WHAT IS FREEDOM?

“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are truly my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31, 32, NIV).

Freedom is an overworked and misunderstood word in our world.  For many people, “freedom” stands for “we can do anything we like, no matter what it does to us or anyone else.”

God is also passionate about our freedom because He gave it to us in the first place, but He views it from a different perspective. Firstly, He cherishes the freedom He gave us so much that He will never intrude on our freedom to choose, even though we destroy ourselves in the process.  People love to blame God for the consequences of their choices. They become embittered and turn away from Him.

Secondly, God wants us to choose to love Him. We are not robots, programmed to love Him with no choice in the matter.  We are His children, loving Him freely because we want to. 

Thirdly God wants us to love and obey Him because He knows the consequences of the wrong choices we make.  Why do we warn our child not to cross a busy street in peak hour traffic?  We know that he is likely to be injured or killed if he does.  Why does God give us commandments and prohibitions?  His laws are intended to create boundaries within which we can be safe and free. He knows that sin will destroy us if we indulge.  But He still allows us to choose.

When we choose against Him, it breaks His heart to see the suffering we endure because of our foolishness. Yet He does not interfere because we made the choice not to heed Him, and we must take the consequences.    

When we read through the Bible, we discover that God is about setting His people free.  He did miracles to set the children of Israel free from slavery in Egypt, from hostile tribes in Canaan and from captivity to invading enemy armies.  But he went much further than that. He sent His Son to free us from the guilt and penalty of sin and He gave us His Spirit to free us from sin’s power. 

Why, then, do we still insist on making the kind of choices that destroy our bodies, our souls, our families and our inner freedom? What holds us in slavery? Anger, bitterness, jealousy, unforgiveness, addictions, habits, idols?

 “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.”  Galatians 5:1

God treasures, values and longs for us to be free.  What about us?  If we really want to be free, Jesus offers us the solution. When we bow to Him in faith, submission and obedience and follow Him as our Master, we will enjoy the fruit of His love, joy, and peace.