True Freedom

There is no absolute freedom. To say to be free of one thing, is to be subject to another. There is a hierarchy of order which requires us to be under the authority of one or more-- just as the morning is subject to the rising of the sun and the night, to the temporary absence of it. I have probably first learned this when I was little, any developing child with a progressive logic in response to his surrounding would know. There would be no morning without the rising of the sun.

I think this hierarchic order of things is beautiful. Everything around us, from the positioning of the heavenly bodies to the complexity of the ecosystem, reflects the existence of the Almighty God. It is such a beautiful world after all, and we have but counted days on earth. It is very inviting to once and for all..

"live life to the fullest and be free."

Such a familiar phrase. This is almost everyone's goal; personal freedom, social freedom, financial freedom, all aspects of freedom one could imagine. We imagine such kinds freedom too. We search for it in multiple ways. Freedom has basically become the common desire of humanity.

Over these years however, our definition of freedom has been strongly inclined to a false notion instead of the actual truth that is in light to God's Word. For instance, we long to be free from the law and end up being slaves to crime, or we long to be free from any authority which stops us from doing what we want and end up being slaves of guilt, regret and shame. We seek to be free from one thing and end up in a worse slavery to another. So many times, we tend to self-destruct for the sake of freedom. We have, in desperation, accepted that freedom and happiness comes with a price. But true freedom comes without a price. It may come with a responsibility, yes. But true freedom is derived from the word itself: it is "free".

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." -John 8:36

A believer believes in freedom through the risen Son of God who has cancelled out every chains and shackles that make us slave to sin and the destruction that comes with it, "..because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2)". This freedom allows us to rejoice and be happy without the payment of consequence. We don't have to suffer difficulty in sleeping with twists and turns at night because of guilt or condemnation. On the contrary, true freedom makes us whole and justified instead. The freedom that the son gives offer us the freedom to truly become who we are predestined to be since the beginning of the world (Rom. 8:28), who's hearts are set for eternity (Ecc. 3:11), a people made to honor, worship, and live for Christ.

>>Often when I am called to open the congregation in church during a fellowship service, out of my heart flows a gratitude to God for the freedom He has given me to do such things which honors him. Once, I was ignorant to this freedom and have not known the gift of living to life to the full just as Jesus promises in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full". But when salvation came and I have accepted the indwelling of the Spirit of the Lord since, I have also come to know and embrace this freedom. I couldn't help but proclaim a word of thanksgiving for the freedom He has given us in service-- the freedom to honor, worship, and live for Him.<<

"Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. -2 Corinthians 3:17" 

Adam and eve were free in paradise.The Spirit of the Lord once walked and have dwelled with them, His presence was in full and there were no sin to create barriers. The result of this is true freedom. It didn't mean the absence of any commandment, God ordained them still to abstain from eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Their true freedom was to live without the slavery to sin which causes alienation, destruction, corruption, and decay-- this is very apparent in our fallen world today. This isn't God's will for us. His will is for us to be free.

Thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ who was sent by the Father to "proclaim freedom to the prisoners (Luke 4:18)", so that "through Him, everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification [we] were not able to obtain under the law of Moses (Acts 13:39)". This the true freedom that everyone's soul and spirit are in search for.. And to us who believes, this has been granted!

Choose Freedom

Not so long ago, I also started believing that I am free. I acknowledged strongholds, which were caused by sins, before my God whom I believe is capable of breaking me from the things which were holding me captive against His perfect will. And He surely did. I have learned that although the freedom He very much want to offer us comes with no price through the Lord Jesus Christ, we have got to open up our hearts and decide that we want nothing to do with all these strongholds anymore and allow Christ to truly set us free. Let us use our freewill to choose true freedom.

Keep Freedom

I have also come to know that choosing Christ and the freedom He brings is an everyday matter. We decide once and for all, and every single day we keep that decision. There are moments when we so desperately want to pick up back the things we have already surrendered to God. There are times when it is very tempting for us to own back the crowns that we have already laid down on God's feet and to rebuild the kingdoms we have already renounced to Him. But also we know that doing that would forfeit God's deliverance for us in those issues again, it would mean allowing the yoke of bondage to overthrow us again. We know that unless He allows, in certain cases and in His perfect time, that we may have the same things again, it would not lead us to the wonderful destiny He has set for us. Keeping freedom involves allowing not the same chains to bind us up again when Christ has already given us freedom. As the Scripture says, "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)".

Glory in Freedom

It is God's desire for us that as we walk with Him we are "being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory (2 Cor. 3:18)", or as the KJV bible puts it, "from glory to glory". We ought to be refined, pruned, and sanctified in our walk with Christ, this is God's purpose for us. The freedom Christ gives us is not to expel us from this process but rather, to complete us in this process. It is not to be an excuse to do evil as the Scripture puts it, "live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves (1 Pet. 2:16)". Rather, this freedom enables us to do good and reach our destination of eternal life, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life (Rom. 6:22)". We hold such a great promise in true freedom, the promise to glory with Him. 

Again, even in freedom, there are no absolutes apart from God alone. We belong in a beautiful hierarchy of things. Just as the morning is subject to the rising of the sun, we are also subject to either death or life. We must choose to might as well live for the latter. He is "the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 4:16)"-- to be a 'slave in Christ' just as Paul is, is to be subject to life. We too, are called for the same purpose, "..as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart (Eph. 6:6)". For while absolute freedom is only a fantasy, True Freedom is a reality in Christ.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for the freedom you give. All praises be to You for your deliverance through ways I could not have imagined. I choose you and the freedom you give, Lord. Grant me the grace to keep choosing You and the strength to abstain from picking up back the pieces I've surrendered to you already. I confess today that only you Lord Jesus Christ can truly set me free. Thank you for your great love that leads me to follow you, and to submit myself to You, my Hope of Glory. Amen.

*All bible references are taken from the New International Version unless stated.

*Photos belong to other sources.