John 8:36 (TPT)
So if the Son sets you free from sin, then become a true son and be unquestionably free!
At the base of the Statue of Liberty, there is a poem titled “The New Colossus” written by Emma Lazarus. The poem ends with the following words:
“Give me your tired, your poor
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Those words serve as a warm welcome to anyone who would seek to find safety and a place to call home in the United States of America. However, you don’t have to look very far to find a much deeper meaning to those famous words.
While we celebrate the Fourth of July as the day that the United States of America gained its independence from England, it also gives us an opportunity to spend some time reflecting on another type of freedom. As the children of God, we have been set free by the sacrifice that Christ made when He freely offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins.
Christ’s invitation to every person is very similar to the words that Emma Lazarus penned well over 100 years ago. He wants us when we are tired and poor. He seeks to save the huddled masses who are looking for a way to breathe freely. Christ specializes in saving the souls of the wretched refuse. He welcomes all of those, the homeless and those who have been tossed by the tempests of life. He holds a light, welcoming all of us to Himself.
While the Statue of Liberty serves as a symbol of the freedom that people can find in the United States, Christ provides the ultimate freedom to anyone who would call upon His name in search for salvation. This Independence Day, we should certainly take the time to thank God for the freedoms that we enjoy. However, we should also thank God for the freedoms that He offers to us.
Freedom From Sin
Romans 6:20-21 (TPT)
For when you were bound as servants to sin, you lived your lives free from any obligation to righteousness. So tell me, what benefit ensued from doing those things that you’re now ashamed of? It left you with nothing but a legacy of shame and death.
When you initially read those verses, you may recoil a bit. It’s hard to acknowledge the fact that you were ever a slave to sin. However, Jesus said the same thing Himself.
John 8:34-35 (TPT)
“I speak the eternal truth,” Jesus said. “When you sin you are not free. You’ve become a slave in bondage to your sin. And slaves have no permanent standing in a family, like a son does, for a son is a part of the family forever.”
There is no denying the fact that before we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were in bondage to sin. At the time, it may have felt like you were living a life of complete freedom. Afterall, you didn’t have to worry about living up to Christ’s standards of living. However, our time in sin was not a time of freedom. Instead, we were captives to our own sinful nature.
When Christ took our sins on Himself on the cross of Calvary, he offered freedom from sin to everyone who would believe. That freedom allows us to stop looking for a way to fulfill the sinful lusts of our flesh. Instead, we begin to live a life that is free in Christ and can embrace the true freedom that only comes from Him.
Freedom From Guilt and Shame
Romans 8:1 (TPT)
So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.
Shame and guilt are some of the worst emotions that we could ever experience. Think about the first time you felt a feeling of guilt. Maybe you were a young child, and you broke your mother’s favorite lamp when you were playing ball in the house even though you had been told not to. The look on her face brought about a feeling of guilt because something you did wrong caused someone else to be upset.
How about the first time you were ashamed? It didn’t have to stem from anything life-altering, but maybe you brought home a report card that had more Ds than As on it. Perhaps your parents were angry, disappointed and any other number of emotions about it. Perhaps their response caused you to experience a great deal of shame associated with your bad grades.
In regard to our sinful nature, guilt and shame are much more powerful. When we view our sin through the filter of God’s holiness, it’s impossible to not feel guilty when we accept our own sinful nature. When we think about the price that Christ paid on Calvary for our sins, it’s natural to feel ashamed. However, when we accept God’s divine forgiveness, He offers us the ability to eschew any guilt and shame.
Guilt and shame come from a place of remembering what you did wrong. It’s difficult for the human mind to comprehend the idea, but God truly offers unconditional forgiveness. That means that when we repent and accept Christ as our Savior, God actually forgets about every wrongdoing we’ve ever committed!
The terminology that Paul used in Romans 8 painted a picture of legal proceedings. The accusing voice would be that of the prosecutor. In Revelation 12:10, we read that Satan accuses the people of God. However, he is overcome by the “blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.” When our accuser tries to point out our wrongdoing, he is silenced by the God who has forgiven us. Because of that, we do don’t have to experience guilt and shame.
Freedom From Death
Romans 8:11 (TPT)
Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!
It sounds cold, but death is an unavoidable part of life. Hebrews 9:27 says that “it is appointed for every man to die once.” While that reality is a harsh one to accept, the fact remains that God’s people are not captive to death. Instead, death is simply our transition from this world into God’s paradise that He has prepared for His people.
The Bible teaches us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Amazingly, that is the same Holy Spirit that resurrected Jesus’ body from the grave on the first Easter morning. Armed with that knowledge, we are free from the finality of death.
While your mortal body will one day die, your spirit-person will just be getting ready to live. Take note of what the unnamed author of Hebrews said: it is appointed for every man to die once. Eternal separation from God is often referred to as the second death (Revelation 21:8). As God’s people, we are free from that second death. Additionally, we are free from the fear associated with the first death! That death only serves as the door that takes us from life here to eternity with Him.
On this Fourth of July, we should all thank the men and women who bravely offered to give up their lives in order to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. However, we should also be thankful for the freedoms that God has extended to everyone who believes. We are free!
A Closing Prayer:
God, first of all I want to thank you for the freedoms that I enjoy in my daily life. The freedom to worship You, care for my family and live the life that I’m used to is incredibly precious. But I also want to thank You for the freedoms that are a result of my relationship with You. Thank You for freeing me from sin, the guilt and shame that sin brings and the fear of death. Help me to constantly walk with the knowledge that I have been set free indeed. In Christ’s name, Amen!