The Fourth of July holiday in the United States of America reminds us the founding fathers declared “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” ¹ While our nation’s founders give God the credit for our “liberty”, there is another liberty, a Biblical freedom, that eclipses personal freedoms. True and lasting freedom is the precious freedom Christ bought for all believers.
What Does Freedom Mean in the Bible?
By definition, freedom means we enjoy the ability to pursue our own interests and preferences. Our heavenly Father grants everyone free will, or the freedom to make choices, but we should look at it as a gift; not an excuse to go our own way whenever we want.
Free will gives us the freedom to choose what we desire. If we want to choose an honest and upstanding path, we have that right. We also have the option of choosing a corrupt and immoral path. Each day brings many decisions and choices that affect our lives and those around us.
Freedom from Sin
We use our freedom to sin daily. (Sounds horrible, doesn’t it?) But even as Christians, we remain under the curse which has us lean towards sin.
We can’t release the power sin has in our lives on our own. Even the very best of intentions to “clean up our act” are not enough. We need the saving power of Jesus to give us freedom from sin.
Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth to reveal this truth to the Jews. While teaching in the synagogue, He read from the scroll of Isaiah in Luke 4:18-19, saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Isaiah 61:1-2
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the prisoners and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ESV.
Jesus was telling them His mission was to free us from the slavery of sin.
Jesus later addressed the same topic:
John 8:34
“Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
We cannot escape the habit of sin, but we can experience spiritual freedom in Christ Jesus! He seals it with this promise:
John 8:36
“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36.
Romans 6:18,22
“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness”, “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
As believers, we still sin, but we are no longer its slave. Our Master is God alone; we live for Him.
The apostle Paul reminds us that even though we still struggle with sin, we have the assurance of being freed by Jesus Christ:
Romans 7:25
“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”
Freedom from sin comes through accepting the precious gift of Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for our sins. Only He can set us free from the death penalty we deserve and offer eternal life with Him in its place.
We find true and lasting freedom in only one place- a personal relationship with Jesus.
Hebrews 2:14-15
“He [Jesus] too, shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Freedom from Guilt
When we sincerely repent, God grants forgiveness.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12.
Satan loves to haunt us with our past failures to create guilt and shame. This can leave us living in the past, robbed of the everyday joy and peace we should be feeling.
When Jesus sets you free from sin, you are completely and 100% forever free from the burden of guilt as well. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ!
Romans 8:1-3
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.”
The power of Christ within us gives us His control for our lives. The more we trust and follow His will and guidance, the old sinful habits, thoughts, and attitudes recede.
2 Corinthians 3:15-17
“Even to this day when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord God is, there is freedom.”
Romans 8:21
“The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage of corruption and and brought into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
Paul encourages us to remain in our hope of future glory even as our present world is decaying and spiritually infected with sin. We have much to look forward to!
Freedom to Serve
Galatians 5:13
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.”
Paul reminds us we shouldn’t use our precious freedom to live worldly agendas or just to please ourselves. Jesus gave it all for us and He has a plan for our lives- to be a blessing to others and focus on living for Him.
Jesus gives us the perfect example to follow. He had more freedom than any person on earth and He used it to serve others in love. He freed us so we could do the same.
The Truth Will Set You Free
John 8:31-32
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Likewise, if we “hold to” His teaching- accept the truth of our spiritual condition and His sacrifice on our behalf- we are free. God’s Word shows us clearly how to seek, follow, and serve Him.
The hope of the gospel is Jesus. He didn’t give us the freedom to do what we want, but the spiritual freedom to be all that God meant us to be.
Freedom in Christ Verses
1 Peter 2:16
“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”
This verse reminds me of the quote: “Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible nonbelievers ever read.”
We can’t let our freedom in Christ be an excuse to sin. Instead, show His love and respect to others so they desire His kind of freedom in their lives.
Galatians 5:1
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
We are a free people- not to do whatever we please, but to live unselfishly, knowing His grace and mercy has saved us. Jesus died so that we can live free- unencumbered by the burdensome laws that were impossible to keep and giving in to our old desires that lead us to sin.
Colossians 1:22
“But now He [God] has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
Our freedom in Christ comes through the only way possible and the greatest gift ever given- Jesus’ sacrifice. He then wiped our record clean like a judge declaring a defendant not guilty, acquitting us of all charges. It is as if we had never sinned.
James 1:25
“The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does.”
It seems like a contradiction that a law can give freedom, but God’s law is the law of love. Note the first and greatest commandment:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37.
James 2:12-13
“Speak and act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Keeping God’s laws does not save us, faith and mercy do. We still obey Jesus, but now do so joyfully and willingly because we love Him and have the Holy Spirit to help us.
True Freedom in Christ
Freedom is the essence and foundational basis of Christian life. This freedom is something to relish and enjoy!
We are free from the bondage of sin and guilt and condemnation. The penalty and power of sin are gone.
He has unshackled the chains of sin and we are free to indulge in His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, forgiveness, and compassion.
Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, who alone is worthy of praise, as we persevere to live the life of freedom He called us to live- now and forever.
Blessings of Freedom!
AnnMarie
¹https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.
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