(Delmont Record – 7/4/2017)

Let Freedom Ring

Every Fourth of July we, as a nation, celebrate freedom. We remember how fortunate we are to live in a country where we enjoy a great amount of liberty. There are many things we can do here in America that many others around the world cannot. We celebrate freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and many others. These freedoms have become so ingrained in us that it is difficult for us to imagine living life any other way, and there are very few among us who would ever want to put America back under the rule of a single person – a king or any other type of tyrant. We have come to expect and value freedom.

However, just because we are free doesn’t mean that we as individuals are free to do whatever we want. No. When our nation’s founders won freedom from the King of England, they did not just declare anarchy, but right from the start they began to work on formulating a system of government that would maximize personal freedom while still maintaining safety and order. Eventually, they agreed upon the Constitution and its Bill of Rights, which is still the law of our land today. In many ways we are free, but we are still bound to the laws that our freely elected government enacts – laws that are meant to protect the freedoms of others as well.

In Galatians 5:1, the Apostle Paul writes, “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.” In Romans 8:1-2 Paul again stresses the freedom of the believer saying, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” It is clear from these passages that God want us to be free. He wants us to live in freedom, but again, that freedom doesn’t mean that we are able to do whatever we want. So what does Paul mean when he speaks of the freedom of a believer?

First, we need to notice what it is that we are free from. When we look at the above passages we see that we are set free from a yoke of slavery – slavery to sin and death. Now it is important to note those two things are combined. Wherever there is sin, there is death, as Romans 6:23 states, “the wages of sin is death.” Because we all have sinned (Romans 3:23), we all, by nature, are slaves to sin and with sin comes death. But thankfully God did not abandon us to the grave!

Second, we need to see how we were set free. Again, Romans 8:2 says this deliverance came “through Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:25 says, “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith.” Jesus, by His death, has taken away the sin of all who would receive that forgiveness by faith. Only by faith in Christ – in His death and resurrection – can we be truly set free.

Third, we need to see why we were set free. When the American colonies won their independence, they never even considered declaring themselves to once again be subjects of the King of England. Yet, that’s oftentimes what we try to do. Jesus fought a great battle on our behalf, a battle we ourselves could never win, and yet, even when we’ve been set free from sin, we have a tendency to willingly pledge our allegiance to sin again and again. It seems that our hearts constantly yearn to return to bondage. But that is not what God wants for us. That’s why Paul exhorts us “do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” How foolish for those who have been set free to return to their former cruel masters. Instead, God wants us to submit ourselves to His will. A will that does not seek our destruction, but one that seeks to give us true life. As Jesus Himself promises in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jesus Christ came to set us free; He came to free us from the tyranny of sin and death, and He did this that we might be set free to walk in newness of life with Him – in obedience to the Holy Spirit. Today, on this Independence Day, I hope that you can celebrate not only the remarkable freedom we enjoy as a nation, but I hope that you can also celebrate the freedom you have from sin and death – a freedom that is only found in Jesus Christ.