As we enjoy a 4th of July BBQ of burgers and hot dogs we can all be thankful for the freedoms that we have in this country.  Freedoms that foreigners don’t enjoy in their own countries, so they flock to America.  No, this is not a pro- immigration letter; it is a message about freedom. 

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Our countries Star Spangled Banner even calls America the Land of the Free.  But are we really free?  The Bible has more than a few things to say about the nature of freedom and what it means to truly enjoy it.  It reviles the only true freedom there really is.  How many times have you heard of those ultra-wealthy people who are just never really happy.  They think that more money or more toys will bring them happiness only to find themselves chained to their success, or the memory of how they got there.  Just recently when that globetrotting famous chef Anthony Bourdain committed suicide I read some of his story and he mentioned that he was not a happy person. Who would have known, he put on such a false front, he was not free.  He was a slave to something in his past.

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When we are a slave to sin we are not free.  No matter what we try to do to erase that sin stain or try to ‘do good things’ to try and please God into overlooking our transgressions we will not succeed.  It will be a waste of our time.  We will still be captive to sin.  But, by dying on the cross, Christ atoned for all of mankind’s sins. This cures our terminal condition and completely pays our debts. We are now clean in the eyes of God.

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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, Gal. 5:1.  Our sinful past is not an option as we already know that it leads to death. We must also not be swayed by so-called religious thinkers who preach a flawed gospel. Staying on the narrow path of truth is what will lead to ultimate freedom. 1 Peter 2:16 also tells us to, “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”  But how can we be free if it states we become slaves of God?  Throughout the Bible and as we ourselves can attest, mankind is always serving something, whatever you can fill in the blank with, there is always something that has mastery over us.  When we allow God to be our master, we can experience the ultimate, only true freedom. 

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In the words of Jesus, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So, if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”   So true freedom, lasting freedom is only found in the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. 

Free Indeed