“You, my brothers, were called
to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather,
serve one another in love. (Galatians 5: 13)
On Independence Day, we always celebrate
the freedom that came hundreds of years ago to this country. Freedom was bought
through the blood and sacrifices of many…and we owe those brave men and women a
great debt of thanks. It is a reminder that freedom is not free, either for the
one who buys it or the one who receives it.
The same is true of the freedom
Jesus bought for us 2000 years ago on Mount Calvary. The freedom Christians
enjoy came at a very great cost since Jesus gave His life to make us free from
sin. Through accepting the Name of Jesus in faith and receiving what He did on
the Cross for our salvation, we have eternal life, full and free. Our behavior,
therefore, should always reflect who we are, not who we were. Our behavior
should reflect how grateful we are to God for His precious and undeserved gift.
But, there are many who abuse
their freedom as Christians, claiming that the freedom they have in Christ now
allows them to live any way they want, even if that means living in sin, living
the same way as they did before they were saved. They say things like, “I believe in Jesus! And since I do, I can
live however I want because He’ll forgive me of all my sins!” The problem
with that kind of thinking is that Jesus calls us to be more like Him (Romans
8: 29); to become holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1: 16); to put on the new self, which
has been created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:
24).
How can we say we are
Christ-like when we are living in sin? Is that the kind of freedom Jesus has
called us to? Can Christians
sin as much as they want now that their sins are all covered by the blood of
Jesus? The answer is an emphatic NO! Yes, we are called to be free! But, we are
also called to be more Christ-like every day. We are not to live in sin
anymore. Freedom in Christ is NOT the freedom to do what we want when we want;
it is the freedom to do what God wants and to please Him because we love Him.
After the evacuation of troops from
Richmond, Virginia on April 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln walked the
streets of the city with his son Tad. Former slaves gathered to meet the
President, thanking the man who had set them free. President Lincoln stopped at
one point to address former slaves. In his book, Life of Abraham Lincoln, author Clifton Nichols wrote down the
President’s challenge:
“My poor friends, you are free – as free as
air. You can cast off the name of slave and trample upon it; it will come to
you no more. Liberty is your birthright. God gave it to you as he gave it to
others, and it is a sin that you have been deprived of it for so many years. But
you must try to deserve this priceless boon. Let the world see that you merit
it, and are able to maintain it by your good works. Don’t let your joy carry
you into excesses; learn the laws, and obey them. Obey God’s commandments, and
thank him for giving you liberty, for to him you owe all things.” [1]
Much of what
Lincoln said to former slaves, Paul said to the Galatians and to us. If you
have professed faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, you ARE free! God has
given it to you as a precious, undeserved gift of His grace. Freedom is your
Christian birthright!
But do not use or abuse your freedom in
Christ by continuing to live in sin. Do not dishonor the Savior who died for
your sins by thinking that it is OK to sin. Freedom in Christ is NOT freedom to
sin. Instead, show that you are free in Christ by living the way God wants us
to live, in obedience to His commands; by loving and serving one another in the
body of Christ; by loving and serving our neighbors as an outflow of the love
of God that is in our hearts. Contrary to what the world would tell us, freedom
is not the ability to do what you want, when you want to do it. Freedom in
Christ is a gift from God…and there are boundaries to that freedom. Let us always
glorify the Savior who freed us by living lives that truly honor the sacrifice
He made on our behalf.
[1] Clifton Melvin Nichols, Life of Abraham Lincoln (Springfield, OH: Mast, Crowell &
Kirkpatrick, 1896), page 232.
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Jim Fontaine became the pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Brimfield, MA in July 2016 after completing a 13-year pastorate at Burncoat Baptist Church in Worcester, MA. Jim has been married to his wife, Paula, for 24 years and has four children.
Hi Terry,
ReplyDeleteIf the Son has set you free, then you are free indeed.
If the Lord Jesus has not set you free, then you always will be a slave to sin no matter what you believe or what you do.
I think that freedom does not rest on what a man believes or what he does, but on the blood of Jesus Christ alone.
Most denominations are working in overdrive to try to convince their converts to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ did died for their sins. Perhaps like a prisoner in chains, the warden tells him, all he must do is to believe that he is free and that he must receive that by faith, while still in chains.
Well, what can I say to such nonsense which is widely preached in nearly all denominations ?