Freedom: Just another Word or your Reality?

What is freedom? Our country values freedom. Soldiers are now fighting for our freedom. There are many misconceptions concerning the true definition of freedom. The USA is probably one of the freest nations that ever existed in the history of man, but individually most citizens live in personal bondage. Many citizens of this great nation are enslaved to things such as drugs and alcohol; others are enslaved to anger, fear, doubt, depression and various other emotions, and some of our fellow Americans are behind bars. So, just because we are citizens of a free nation does not necessarily mean that we are taking advantage of our freedom on a daily basis. Likewise, the Christian Life is to be one of freedom, but so many saints live in bondage to various taskmasters. They have been freed from these thieves and usurpers of freedom, but they have not taken advantage of it. Jesus said that it is the truth that sets us free. So, if it is truth that sets us free, it must be lies or ignorance of the truth that puts us in bondage. Therefore, we must learn about our freedom and apply it to our daily lives.
Fear is the biggest obstacle that keeps Christians from experiencing true freedom. The sad thing is that the things we fear are the very things we have been freed from. For example, we have been freed from punishment; however, many saints live in fear that somewhere or somehow they will be punished.

We Are Free From Punishment

The ultimate punishment is hell, and Christians know that they are never going there. Or do they? Are you afraid that you might not make it to heaven after all? So many saints buy into the lie that somehow they can lose their salvation—that somehow they can blow it and be lost. This demonstrates a faulty understanding of the gospel, and actually cheapens what Christ has done. Christ is God. His sacrifice was either good enough to make certain we get to heaven safe and sound, or it was lacking. There is nothing lacking in God, and His sacrifice is perfect. If you received Jesus Christ, you have the right to call yourself a Child of God, and thus, Heaven is your home, nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and you are already seated with Christ in heavenly places. One misunderstanding that causes this fear is that we think our flesh is going to heaven—that is, we think that we are going just as we are now in this sin cursed body with our limited thinking and perspective. Our flesh or sinful nature or indwelling sin (the Scriptures use these terms interchangeably) has been condemned. Moreover, God separates our flesh from the “new creation” He has made us to be. The new person who God made us to be is going to heaven. Our flesh, with our sin cursed body will rot in the grave. God promises us in Romans 8 that He will complete all phases of our salvation. “Those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

Those he predestined, he also called-Simply put, it was God’s initiative, his idea, and
we would not even think about Him if it wasn’t for His initiating love.



Those he called, he also justified-God has completely forgiven and has removed all our
sins, and we have been made righteous. Christ was punished for our sins, “the punishment that brought us peace(justification) was upon him.”




Those he justified, he also glorified-
Glorification refers to the time when God will give us a new, spiritual body in heaven. The new person that God has made us to be will inherit this new body. God is so sure that we will receive our new bodies and be in heaven that he speaks of it in the past tense. In his eyes, it has already occurred. You are going to heaven and will never be punished—ever! Now, please don’t give me any hypothetical situations about the person who received Christ and then murdered his family, committed adultery and “does whatever he wants.” God is not concerned about a hypothetical person. He has given you the gospel. What are you going to do with the “good news”?

We Are Free From Sin

Today's church is much too preoccupied with sin. Is it a sin to do this or that is the common question. Sin consciousness hides the truth of the gospel because the truth of the gospel declares that our sins have bee taken away. When something is taken away, it is no longer seen. The Old Testament uses beautiful imagery to describe and prophecy what God has done with our sin problem. He has "tread our sins underfoot", " removed them as far as east is to west," throw them into the sea, put them behind his back never to be remembered again, and has swept them away like a cloud. The New Testament, however is much more literal and much more detailed as to God's remedy with our sin problem. We are free from the penalty of sin, the presence of sin, the power of sin and the preoccupation with sin.

Dead to Sin
Romans chapter 6 deals with the question of the hypotetical mention earlier. Since God deals with us on the basis of grace through Christ's perfect life, sacrificial death and life giving resurrection, should we go on sinning? Paul's answer is"God forbid!" Like, what are you kidding? The way he answers this question is imperative to our understanding God's attitude toward sin and how to live the Christian life. He does not give us a list of do's and don't's. He does not warn us that we will lose our salvation. He does not imply that such a person is not really saved. What he does do, however is call us to faith in the gospel. His answer is to believe what God has already done about our sin problem and apply it to our daily lives. He makes the declaration that we died to sin, and since we died, we have been "freed from sin." A dead person no longer is associated with earth. They are not conscious of things. They don't worry about money, auto bills, rent checks or anthrax. They are free from this world, no longer associated wit hit. Likewise, we are free from sin. We are no longer conscious of sin. "Hold on! What do you mean, I am very conscious of sin," might be your reply. "I sin every day, and I am very aware of it." And if you are really messed up in the mind you might say, "I see Christians who sin all the time. They are not 'sold out' like me." Romans 6:5-7 says, "We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has bee freed from sin." The old self, the person you usually identify yourself with has died. Everything dysfunctional and sinful about you was crucified with Christ. Your job is faith. God says that you are free from sin, so you don't have to think or worry about it anymore. God has taken over for you and has dealt with it. Become Christ conscious and thank him daily for dealing with your sin problem. Get your eyes off of yourself and your obnoxious, pitiful performance and put your eyes on Christ. "The death he died to sin, he died once for all. Likewise, count yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Not worrying about sin does not lessen the severity of sin. Thinking that we can solve the sin problem or control it somehow lessens the severity of the sin problem. God is so serious about the sin problem that he demands death, not rehabilitation. "And so he condemned sin in sinful man that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us." God has declared and has carried out capital punishment regarding the sin problem. Walk in the freedom that God has given you regarding sin.

We are Free from Accusation

We all know Satan is the accuser of the brethren. So it must follow that if we are free from sin, we are free from accusation. Colossians 1:22 tells us that God "has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. " Think of it this way. Satan had a gun and so did you. His gun was your sin. Enter Jesus. He walks up to Satan and takes his gone away, and you are still standing there with a bazooka. Who wins? The bazooka is the gospel. Satan's weapon has been taken away-he has been disarmed. "When you were dead in you sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations that was against us and stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to a cross. And having disarmed the principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle over them, triumphing over them by the cross." You are free from accusation because Paul makes a very bold statement that most Christians are scared to death to believe. When talking about his inability to keep the law, Paul says, "As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but sin living in me." Did you hear that? Paul is saying that there is a difference between his flesh and the new person God has made him to be and that new person does not sin! you may say, it sounds like God is letting us off the hook? Guess what? God is letting us off the hook because he put Christ on the hook and showed no mercy! A parasite or tapeworm can live in your physical body, but that parasite is not you! Likewise, you have indwelling sin, but that is not you! The problem is that Satan accuses you with first person pronouns. He says, "I want to do this or I did that, or my desire is." And he fools you into thinking they are your thoughts. Again he says, "Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." God separates us from our sin and no longer identifies us with sin. It is a miracle! We want signs and miracles and ignore the biggest miracle of what actually took place at the cross. "God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus." Instead of wallowing in sin, asking God to help you be a good Christian, and trying to do something that God has done already, thank Him that you are righteous, holy, blameless and free from accusation--in other words, be Christ conscious rather than sin conscious. You are free.

We are Free from the Law

This is another concept that Christians are scared to death to believe because they mistakenly believe that they need a set of rules and regulations to keep them from wandering away from God. They also mistakenly believe that God wants them to follow a set of rules and regulations to please him. To the contrary, Galatians declares we fall from grace when we seek to follow the law. Moreover, Romans 7 declares that when we try to keep the law, sin gains more power in our lives. This goes contrary to our natural thinking and everything we've been taught since birth, but that is why we live by faith. We are free from the law so that we can have a relationship with God and hear his voice on a daily basis. Galatians 3:23 says, "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." The new person you are is called to live by grace through faith; therefore, your flesh is the only thing that responds to the law, and your flesh can do nothing but sin and keep on sinning. The new person you are is called to live by faith and respond to God's voice. Yes, you have the freedom to hear God's voice for yourself. You are free from the law's demands. You are free from any law system. People that live in a dysfunctional relationship have all sorts of rules and expectations for each other that constantly cause conflict and dissatisfaction. People that live in a healthy relationship have mutual love and respect for each other. They communicate openly and honestly and focus on loving each other unconditionally. You can't do that with a law system. God wants you to enjoy a healthy relationship with him, so he has freed you from the demands and condemnations of the law. Paul tells us in Galatians 3, “23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ[h] that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” The reason we have been given this freedom is to love others: “13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh rather, serve one another in love.”
We are completely loved; we are free to love and we have the authority from Christ to love. When we believe this, really believe it, all of our motivation changes and we actually are free, and out of that freedom springs the desire to love. Faith first, which produces hope, and hope produces the ability to love.