Freedom In Christ

Scripture: John 8:32

The Freedom Jesus Promises

For years, my spiritual life was like a roller coaster, up and down—with far fewer ups than downs. There were times when I experienced more anxiety than peace, more fear than faith, and more failure than success. I’m sure you can relate.

Was I saved? Yes! Was I free? No. For all practical purposes, my new-birth experience had not set me free. I knew the Lord’s pardon, but not His freedom. Old habits still harassed me. Twisted emotions still paralyzed me. The power of sin attempted to defeat me. I longed for the freedom Jesus promised, but for some reason, it eluded my grasp.

My problem was not one of desire. I wished with all my heart to please God. But there were times I felt as if I was fighting a losing battle.

Eventually it dawned on me that I was in bondage; I was a prisoner. It was in the early morning hours, after crying out to the Lord throughout the night, that I suddenly realized I must relinquish to Him control of my entire life.

With a deep longing in my heart, I began to search the Bible with one objective: to know the joy of real freedom in Christ—freedom to become the person God intended me to be. And I found it. Jesus unlocked the door to my prison cell with six simple words: “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

With this promise in my heart, I began applying to my life the principles of true freedom that I was learning about in God’s Word. In doing so, I experienced freedom that transformed my life. Now I want to share these same truths with you. It’s my prayer that as you read through the days that follow, these devotionals will expose areas of bondage in your life, and more importantly, that God’s truth will set you free.

Scriptures: John 8:32, John 8:34, 2 Timothy 2:26, Galatians 5:1

Truth That Sets Us Free

Truth and freedom are constant companions. Where you find one, you will always find the other. Freedom in any area of life comes from discovering the truth about it. And discovering truth in a particular area always results in freedom of some kind.

It’s when a child accepts the truth that there’s nothing to be afraid of that she’s finally free from a fear of the dark. It’s only when a little boy accepts the truth that his father can and will catch him that he finds the freedom to leave the security of the diving board and jump into the pool. Likewise, it’s only as we accept the truth of all that Christ did for us at Calvary that we begin to enjoy the freedom He provided.

“The truth will set you free.” In six simple words, Jesus outlines the process by which any man, woman, or child can gain freedom in this life. Freedom is not gained through having our way or doing as we please. On the contrary, prisons are full of men and women who simply did as they pleased. These people certainly didn’t gain freedom; they forfeited their freedom. And so it is with us every time we carelessly strike out on our own to do our own thing. What results isn’t freedom—it’s bondage.

If I were to ask you whether or not you’re free, you may be tempted to answer yes without giving it much thought. But let me ask you this: Are you constantly battling with fear, lust, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, conceit, deceitfulness, a lack of faith, or discouragement? Are there habits in your life over which you seem to have little or no control? Are there certain environments and people you avoid because of an insecurity you cannot overcome? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you are not free. You don’t have to be imprisoned to find yourself in handcuffs or behind bars. Sin has a way of entrapping each of us, keeping us in bondage that the Lord never intended for us. It is through Christ’s death on the cross where He defeated sin and death once and for all that our true freedom can be found. And when we accept Christ as our Savior, the chains that had us bound are broken, and God’s freedom truly sets us free (Gal. 5:1).

Scriptures: Galatians 5:1, Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3, Romans 2:13

Maximum Freedom

For years, I believed God was working against my personal freedom. I pictured Him as a divine Lawgiver who spent the majority of His time creating new ways to further restrict my liberty. Statements such as the one found in Galatians 5:1 made little sense to me: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” I would read them over and over and wonder why, if Christ came to set us free, I felt like such a slave.

Then one day when I was reading Genesis, a thought popped into my mind: Adam and Eve had only one rule (Gen. 2:17). Imagine living in a world where there was only one rule! The implications are astounding. Most significant, however, is the fact that in the perfect environment, where God had everything just the way He wanted it, He issued only one “thou shalt not.” To put it another way, God’s not a God of rules. Our God is a God of freedom. In the beginning, He placed the first man and woman in a beautiful garden and for all practical purposes said, “You’re free to enjoy yourselves.”

“So,” you may ask, “why all the moral and ethical taboos now?” The answer is found in Genesis 3. Our earliest ancestors did the very thing they were told not to do and so opened the door for sin to enter the world. And with sin came death. Thus, humanity became a slave to sin and death.

Whereas our world teaches that freedom is gained by throwing off all restraint, Scripture teaches us that the opposite is true. Human beings forfeited a great deal of freedom in an attempt to gain absolute freedom. As we begin to put two and two together, it becomes increasingly clear that freedom is gained and maintained by adherence to God’s laws. Just as a good father sets loving limitations for his children, so our heavenly Father sets moral and ethical perimeters for us.

Once again, the bottom line is trust. Can we trust God knows what’s best for us? Can we believe He really has our best interests in mind? Adam and Eve didn’t. And they lost the very freedom they were convinced their sin would ensure them. What about you? Are you willing to accept that God is a God of freedom—that His laws are for your protection, given to ensure and not hamper your freedom? If so, take a few moments to surrender to God the areas over which you’ve maintained control. Confess your lack of faith, then rest in the assurance God will grant you the maximum amount of freedom available in this sinful world.

Scriptures: Romans 6:7, 1 Corinthians 1:18, John 8:36

Dead Men Don’t Sin

Freedom begins and ends at the cross of Christ. At Calvary, the penalty for our sin was dealt with once and for all. It was there that Christ was punished on our behalf so that we would be free of sin’s debt. But something else took place at the cross that equally affects our freedom. Not only was the penalty of sin dealt with that day, but the power of sin as well. Christ’s death and resurrection marked the end of sin’s power to control the believer. Just as sin could not control the Son of God, so it is powerless to control those who’ve been placed into Christ by faith.

Unfortunately, many who would nod in agreement with the above statement are anything but free experientially. They’re still slaves to the same habits and sin that plagued them in their pre-Christian days. There’s no victory over sin. There’s little joy. Consequently, there’s little reason to keep struggling. And so for many believers, their motto becomes, “Well … nobody’s perfect.”

God doesn’t intend for us to continue to live as slaves to sin. The message of the cross is freedom from sin—both its penalty and its power. While it’s true we’ll always be temptable, it’s not true that we must give in to temptation. The moment you were saved, you were given new life—Christ’s life. You died to your old life—a life dominated by the power and lure of sin. Your new life is the same life that enabled Christ to walk this earth for 33 years without sinning. It’s the very life that enabled Him to walk out of the grave unaffected by death. On the day you were born again, you became a new person with brand-new potential in regard to sin and death.

To make this historical and theological truth a reality, we must appropriate it. That is, we must accept it as fact and act on it. As long as we’re convinced to the contrary, we’ll continue to live as slaves.

Have you acknowledged your freedom from sin’s power? Have you been claiming it? Or have you been relying on your feelings as indicators of your relationship to sin? Your feelings will tell you that nothing has changed; everything is as it’s always been.

But God says you’re different. He says you’re dead to sin … and dead people are free from the power of sin. Who will you choose to believe today?

Scriptures: Romans 12:2, Proverbs 23:7

Transformed

Most of us have had the frustrating experience of making a sincere commitment only to find that several days later we’ve abandoned it. I call it the “youth camp syndrome.” At many of the churches I pastored through the years, the youth attended camp just about every summer. As is the case with many camps, we always ended the week with a commitment service. Each year was the same. Everyone cried and promised God the moon—no more lying, cursing, cheating, smoking, drinking, and on and on it went. Unfortunately, most of those promises were broken before we ever made it back to the church parking lot the next afternoon.

I believe most of the decisions made during those sessions were sincere. The problem was the follow through. While the youth were clear on the “oughts” and “ought nots,” it was the “how to’s” that remained difficult to implement. And the same is true for all of us—no matter what our age.

Because of his background, the apostle Paul knew all too well the frustration of knowing what to do without knowing how to do it. No doubt it was his own experience that made him sensitive to his readers’ needs in this area. And so in one perfectly-penned statement he summarized the key to consistent change: “by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).

Paul knew that our behavior is directly affected by the way we think. For real change to take place externally, there must first be a change in our thinking. Until we get involved in the process of renewing our minds, any behavioral change is going to be short-lived.

Renewing the mind is a little like refinishing furniture. It’s a two-stage process. It involves taking off the old and replacing it with the new. The old is the lies you’ve learned to tell or were taught by those around you; it’s the attitudes and ideas that have become a part of your thinking but don’t reflect reality. The new is the truth. To renew your mind is to involve yourself in the process of allowing God to bring to the surface the lies you’ve mistakenly accepted and replace them with truth. To the degree that you do this, your behavior—and your entire life—will be completely transformed.

Scripture: Romans 8:1

No Condemnation

Do you believe God likes you? “Don’t you mean, ‘loves me’?” you ask. No, likes you. Do you believe God likes you? This is one of my favorite questions to ask. The reason is it cuts through to the core of how an individual really believes God feels about him or her. So, do you think God likes you? If He were to show up in bodily form, do you think He would seek you out? Would you be someone He’d enjoy being around?

Isn’t it strange how much more comfortable we are with the concept of “love” than with the concept of “like” when it comes to God’s feelings toward us? Why do you think that’s true? Often, the reason lies in the fact that we’ve not come to grips with the real extent to which God has forgiven us. Consequently, we live with a subtle sense of condemnation. It’s as if there’s always a dark cloud separating us from God. We say we’re forgiven, but in our hearts, we’re never fully convinced God isn’t still a little angry with us.

The truth is, every reason God had for being angry with us was dealt with at Calvary. Our forgiveness is so complete that God is not only free to love us, He can like us as well. Think about this: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). If you’ve placed your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, the Bible says you are positionally in Christ. And once you were placed into Christ, you were separated from the guilt that once brought divine condemnation. You’re not condemned. Christ was condemned on your behalf, and now you’re free.

“But,” you may ask, “why do I feel so condemned? Why don’t I feel forgiven?” It’s probably because you’ve not made up your mind to take God at His Word. Instead, you’ve measured your worthiness and acceptability by your performance. To be free from feelings of condemnation, you must renew your mind to this powerful truth: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Scriptures: Ephesians 2:8-9, Matthew 6:1, Romans 5:8

How Free Is Free?

There’s all the difference in the world between working to gain someone’s acceptance and working because of someone’s acceptance. I meet people all the time who feel compelled to serve God in order to merit His love and acceptance. Often this is the result of a theological error they’ve been taught since childhood: “You better be good or else …” On other occasions, it stems from growing up in a home where parental acceptance depended on their behavior: “Be a good girl, and daddy will love you.”This pattern of thinking can become so entrenched, adults will work themselves into the grave attempting to prove to their parents they’re not a failure. I’ve met men who were driven by a desire to gain their father’s approval long after their father had passed away.

When this system of performance-based acceptance is transferred to our heavenly Father, the result is legalism. Legalism is an attitude. It’s a system of thinking in which an individual attempts to gain God’s love and acceptance through good works or service. Some people sincerely believe their salvation is at stake. For others, it’s a vague feeling of divine disapproval of which they’re trying to rid themselves. Either way, however, legalism always leads to the same dead end: a lack of joy, a critical spirit, and an inability to be transparent.

Freedom from legalism comes through accepting the truth about our favored position in the family of God. Those who’ve put their trust in Christ have been adopted into His family. There’s no concept that speaks any clearer of acceptance than adoption. Whereas a pregnancy can come as a surprise, adoption is always something that’s premeditated and planned. While you and I were still without hope, God set the stage to adopt us into His family (Rom. 5:8).

Do you feel you must work in order to gain God’s acceptance? Do you find yourself being critical of those who don’t serve the Lord with the same fervor as you? Have you developed a martyr’s attitude toward your service for the Lord? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it could be that you’re not really resting in the finished work of Christ—a work that settled the question of your acceptability once and for all. Through Christ, God provided you with an eternal place in the family of God and allows you to call Him your Father.

Scriptures: Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:46-49

Taking the Long Look 

In an address to the 1984 United States Olympic Team, President Ronald Reagan made this comment: “You above all people know that it is not just the will to win that counts, but the will to prepare to win.” Wherever there’s the potential for great gain, there’s usually the necessity for equal or greater sacrifice. Those who’ve excelled in their professions understand the relationship between accomplishment and sacrifice. Many believers are unaware of the fact that this same principle applies in the spiritual realm as well.

Jesus chose to communicate this important truth in a parable. Two men decided to build houses. One decided to take the easy way. He built his house on a river bank where the foundation would be easy to put in and materials were readily available. The other man chose the difficult task of hauling all of his building supplies to the top of a nearby mountain. Once there, it took him days just to put in a foundation.

From the outset of the parable, Jesus makes it clear who these two men represent. The first man represents that group of people who find the teachings of Christ too restrictive, too difficult to obey. The other builder represents those who are willing to pay the price of obedience. They are the few who are willing to put into “practice” what Jesus taught.

For a while it looked as if the man on the mountain had worked extra hard for nothing. But then the clouds began to gather. And soon the wind began to blow. Before long, both houses were being battered by a great storm. It was then that the man on the mountain began to fully enjoy the benefits of his hard labor. At the same time, his friend down below was probably thinking, “If only I had …” but it was too late. And so it goes with those who can’t bring themselves to pay the price of obedience to Christ.

For many, freedom from sin involves pausing long enough to take the long look. What is it about Christ’s teachings that you find too difficult to practice? No doubt you have the will to endure the storms of life. But willpower isn’t enough. The real issue is, do you have the will to prepare for life’s storms? Jesus was clear: Obedience now ensures endurance and freedom later.

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

The Yoke of Freedom

Generally speaking, we don’t associate freedom with a yoke. The two concepts strike us as opposites. And yet the very One who said He came to set us free also invited us to share His yoke. Hmmm. To complicate matters even further, He promised rest for those who take Him up on His offer. Once again, we’re confronted with what seems to be a contradiction in terms. How can one possibly find rest by putting on a yoke?

When Jesus spoke of a yoke, He was referring to a relationship—a relationship in which two would walk side by side in the same direction, covering the same ground, encountering the same obstacles, and traveling at the same speed. By inviting His audience to submit to His yoke, He was asking them to come alongside Him. In essence, He was offering three things. First, He was offering to help shoulder their burdens. Second, He was offering to guide them, for whenever two oxen were yoked together, one was always considered the lead animal. And third, Jesus was offering to instruct them in the ways of freedom.

The Savior knows how to keep your marriage free from the destructive forces prevalent in our society. He knows how to free your mind from jealousy, greed, and lust. He knows how to help you avoid becoming enslaved to destructive habits and attitudes. And so He invites you to come alongside Him and learn the ways of freedom. He offers you an opportunity to walk beside Him through the maze of attitudes, opportunities, and relationships that would threaten your liberty.

Many view the yoke of Christ as a threat to freedom. From their perspective, a yoke is a yoke regardless of who it belongs to. It was for this very reason that Christ made His offer to the “weary and burdened” (Matt. 11:28)—those who had tried to find freedom on their own and had found only bondage instead. To those He said, “Come to me … and I will give you rest.”

Has your quest for freedom led you to despair? Are you ready to come alongside the only One who can truly set you free? Christ came that we might experience freedom, not just wish for it. Yet it’s only when we humble ourselves and team up with Him that personal freedom becomes a reality.

Scriptures: Ephesians 6:10-13, Galatians 5:1

Standing Firm

In this world, you’ll find people who are currently enslaved in some way and those who’ve been set free. But we must always remember that freedom of any kind never comes without cost. Thousands of men and women throughout history have sacrificed their lives to guarantee freedom. And thousands more are willing to do the same in order to maintain this valuable commodity. As long as there are forces in this world bent on stealing freedom, there’s the necessity of having men and women who focus on its preservation. So then, in the process of enjoying freedom, there are those who are constantly having to guard against those who would take it away.

The same principle holds true in the spiritual realm. Our independence from the domination of sin with all its trappings carried a high price tag. It cost God a great deal—His Son. Yet the battle for freedom did not end at Calvary. For it’s only as we discover the truth and appropriate it that the liberty made available at the cross becomes a reality in our lives. But even then, our struggle isn’t over. For there are forces all around us working to undermine our freedom. Whispers of condemnation, feelings of fear and insecurity, graceless messages from well-meaning pastors, constant criticism from those we love. Day after day, our freedom is assailed from all sides.

It was this very threat that moved the apostle Paul to write, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). He knew from watching the Christians in Galatia that a believer’s freedom must be constantly defended. For just as the truth can set us free, so the lies of the enemy can send us right back to the bondage we once knew.

What about you? Are you standing firm in the freedom Christ provided at the cross? Are you appropriating that truth daily? If not, take a few minutes to review the areas in which you know God wants to set you free. Begin memorizing and meditating on the specific truths that apply to your situation. In maintaining your spiritual freedom, you must guard against those who would rob you of your liberties. Any struggle to defend will be well worth your efforts. Remember, it was so you could experience freedom that Christ lived and died to set you free.

Isn’t it time you took Him up on His offer?