FREEDOM

“. . . He . . . shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery . . .” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

In order for an oppressed people to be set free, they must be made free, and the power over them must be broken. In some cases, as in the case of our country, freedom was gained and independence declared only because the power that the British had over the U.S. was ultimately broken. What we gained was political freedom. It brought with it many privileges, many attendant freedoms, for which we thank God, especially as we celebrate Independence Day.

On the Statue of Liberty is engraved a poem that reads in part, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . . .” People from around the world look with longing to our country, and yet there is another type of freedom that is of paramount importance. It is possible for people to live in a free country and still be hopelessly bound. It is possible to be in the land of the free and still be enslaved and oppressed. But there is hope in the Word of God.

There is no greater hold on a person than the hold that sin can have. In John 8:34, Jesus teaches us, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin,” but there is One Who has “freed us from our sins by his blood” (Revelation 1:5).  In Romans 13:39, Paul affirms, “Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin. . . .” No type of sin continues to have power over us because of the Cross. We are told in Romans 6:6-7, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”

Being set free from sin is but the start, but it is a vital point. Receiving Jesus as Savior, knowing Him as Lord of your life is important to living a life marked by true freedom. May you experience true freedom today.