Maintaining our freedom (3)

In this series we will be looking at freedom through a magnifying glass. Freedom as mentioned in 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.

It is not as easy as it seems to give a personal definition of freedom. If you struggle with an addiction you want to be free from that burden. If you have a sickness you want to be free from that pain. If you have continual thoughts about fear and worry, you want to be free to think different thoughts. Well, we can all fill in the blanks... From a personal point of view we can all come up with a definition of freedom, based on our own experiences. If we would ask any group of teenagers to give a definition of freedom, we will get a totally different response then when we would ask the same question to a group of elderly people. For young people freedom often means: doing whatever you want or feel like, saying whatever you want or feel like, living without rules. This is the freedom the world promotes. But if we are really honest we know, in our heart, this is not real freedom, but anarchy (chaos, misrule, state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority).

Biblical freedom is totally different from worldly freedom; it is freedom from sin, shame and guilt, but also the freedom to choose. As human beings we are created with a free will. God has put the freedom to make choices in every person, whether you are a Christian or not. The freedom from sin, guilt and shame however, can only be obtained through grace and by faith in Jesus Christ, by asking Him to come and live in us with his Holy Spirit. Don't ask me why this is the only way. God has decided so and I cannot add or change anything. The Bible keeps it simple with a wonderful promise: If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36). Who doesn't want that, who can refuse such an offer?

To be truly free and staying free... starts with making a choice for Jesus. We all have the freedom to do so. No one can force a person to make that decision, but we can surely encourage others to make this choice. If you desire to be truly free, ask Jesus to come and live in your heart. It is no more complicated than that. After we make that choice it is our responsibility to keep our freedom, to not be a slave again. More about that in the next post.

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds (Titus 2:14)