This weekend the United States of America celebrated Independence Day. It is founded on the idea that God created humanity to be free. The Declaration of Independence declares that we are endowed with certain inalienable rights. Among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom is the state of free will. It is the exemption from control. The absence of subjection to foreign domination. In other words, freedom is to be free from domination or free from dominion. Freedom also has the idea of being free from government regulations or restraints. It is personal liberty. The ability to be free to make one’s own choices and bear the consequences of those choices. What is freedom from God’s perspective?
"We were called to freedom brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
(Gal 5:13)
Biblical freedom is true freedom. It is to be free from Satan’s authority and free from the control of sin. We still battle with sin and the devil, but believing in Jesus sets us free from their control. We were once a child of the devil. Satan was our father and we were his offspring. (I John 3:10; John 8:4). We carried his nature and characteristics of his personality, and he had power over us. Through Christ we are free from that abusive father, and we have been adopted into another family.
All around us people are enslaved by the idols they value or worship behind whom is the puppet master Satan. Billy Graham says, "whether it’s money, success, or romantic love, people are spiritually enslaved and they don’t realize it." They may celebrate national freedom, political freedom, financial freedom, but they’re not really free. Freedom only comes through Jesus Christ and belief in Him as our Lord and Savior.
When Jesus stood in the synagogue and opened the book of Isaiah Jesus read, "God has sent me to declare liberty to the captives...and to free those who are oppressed." (Luke 4:17) Though the power of Christ people can be free from greed, vanity, pride, pornography, abusive behavior, gluttony, selfishness, and all other forms of sin.
Freedom is not being free God’s moral laws or natural laws such as gravity. For Christians we are not free from God. We were bought with a price, we are not our own. Our bodies are not our own to do with as we wish. Our life is not our own to do with as we desire. Some of us forgot this. Remember you gave your life to Christ.
This is true freedom. God gave you a free will to accept Jesus as your Savior or reject Him. He does not manipulate you into being a Christian, He invites you. Satan manipulates and forces you to do things you don’t want to do.
“All things are lawful for me,” Paul said, “but not all things are helpful. ‘… I will not be dominated by anything.” (1 Cor 6:12)
What in the past has dominated you and now you found freedom? How did you get free from it? Your experience might help others. Comment below.