By Alan Dean, retired Seventh-day Adventist pastor
Freedom evokes strong emotions in the American mind. Our country was established on freedom of the individual to choose “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as our “inalienable rights”. This freedom can be defined as being free from improper authority by government over its citizens. Other than slavery, our country in its early days set a good example to the world of freedoms for its citizens.
For decades our country was relatively free from involvement in other country’s problems. But being drawn into WW I and WW II combats, our goal turned to assuring freedom for Europe and many other countries. It was a good goal but expensive and difficult to achieve. Without a Christian spirit civil and religious freedom is short-lived.
Jesus knew that Satan and his fallen angels were constantly out to destroy freedom in this world. But He brought a gospel message of freedom far superior to freedoms in this world. In John 8:31,32 Jesus stated “If you abide in My word, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” And in John 8:36 He says “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Jesus is referring to freedom from within a person, a freedom that the world cannot provide. This freedom has two major aspects. The first is that the truth that Jesus offers gives us a perfect picture of our loving God. Before Jesus came, the picture and understanding of God was much maligned. He was thought of as an impersonal God who demanded works and sacrifices in order to please him and to be “saved”. Satan, of course, was behind this distortion of God’s character. Jesus sets us free of these false claims.
Jesus also came to set us free from misunderstandings and misinterpretations of God’s Word. What Jesus taught about divine truth was like a breath of fresh air. The Apostle John’s writings are proof of this.
The second aspect of freedom that Jesus taught was freedom from the slavery to sin. Jesus said in John 15:5 that if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit (righteousness). Some of the people He healed, He would tell them to go and sin no more. God would give them the power over their sin. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote in Romans 6:14 “for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace.” God’s grace comes with power and victory. Being under the law refers to our feeble attempts to achieve salvation and Christian growth by our own works.
Ephesians 2:8 says “We are saved by grace through faith” but Paul adds in verse 10 that then we are under Christ’s workmanship to do good (righteous) works. It is His work in us.
Freedom from oppression is important, but freedom from sin is far more important. We will have the more abundant life today, as well as the assurance of eternal life with Jesus.
