From the Pulpit: ‘With Christ, we are made free’
In a multitude of ways, communities and families gather this week with picnics, parades, and firework displays to celebrate the freedom and independence we have as a nation. Patriotic banners and our nation’s flag will be on display more than usual this week. For some people, maybe it will be a holiday that is simply an excuse to take some time off from work. But for most people, it will be an opportunity to recall how blessed we are, with the freedom and independence we have that can easily be taken for granted. A great amount of sacrifice went into the pursuit of freedom that we enjoy as a nation. Revolutionary patriots, at the risk of death, fought for independence from being ruled by a foreign power. Those who signed the Declaration of Independence did so with the threat of execution for committing an act of treason. In the Revolutionary War many gave up their life in the cause of freedom. And in so many wars and conflicts since that time, countless people have sacrificed their life to protect the freedoms that we can so easily take for granted.
Freedom is an important part of being a citizen of the United States of America. Many of those freedoms are granted to us citizens in what we call “The Bill of Rights”. But, with all those freedoms we enjoy, it is probable – and I would argue – even certain that we will still not really be free if we are looking for our freedom only from what is given to us as citizen of the United States. True freedom is given to us from a source beyond whatever the government provides. That source of freedom is Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we might believe that we are living in complete freedom, when in reality, our lives are bound in slavery to sin. We can only truly be free from our slavery to sin through the One who came as our Savior and sacrificed his life for us on the cross. Jesus said to some who believed in him, “Truly I say to you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. … If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34)
Sin captivates and holds us in bondage. Freedom is taken from us as we cling to our sinful ambitions and desires. Sin holds us in bondage and causes guilt and despair and messed-up lives. Only through faith in Jesus Christ do we really know what it is to be free. By faith, by trusting in Jesus Christ we are made free from the guilt of our sin to live with peace and hope and joy that can only come from God.
