Freedom!
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1
Freedom is an interesting word in our society right now. On one hand, we have the news media and politicians telling us that riots and looting are part of an American’s rights and therefore those individuals committing these crimes are free to do so. On the other hand, the same news media and politicians are telling us we must wear masks in public, practice social distancing, and do everything they tell us to do regarding Covid-19 or millions of people will die. We can ask a series of rhetorical questions about the hypocrisy that is displayed there because we are either free, or we are not. Our freedom as citizens of a nation does not depend on the whims and political motives of those who claim to be in power. For the record, I fully support the right of peaceful protest and I fully support the right of citizens in this nation to disregard the mask orders and so forth. Each of us has to make our own decision regarding such things and I do not expect or need you to agree with me. But, it brings up for me the question of what true freedom is, and true freedom has nothing to do with protests, riots, wearing or not wearing a mask, and so on. True freedom is only found in Christ.
The above verse tells us to stand fast, or hold on to, the freedom we have in Jesus and not be taken back into slavery. What has Jesus set us free from? Jesus set us free from sin, from death, and from the consequences of a life lived apart from God. Jesus death and resurrection overcame sin and death, purchased our redemption and our freedom in Him. Knowing and believing this truth sets us free. We know that “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). True freedom is not about our constitutional rights in the United States. While I support and believe that our constitution should be upheld, the Bill of Rights is not where true freedom comes from. You see, apart from Christ we are slaves to sin (John 8:34) but it is only in Christ that we experience true freedom. Because in Christ we are freed from our slavery to sin, we are freed from our slavery to death, and we are freed from a life that has no meaning and purpose. In Christ, we are no longer condemned to live a life of sin bound for eternal punishment. In Christ, we are given new life, new hope, a purpose and a future that God created us specifically for (Ephesians 2:10). True slavery is not being able to escape, and we cannot escape sin, death, and hell on our own. True freedom is having that slavery removed from us totally and completely, and that can only be found in Jesus.
While the media and politicians continue to try and erode our freedom in this country, we need to know and live in the true freedom that only Jesus provides. I truly believe that we as citizens have the right to exercise our freedoms in this nation, and we should work and vote to uphold and preserve those freedoms. However, the freedoms afforded us by a law are not permanent and they do nothing to free us from our slavery to sin. Therefore, the more important freedom that we need to seek is the freedom that can only be found in Christ. I hope you have this freedom and are empowered by His Spirit to walk in it. May God richly ble
ss you!
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