“The Way of Freedom”
On July 4th, we will celebrate the 246th anniversary of our nation’s independence as we declared our freedom from Great Britain in 1776. As I read about the everyday lives of that era, it seemed that most people lived in harmony under British rule until the issue of taxation without representation became a big issue. Another sore spot was the disregard for personal freedoms, as well. One such problem was that the colonists were forced to let British soldiers sleep and eat in their homes without consent. Furthermore, the British military could commandeer merchandise or seize property from the colonists, at will.
Approaching the point of ‘having enough’, the colonies began to push back and revolt against the Crown of England. It started with the modest acts of rebellion, like dumping tea into the water from docked ships, to the more aggressive demonstrations, like the stand at Bunker Hill. Soon enough, we found ourselves at war for the sake of our freedom. It goes to show how the colonists valued the issue of independence and what they were willing to do to have freedom from oppression.
Spiritual freedom has similar characteristics like the ones experienced with social freedoms. At first, we learn to live in sin. We live our lives day in and day out without much consideration of how sin is trying to gain more and more control over us. It seems we simply navigate the sin and skirt around its realities. It is only when we experience the cost of sin that we become more prone to deal with it.
Some people experience dysfunctional relationships because of sin. Others feel the guilt of sin in the lifestyle they live. Still others may suffer the many types of consequences that come from sin. Things like addictions, broken homes, deceit, and solitude can result from sin gaining a foothold in our lives.
The good news is that in the same way the colonists became proactive in gaining their social freedom nearly two and a half centuries ago, people can also have spiritual freedom, today. Christ Jesus came to offer an opportunity for us to be freed from sin’s oppression and to live in the fullness of life and spiritual freedom. In John 8:34-36;
34 “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”.
There is a biblical ‘truth’ about our spiritual freedom in that as we submit to the will of God, that ‘truth’ is revealed so that we may respond to it. It is by the sacrifice of Christ and his resurrection power that people are able to be spiritually freed. John 8:32 declares;
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So as we celebrate another Independence Day this July 4th, take a little time to consider the independence of our souls and share the message of ‘truth’ so that others may also be free.