Freedom is something most Americans take for granted. Yet there is a bondage that knows no physical boundaries. It does not matter where you live, we have all suffered from the slavery of sin. At the time of conception, we were given a sinful nature. Every person is born with a desire to be selfish, to do what feels best to them, and to have a “me first” attitude. No one has to teach us to lie, it is ingrained in us. However, when we surrender our lives to Jesus as our Lord, we are no longer a slave to sin. Jesus said in John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” With Christ, you shall be free.
Our lives before we become Christians is that of a slave. We are a slave to sin and our hearts are yielded to what we thought or felt was best for us. In Romans 6:17 Paul teaches us that before salvation “ye were the servants of sin.” Once we become a follower of Jesus Christ our desires change, and we feel and think differently. I still remember how I felt when I sought forgiveness and surrendered to Jesus at an old-fashioned altar. I felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. I felt free, full of hope and joy. Nothing in the world mattered except what was in that moment. I wanted to tell the world what had happened to me and how they could have it too.
While Christ frees us Satan binds us. Before Jesus, we are condemned but Romans 8:1-2 teaches us when we are in Christ there is no condemnation! Christ makes us free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Before salvation we had sinful passions, our desire was to please the flesh. The temptations would plague our minds and we would begin to devise a plan to fulfill our desires. We were in bondage to our master Satan. He paints a pretty picture until you are enslaved and suffering the consequences of your sin. While he will still tempt us and plot and plan how to trip us up, he no longer has control, we do. We choose who we will yield to. When we choose Christ, we have an advocate. He will help us to overcome the temptation to sin. Note, that He will help us, but He will not force us to obey. He will provide a way of escape as Paul states in I Corinthians 10:13, but we must choose to take it. Each time we choose God’s way we feel the thrill and comfort of victory. Freedom is ours if we desire to please God.
I Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
This freedom offers us someone to help us lighten our sorrows and hardships, which will come our way. We live in a sinful world and still have our sinful nature so difficulty is inevitable. Even Paul experienced this in Romans 7:15 when he stated “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” However, Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:30 that “His yoke is easy and His burden is light.” We have the unspeakable joy that Peter talks about in I Peter 1:8 “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” It is a joy that cannot be understood by the world. It is a joy that is filled with hope, a hope that is not a thought or a wish so hope, but a hope that is expected based on a living Savior. We also have a peace that lives deep within our souls and keeps us anchored when it seems there is no peace. It is the peace Paul speaks about in Philippians 4:7. It is the peace of God that passes all understanding, and it shall keep our hearts and minds stable and confident. Living the Christian life will have its difficulties, but they are easy when compared to the hardships and consequences of sin. In Him, there is a freedom to soar above our circumstances and live full abundant lives for Him. This is freedom!
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
