Americans enjoy the Fourth of July with fireworks, time away from work, and a nationwide display of American flags. This fun and excitement is the celebration of freedom. “Freedom” means different things to people. To some, it’s the privilege of voicing opinions and voting our choice for public office. To a prison inmate, it’s the ability to live without constant supervision. To one confined by a debilitating illness, freedom means good health.
To those who ignore civil laws and do whatever they want, how, when and where they want to do it, freedom means “no rules,limits,oraccountability”. Butthisisanillusion—true freedom never means that there are no limitations.
“The very idea of freedom presupposes some objective moral law which overarches rulers and ruled alike. Unless we return to the crude and nursery-like belief in objective values, we perish. The lost enjoy forever the horrible freedom they have demanded. If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad.” (CS Lewis) Romans 6:16: “…you are the slaves of him to whom you continually surrender yourselves, whether obedience to sin, which leads to death, or obedience to God which leads torighteousnessandrightbehavior.” Freedomisnota question of whether we will be under authority. Freedom is simply the privilege of choosing whom or what we will obey. When we commit ourselves to controlling others, acquiring more things, or the wrong use of sex and chemicals, the initial sense of unlimited freedom always ends in terrible bondage. Obeying God may initially seem restrictive, but is actually protective, producing genuine joy and freedom in Christ. Romans 6:22-23 “…you have been set free from sin’s bondage and have instead become obedient to God…resulting in eternal life. Remember, the wages which sin pays is death, but the bountiful free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Webster says, “freedom is the power to act, speak or think without externally imposed restraints.” Traditionally, Americans are independent—a character quality essential for building this great nation. However, an independent spirit and self-regulating mindset results in lawlessness when each person disregards others and begins to “do what is right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). The rejection of absolute Truth creates spiritual and moral darkness and a disordered, chaotic life experience.
True freedom is found in Godly wisdom that imposes internal restraintsonthoughts,actionsandwords. Thegenuinely wise person considers the significance of words and consequences of behavior before speaking or acting. Final choices are evaluated through the unchangeable Truth of God’s Word. Jesus is that Truth.
Disciples of Jesus Christ have declared their dependence on Him, acknowledging that we are helpless and unable to accomplish anything of eternal value if unconnected to the Life of Jesus, the Vine (John 15:5). This admission is difficult at first, because we have learned to believe that dependence is shameful and weak. We believe The Lie that if we try harder, talk louder and work smarter, we can fix whatever is wrong in our lives. This illusion is maintained by our small “successes” along the road to ultimate failure.
Acknowledging and declaring our dependence on Jesus, makes His power available internally so that we are able to walk through life externally confident and filled with His wisdom—truly free!
John 8:31-32, 36 Jesus said to those who believed in Him, “If you hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them, you are truly My disciples…you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. So if the Son liberates you, then you are really and unquestionably free.”
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