Freedom!
“So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.” John 8:36 (AMP)
“In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].” Gal. 5:1 (AMP)
I believe there is true freedom and it is found only in Christ Jesus. There is no other Name and no other being, formula, method, or plan by which we can obtain salvation (Acts 4:12) or freedom. People can grant us freedom from temporary promises and earthly entanglements. But from the entanglement and slavery of sin into which we are born and which tempts and entices us to continually drift farther from God, there is no earthly remedy. Sin is a constant downward pull, a weight on our spirit and soul that ultimately crushes us and is our death sentence. Only Jesus can set us truly free, truly and unquestionably free indeed.
Freedom that Jesus provides transcends temporary freedom from earthly things. Christs’ freedom is complete and eternal. It is only Jesus that saves to the uttermost: completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity (Heb. 7:25). There is no area of our lives, nothing in our past, nothing we will encounter in our future, that is beyond the saving, liberating hand of Jesus the Son of God. He saves to the uttermost.
His freedom is meant to set us free, indeed, and keep us free. There was a devout, righteous, faith-filled elder and minister in the church where I grew up. He was questioned one day about “Once saved always saved” doctrine. His reply was, “Yes! I believe once saved always saved . . . If you stay saved!” Praise the Lord that through His saving power we can do just that. We can be set free and stay free. We can experience true freedom and remain in that freedom, never having to go back to bondage in any area of our life
Familiar entanglements and temptations will surely come back around to entice us and enslave us, but we can stand firm on the Word of God, and say out loud, “It is for freedom that Christ has set me free!” We can be sure that He has a purpose and plan for our freedom. We can choose to believe it, stand firm, live free, and make progress in our walk of freedom for which He has set us free. The purpose of His freedom is not so we can experience temporary relief, but later turn back to actions, thoughts, and habits that lead to our destruction and destroy our relationships, our self-worth, and detour us from our purpose.
Jesus wants us to experience and live daily in the freedom He has purchased and provided for us. He admonished His disciples to abide in Him and He will abide in them. And as His followers, modern day disciples, He will abide in us. Abiding, living, remaining with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit who was sent for our benefit, is abiding, living, and remaining in His freedom. Our time spent walking with God, spending time in prayer, reading His Word, worshipping Him and singing songs that fuel our faith and encourage our spirit, is time spent living in freedom.
It is no wonder the gospel, the story of Jesus, is called, “Good News!” It is great news! In God’s Word we find not only the instruction to be free and to walk free, but find that Jesus Himself is the provision for that freedom. It is because of Him and through Him that we can be free and walk in freedom as instructed. In fact, there is nothing which Jesus has instructed us to do for which He has not also made provision.
Have you experienced true freedom in your life? Are you living in that freedom each day? It is not possible to achieve true freedom on our own, but it is possible because of Jesus. Please know that if you are questioning whether all the good and precious promises God makes in the Bible are for you, the answer is yes! Through Jesus every single one of them is for you (II Cor. 1:20)! And I’ll say Amen to that!
