Free Me

A man on the radio today said that freedom is subjective. I don’t agree but perhaps that is because I don't base my freedom on whether I can vote in a democratic government or even if I can worship however I please.

I'm free because many years ago I cried out to God that I wanted to be free. I no longer wanted to be controlled by a system of rules and laws that constantly condemned me of wrongdoing. I didn’t want to live a life trying to do enough good to outweigh the bad.

Throughout the history of humanity, many people have cried out for freedom. What was different about my plea? My freedom was granted because Jesus had already paid the price required to obtain my freedom.

My freedom was there for the taking. Gates had been opened, walls had been torn down and chains had been loosened. Can you imagine a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz concentration camp who chose to stay when the camp was liberated? Would an inmate in Alcatraz refuse if a boat pulled up and offered him passage to freedom? Would a POW at the Hanoi Hilton stay huddled in his cell when the door opened and he was set free? Likewise, freedom, not just for me but for all humanity, was made available when Jesus died on the cross and later resurrected.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2 NIV).

To read more on freedom from Romans 8, please click here.

This series focuses on some of the unique perspectives of a Christian worldview. The second part, Saying Good-bye is the Hardest Part of this Job, looks at the do's and the don't's of being a Christian.