What does it mean to be free?

People jumpin in celebration

"Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." [John 8:32]

Often people believe that becoming a Christian strips them of their freedom to live life and be themselves. And it’s easy to believe. We grow up in a world that says, "do as you please as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else". Some people take it further and don't even worry about hurting anyone else. Does this really make us free? In this article I want to share the truth with you. There is only one way to freedom. It doesn't make sense to the world we live in, but if you’ll only take a step of faith, Jesus will give you the freedom you are looking for.

How can Jesus give me freedom?

"...because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" [Romans 8:2]

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear (when you become a Christian), but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."" [Romans 8:15]

Jesus died so that we could live free from the burden of sin, fear and death. We can never be truly free from these three things without Jesus. Sin pollutes our souls as we search for the freedom the world offers. We sin when we deliberately go against what God wants and live our lives for ourselves. Doing as we please actually makes us less free. Sin feeds our fears and insecurities, it hurts people, and it makes us worry about the future.

Jesus can set you free from these things if you let Him. You were never meant to live with these burdens. Jesus died so that you can live the way God intended: in true freedom.

How do I receive this freedom?

It sounds weird that following Jesus can make us free, I know! The stereotypical view of a Christian is someone who has to live by lots of rules and leads a boring and dull life. Some Christians do live this way, but Jesus wants to give you so much more.

Jesus never wanted us to be religious. Following Jesus is not about being boring, or just being a good person. Being a Christian is about believing that Jesus died and rose again to take away your sin. It's about living your life for Him because you want to. This is the freedom Jesus gives.

We can live our whole lives like birds in a cage. We try to break free, but we can't by ourselves. Jesus can open the door and let us fly for the first time. Then we begin to live the way God actually intended us to live.

This isn’t an easy path to take. The world still tempts us to follow other paths, and we still get it wrong sometimes. But as we grow closer to God, learn who we really are, and continually give our lives back to Jesus, we experience more and more freedom. This is one of the many amazing things about God: He always has more for us, and He's there to help us every step of the way.

  • This week's word...

  • "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."

    [John 13:34-35, NIV]

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