“You’re free!”
“Great. What does that mean?”
That’s not as simple a question as it sounds. Freedom runs through our nation’s story. The Statue of Liberty still invites, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free …” Every July 4 we celebrate independence, our freedom from Great Britain. It’s a gift we rightly thank God for, because not everyone enjoys that liberty.
Yet that’s not the freedom Jesus was talking about. When he offered freedom to his hearers, they were still under Roman rule. He was speaking of something deeper.
Many today chase a kind of freedom that means doing whatever they want, no restrictions, no accountability. But that’s not biblical freedom. Scripture tells us, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). No one by nature is . . . . free from the reign and condemnation of sin.
Here’s a great truth – you can be truly free in Christ even if you live under an oppressive government or have little power or influence. At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
Forgiveness in Christ is real freedom. It’s freedom from sin’s debt and eternal condemnation. Hold on to Jesus’ teaching. Trust his death and resurrection for you. The truth has set you free forever. You are free! Don’t ever let it go.
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)