Free Indeed

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

It is a gross misunderstanding to think of freedom as the lack of restraint. The freedom that Christ earned for us isn’t liberty that leads to licentiousness. By no means!

I once had a friend, a pastor’s son, who, as a teenager, was tired of living under the “rules and regulations” of his father’s house. He decided to join the Army. He told me, “I’m not going to keep letting him tell me what to do!” I don’t know what he was thinking, but it seemed to me that the Army wasn’t the place to find the kind of freedom he was looking for.

Or take the student who says, I’m tired of school, especially the teachers telling me what to do and what to study. I’m done, I want to be free. I’m going to quit going to school. It stands to reason that dropping out of school doesn’t make one more free, but actually limits the freedom of choosing a good college or applying for a higher paying job.

Or consider the addict in a 12-Step program who says, I can't stand these people telling me, “Take this step.” “Take that step.” I’ll just stop coming to the meetings. I’ll be better off. I’ll be free.

Freedom isn’t casting off restraint; freedom is the power to choose responsibility. Freedom in Christ isn’t freedom from obedience, but freedom unto obedience. In Christ, you are free from the bondage of sin. You are no longer its slave. You are now free to live an abundant life in Christ, in obedience to His Word. 

So if the Son [God’s Son, Jesus] sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8.38