Freedom!!!!

On the 8th of August in 1991, John McCarthy, Britain’s longest-held hostage in Lebanon, was freed after more than five years in captivity. He had been held hostage since April 17, 1986 – a total of 1,943 days.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

This scripture is a great call out to us to stand firm in the freedom that Jesus won for us on the cross.

In looking at images to go along with this post I can across an image which is taken from the ‘Freedom Wall’ on the west side of the National World War II Memorial in Washington DC. On the wall itself the following words are inscribed ‘Freedom is not free’. The freedom we have from the tyranny that the Nazi party was trying to impose upon the world, cost a great many lives. We enjoy the peace and freedom that was bought with the shed blood of so many war veterans.

As Christians, the freedom we experience in Jesus comes to us as a free gift, but it cost Jesus everything. It is his shed blood that paid the price for our freedom. Freedom from sin and our past, but more importantly, in the context of Galatians; freedom from the law. Freedom from having to make ourselves right with God by our own efforts; a task that is impossible, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. So “no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” Romans 3:20. The list of dos and don’ts of God’s law just show us how utterly flawed and sinful we are and how we are in desperate need of a Saviour, even “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” Isaiah 64:6.

Paul is exhorting and encouraging the Christians in Galatia to not return to the performance model of trying to make themselves right with God by their own morality, but to continue to trust Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

As well as being set free from things by Jesus, we are set free ‘for’ things, namely ‘freedom’. The freedom here is the greek word eleutheria – ἐλευθερίᾳ. This word is used in 2 Corinthians 3:17 by Paul; “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom“, to convey the work and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Our freedom in Christ is one where we are no-longer slaves to sin, or slaves to legalism, or addiction, or fear, or our past.

We are free.

We are now adopted sons and daughters of the King.

Living a free life ‘FOR’ our King.  A life of freedom that demonstrates Jesus and the power of the cross for those around us.

In ‘Delirious?’s song ‘Jesus’ Blood‘ Martin Smith sings

There’s a secret I must tell
Of all the love I’ve found
And it’s hidden in my heart
The day you tore my world apart

Hallelujah, King forever, friend and Saviour

Jesus’ blood never fails me,
Jesus’ blood never fails me,
Jesus’ blood, Jesus’ blood

And this secret, it will run
To the corners of the earth
Where every woman, every son
Will carry high their chains undone