he has been set free from slavery to sin. He now has the ability to do what is good because Christ has delivered him (Romans 7:25).
Paul takes this a step further in Romans 8 when he teaches believers are not only free from bondage to sin, they are free from the inner emotions and thoughts that tend to bring feelings of condemnation to the Christian when he does commit sin (Romans 8:2). Christians are free from the “law of sin and death,” which means, although they will commit sin, the Law no longer has the power to condemn them. We are not under the Law’s condemnation because Jesus fulfilled (“filled-up, completed”) the expectations of the Law perfectly, and believers are “in Christ” (Romans 8:3). Because believers are in Christ, they have the joy of being counted as righteous, simply because Christ is righteous (Philippians 3:9). Paul also points out that genuine Christians, although they struggle, will not live “according to the flesh”; that is, they will not persist in a constant state of sinful living (Romans 8:5).
Paul encourages us that we need not fear condemnation because we can come to God as our loving, forgiving Father (Romans 8:15–16). Christians who live in shame and guilt over past failures are needlessly condemning themselves when they ought to be “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13). Fear can be paralyzing, “but perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). As Christians, we must understand that our justification is found in Christ alone—in His finished work on the cross—not in what we do or don’t do (Romans 3:28). Believers can find solace in the assurance that we have been adopted into God’s own family and have been made heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Nothing can separate us “from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39).
100% Freedom is given by Christ to all who will come to him. This is not an added extra but the whole truth of the gospel. Unchained is what happens when according to Paul the "Spirit of Life" sets us free. Take some time to reflect deeply on the meaning of this passage this morning.
“No
condemnation” can be defined in courtroom language. To have “no
condemnation” declared means to be found innocent of the accusation, to
have no sentence inflicted and no guilty verdict found. By the grace of
God, believers in Jesus do not face the condemnation of God. “We have
passed from death to life” (1 John 3:14).
In our day and age we do not want to hear that the Bible teaches that every human being will be brought before the judgment throne of God for an ultimate and decisive judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10), and Christ Himself will be the judge (John 5:27). We are all naturally under the condemnation of God: “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already” (John 3:18b). But Christians will not be found guilty on Judgment Day (John 3:18a; Matthew 25:33–34). The bible is clear on this unpopular theme.
However, the “no condemnation” involves more than acquittal on Judgment Day. In Romans 8:1 the apostle Paul speaks in the present tense, as evidenced by the word now. Also, notice the word therefore, which points the reader to the previous passage of Romans 7:21-25. In Romans 7 Paul describes his struggle against the sinful nature—a struggle that every believer experiences. Paul writes, “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:21) and, “What a wretched man I am!” (Romans 7:24). Paul is expressing his hatred for the sinful nature which continues to war against his new nature in Christ—Paul hates the sin he commits, but he is also thankful because he has been set free from slavery to sin. He now has the ability to do what is good because Christ has delivered him (Romans 7:25).
Paul takes this a step further in Romans 8 when he teaches believers are not only free from bondage to sin, they are free from the inner emotions and thoughts that tend to bring feelings of condemnation to the Christian when he does commit sin (Romans 8:2). Christians are free from the “law of sin and death,” which means, although they will commit sin, the Law no longer has the power to condemn them. We are not under the Law’s condemnation because Jesus fulfilled (“filled-up, completed”) the expectations of the Law perfectly, and believers are “in Christ” (Romans 8:3). Because believers are in Christ, they have the joy of being counted as righteous, simply because Christ is righteous (Philippians 3:9). Paul also points out that genuine Christians, although they struggle, will not live “according to the flesh”; that is, they will not persist in a constant state of sinful living (Romans 8:5).
Paul encourages us that we need not fear condemnation because we can come to God as our loving, forgiving Father (Romans 8:15–16). Christians who live in shame and guilt over past failures are needlessly condemning themselves when they ought to be “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13). Fear can be paralyzing, “but perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). As Christians, we must understand that our justification is found in Christ alone—in His finished work on the cross—not in what we do or don’t do (Romans 3:28). Believers can find solace in the assurance that we have been adopted into God’s own family and have been made heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Nothing can separate us “from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39).
100% Freedom is given by Christ to all who will come to him. This is not an added extra but the whole truth of the gospel. Unchained is what happens when according to Paul the "Spirit of Life" sets us free. Take some time to reflect deeply on the meaning of this passage this morning.
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