Bible Ballistics: Vol. 9 No.26 Free Indeed……….???
“Jesus answered them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whosoever committeth sin
is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not
in the house for ever:
but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore
shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:34-36
As we celebrate our freedom here in the U.S., we ought to consider what real freedom is! We can live in any country across the globe, and whether the government is one which extends personal freedom to its constituents or not, unless we have come to know Jesus Christ as Lord through repentance and faith, we can’t understand, experience of possess real freedom. As we have often talked about here at Bible Ballistics, Jesus came to give us eternal life and true freedom—to all who will believe and receive His sacrifice for sin.
“I am the door:
by me if any man enter in,
he shall be saved,
and shall go in and out,
and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not,
but for to steal,
and to kill,
and to destroy:
I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it
more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd:
the good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep.” John 10:9-11
Jesus came to give us life, at the cost of His own life’s blood on the cross of Calvary, and when we come to HIM, He imparts to us eternal life. He makes us free from the penalty, power and eventually, from the very presence of sin. And just as we saw in the passage above, Jesus gives us life–life that makes us free! We truly become what Paul called himself, the bond-servant of Jesus, and not only servants of God, but His children—children who are “free indeed”, because we are no longer the “servants/slaves” of sin, but we are adopted into God’s family.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us
in him
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy
and without blame
before him
in love:
5 Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ
to himself,
according to the good pleasure
of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory
of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption
through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches
of his grace;” Ephesians 1:3-7
Jesus bought our redemption “through his blood”, and it is His blood which translates us into sons of God, rather than slaves of sin.
“Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet
to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints
in light:
13 Who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us
into the kingdom
of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption
through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins:” Colossians 1:12-14
And contrary to popular opinion, SIN is the issue; and without the blood of Jesus which “cleanseth us from all sin”, there is no freedom—no freedom from the penalty of sin, and no freedom to have His “abundant” life! The life that makes us children of God; children of grace, forgiveness and recipients of new life, new life “in Christ”! (See John 3)
“He was in the world,
and the world was made by him,
and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own,
and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him,
to them gave he power
to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born,
not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man,
but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.” John 1:10-14
The thing I’d like us to consider is, ‘Whose servant am I?’ Am I the servant of the sin that rules my world, and wants to rule me? Or have I become a servant of “righteousness” through Jesus and His sacrificial, substitutionary death for sin—my sin?
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are
to whom ye obey;
or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked,
that ye were the servants of sin,
but ye have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine
which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin,
ye became the servants
of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men
because of the infirmity of your flesh:
for as ye have yielded your members
servants to uncleanness
and to iniquity unto iniquity;
even so now yield your members
servants to righteousness
unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin,
ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things
whereof ye are now ashamed?
for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin,
and become servants to God,
ye have your fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God
is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:16-23
Jesus makes us “free from sin”, and “servants to God” instead; and our lives should reflect His presence in our heart and mind! Because we are the recipients of “everlasting life” our fruit (Our behavior and works of devotion to God.) ought to be a reflection of holiness. Being free from the power of sin in our lives by the blood of Jesus we are to influence the world around us by the power of Jesus Christ in us! Doing God’s work because we are made in His image by His redeeming work on the Cross.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature:
old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry
of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God did beseech you by us:
we pray you in Christ’s stead,
be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin
for us,
who knew no sin;
that we might be made
the righteousness of God
in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Jesus bore our sin, when He had none, that we might have His righteousness applied to us, because we had none! The greatest trade of the ages—He took my sin, and imparted His righteousness to me! Jesus is the Savior and Redeemer of all who will come to Him in repentance and faith.
Are you “free indeed”? Or are you still the servant “of sin unto death”, or have you come to the Cross of Jesus Christ for salvation? Jesus gave His all that we might have life. Are you choosing death or life and freedom in Christ Jesus? And if we belong to Him, then we ought to walk and live in His freedom unto His purposes and His glory!
“But now being made free from sin,
and become servants to God,
ye have your fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God
is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
