Freedom is something that people in general and young people in particular long for. To be free from external constraints, develop, do, and not do what one wants. That seems worth striving for!
To put it elegantly, freedom is the ability to say “no” to constraints and “yes” to opportunities. Or you can put it more directly: freedom to do what you want. And then you realize that what is forbidden is often the most appealing. The question then arises: is this freedom? Or is it coercion again, not from the outside but from within?
True, absolute freedom only exists with the Lord Jesus! He says so Himself in John 8:36: “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Before that, He said that everyone who sins is a servant of sin (John 8:34). What is the true, genuine freedom that the Lord Jesus gives?
Freedom from what?
Let’s first consider what Jesus Christ sets us free from. Those who believe in Him are truly set free from…
- This means that he no longer has to sin and can say “no” to sin (Rom. 6:7).
- The law has no power over the born – again Christian because it can no longer accuse him (Col 2:14), nor is it a rule of life that can control the Christian (Gal 2:19).
- The devil and his power. While we should never underestimate the devil because he still has energy, he is a defeated enemy. When we are close to God, we can resist him, and he will flee from us (James 4:7).
- The fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). What makes death so bitter and dangerous is sin. It is the sting of death and the reason why judgment awaits everyone after death who does not have the forgiveness of sins through faith in the Lord Jesus. This sting of death no longer exists for the believer; death is no longer the “door” to judgment but eternal glory.
- The world. It has no attraction for new life, and the believer knows he has died with Christ. He died to the world, and the world died to him (Gal 6:14).
The liberation of the Christian is indeed complete. All aspects we have briefly considered make it clear that all restraints have been removed. We are truly free!
Set free – for what?
God presents this complete liberation to us as a fact in His Word. And what about us? We accept by faith what He tells us. Therefore, we know that we are indeed set free. Of course, we also have to put these facts into practice in our lives. This sometimes causes us difficulties. This makes it all the more important to have the foundation of instruction from the Bible on which to build practical behavior. This foundation includes the idea that God does not just deliver us from something. He ensures there is no vacuum and shows us what we have been set free to do.
Two dangers
In Galatians, Paul goes into great detail on Christian freedom. He points out two dangers. One danger is to allow ourselves to be brought back into bondage by placing ourselves under the law as Christians (Gal 5:1). This problem is discussed in detail in this booklet. The other danger is that we use the freedom we have been set as an opportunity to live according to the flesh (Gal. 5:13). Then, under the guise of freedom, we would do what we feel like doing without asking God’s will. What would be the result? All the works of the flesh are described in Galatians 5 from verse 19.
This second danger Paul explains to the Galatians makes us understand that we are not free to do our own will. No, we have been set free to live for God.
To this end, God has freed us from all obstacles and provided us with everything we need to live happily and joyfully for Him.
A New Compulsion?
You may be thinking: Well, that’s another new constraint. Then I’m not free. Indeed, in Romans 6, Paul makes it clear that we have been freed from the slavery of sin but have become slaves of righteousness (v. 18). Is this a contradiction? How does it fit that we are both free and slaves?
A verse from the Epistle of James helps us. James writes that we have seen the perfect law, the law of freedom (James 1:25). God’s Word is the law of freedom for us! How can this be? Isn’t it another contradiction to write “law” about one thing and “freedom” about another?
The apparent contradiction is quickly resolved when we remember God has given us new, eternal life. This life wants nothing more than to do God’s will. Imagine that you love to play soccer. You are told to kick the ball around for at least an hour every day. You would love nothing more than to follow this instruction. It is a “law” of freedom for you. It’s the same with the new life. Because it wants to do what pleases God, the call to do His will is not coercion but true freedom!
The best example
The Lord Jesus Himself is the best example for us. He said: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). This was not a constraint for Him; it was an absolute joy. And we have His life, which wants to live precisely as Christ lived on earth.
And the practical life?
How can we put into practice what we now (re)understand about liberation? Do we have to make new rules for ourselves and try harder and harder to do what is expected of us? No – that is precisely what it is not.
We have the freedom to go to God and have fellowship with Him. We can be with Him, enjoy His love in His presence, and learn more and more of His will in His Word. We are freed from everything that keeps us from knowing the Lord Jesus. We have an unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:18) to behold His glory. As we do, we are transformed into His image, becoming more and more like Him.
The Holy Spirit dwells in us and is the power of new life. We give Him room to work in our lives. We are freed to let go of our ideas and no longer seek only ourselves. We can live our lives in the power of the Spirit, and then the fruit of the Spirit will be seen.
We are freed from asking only what other people – perhaps even believers – expect of us because we want to please God first and foremost. Of course, this does not mean we should not take people’s advice seriously (cf. 1Co 10:32; 2Co 6:3; Phil 1:10). But we no longer have to go along with everything our environment does. We don’t have to go with the flow; we are free to say “yes” to God’s will and “no” to everything else.
This is a happy and liberated life, and I encourage you to live it. There is nothing more beautiful for a Christian than God’s approval. And that is true freedom, that is true happiness.
“… as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
(1 Peter 2:16)
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