Where Liberty Dwells, there is my Country
One of our U.S. founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, once said "Where liberty dwells, there is my country."
As Americans, we should be grateful for the freedoms our country affords us. As you celebrate the 4th of July and take a bite of that grilled hamburger with cheese and ketchup or that all-American hotdog slathered in mustard and relish take a moment to give thanks to being an American and a citizen of arguably the greatest country since the recording of history. But don't stop there. It's nice to have a paid holiday off and the freedom to enjoy it but don't fool yourself, your freedoms as a U.S. citizen are NOTHING compared to your freedoms in Christ.
You may have the freedoms to vote, to free speech, to bear arms, to pursue economic happiness through free trade, but if you're bound by destructive sins of the flesh such as alcohol, lying, cheating, hatred, jealousy, pornography, and the like, it doesn't matter that you have the freedom to vote in the next presidential election, you are still a slave to your destructive sinful nature. No human government, no matter how great it is, can give you true freedom. True freedom only comes through Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul understood this reality. Look what he said about it in Galatians 4:4-7.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. (5) God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. (6) And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” (7) Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Jesus Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. He purchased our freedom through his death on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins. Now that's living in true freedom!
Paul explains further in Romans:
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:14
Real freedom comes from receiving God's grace through Jesus Christ and not by living in a free country. You can be a prisoner in a jail cell but if you know Jesus, you are free in a way that no human government can take away. You can experience more freedom behind bars than a person who isn't locked up but is bound by sin.
How do we experience this freedom? By surrendering our life to Christ. Jesus gave his life that we might have freedom. 1 Timothy 2:6 He [Jesus] gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
So how do we live out this freedom that Christ has purchased for us?
That answer can be found by one of the "founding fathers" of the Bible, King David in the Old Testament. Here is what he had to say:
Psa 119:45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
Comments