The word freedom is the most interesting and attractive word for all of us, I think. I mean, who wouldn’t wanna be free, right?

The first definition I found from Google for the word “freedom” is this: “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”

Hmm!

Just think about having the power to act, speak or think as one wants, without any hindrance or restrain whatsoever.

But first, “Is there any place in this universe any person can have that kind of power” is the question we need to find an answer for. And the answer for that question is “None!”

Only God enjoys that kind of freedom! Only God has that kind of freedom! And this Free God calls people into freedom.

The word of God says, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free” Galatians 5:1a

Isaiah said this about the Messiah (Jesus Christ) way before Christ came to earth,

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;” Isaiah 61:1

“Good News” or the Gospel is then this: Those who were prisoners and captives will be free through the Messiah!

But we all have to first know that we are prisoners and captives of sin. If you read this post, this includes you. Yes, if we come from Adam and Eve, we all are captives to sin and death. Adam and Eve sinned against God and they fell from the glory of God; and guess what? We fell with them. We all died with them for the things of God. None has a desire to know God.

Isaiah writes like this about human race:

“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,”
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
There is no one who does good.
God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who understands,
Who seeks after God.
Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.” Isaiah 53:1-3

“Not even one” will include every one of us.

So, Jesus Christ came to earth to set us free from this captivity. We were blind and deaf for the things of God. But by His own mercy and grace, God gave His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;” 1 Peter 3:18

Who died for who?

Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God, the Just died for us sinners, prisoners of sin and death, the unjust.

Why did He die for us?

The reason is found in Him alone, not in us; but He died for us to make us His. You see, God is our Creator. He created us in His own image. But because of sin, we were sold to sin and death. Jesus Christ redeemed us by His own blood so that we can be not only redeemed people but also be Children of God.

So, what is our freedom?

Our freedom is to be who we were meant to be in the first place. That is our freedom! We were created to bring glory and praise to God! But because of the fall, we became slaves to sin, death, this evil world and the devil. But now through Jesus Christ, we are free from being salves to those things and we become salves to God, slaves to righteousness. This is our true freedom!

If a person who is downing in the ocean shouts, “I want my freedom to do whatever I want,” and if the lifeguards let him have his want, what will be the result of his freedom?

Only one! Death!

In the same way, a person who is not in Christ cries for their freedom, they are actually crying to be faithful salves to sin, death, to this evil world and the devil. In short, they are crying for their eternal damnation.

Paul writes:

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

We Christians are set free by Jesus Christ for freedom but we need to proclaim and preach this freedom to our soul every day because we all have this tendency of going back to our “yoke of slavery.”

If we are free and saved in Christ, our walk should start and finish in faith and trust in Christ. We do not add to our salvation our “good deeds” or we don’t try to earn our way to God. Jesus is the Way to God. Our good works and deeds are “filthy rags,” Isaiah 64:6. And we should not let anyone preach to us any other Gospel than the one we first received. Talented and winsome speakers shouldn’t hide from us our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They use His name but they promote their names. They claim, “We proclaim Christ,” but they proclaim their names and build their kingdoms.

May God save us all from drifting away from the Shepherd of our soul! ///