Last week we celebrated Independence Day (freedom). Last month we celebrated Juneteenth, a celebration of emancipation (freedom). In January we celebrated Martin Luther King Day with the exhortation “Let Freedom Ring!”

We live in a free country, for which is something certainly to be grateful. But what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that we can do anything we want? Maybe it starts small—I can listen to anything I want to, say anything I want to, do anything I want to. That kind of freedom falls more under the definition of license, and it does not take into account the moral consequences of our actions including the impact on others. For example, if you see something you want, can you just take it? What if you have something that someone else wants? Can they just take it?

Many of the actions we might take that violate moral law (think Ten Commandments) are also written into our legal code, such as murder, theft, and perjury (lying under oath). But other actions that violate moral law such as lying and adultery, while equally sinful, are not “against the law.” So, are we free to break some moral laws and not others? Are we ever free to break the law? Not without consequences. In fact, regardless of the state of our freedom, we must always consider that there are consequences to choices.

As believers, we know that we have free will. Humans have always had free will. In fact, before the fall, Adam and Eve had total free will in that they could choose to sin or not to sin. And we know how that turned out: They chose sin, and through that choice all of human nature became totally corrupted and lost the ability to choose not to sin—the consequence of all consequences! Think about it, as a result of their sin, while we do have free will, we are now incapable of being sinless.

So even though we are free to choose, we are still in captivity to Satan, to sin. From birth, we are enslaved to sin—whether it’s in our thoughts, words, or actions—so everything we think, say, or do is sinful. We are free to choose, but we are choosing as sinners and therefore necessarily, all our choices will be sinful. Whoa! You say, I know some really good people who are not believers. Are you telling me they are sinners? Here’s a link to an article that explains much better than I can how this can be true https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-sinner.html.

We might not sense the captivity because we are immersed in it. It’s the culture, the environment, “the air we breathe;” it’s just the way things are. Paul explained captivity to sin in this way: “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me” (Romans 7:14-17).

It’s only when we recognize our enslavement to sin, and the consequences of that sin, that we begin to seek the truth that can bring us to freedom. The very sad thing is that some religions would replace our captivity to evil with captivity to legalism, to a works-based religion. This is false teaching, and it’s just slavery of a different kind.

Enter grace. Once we have put our faith in Jesus and received the gift of salvation that He bought for us with His life, we are finally able to choose good (Like Adam and Eve before the fall). That doesn’t mean we will always make the right choice, but at least we are free to do so. And while there continue to be consequences for bad choices, we are also free from the ultimate consequence “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Here is the truth that brings freedom. It’s yours for the asking.

In Paul’s words:

• “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).
• “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Here are the steps to freedom:

1. Admit your need (“I am a sinner.”) and be willing to turn from your sins (repent) and ask for God’s forgiveness. Romans 3:23
2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave. John 1:12
3. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.) Romans 10:9

In Jesus’ words:

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the father but through me” (John 14:6).
• “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:33).

In Christ,

Judy