The Bible has a lot to say about freedom. Jesus said in John chapter 8:

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36 KJV)

And then Paul added in 2 Corinthians 3:

“… where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV)

The whole purpose of the coming of Christ is to set us free, to give us freedom. Jesus tells us that He came to set us free, truly free. But what does that mean?

In America, the concept of freedom starting back in the 1700s with the Declaration of Independence. It was the idea from the people who were colonizing this new land that they wanted to be free from British rule. They wanted the ability to make their own government, saying that their rights and liberties come from God and not from the King of England. They wrote this in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government… 

They wrote that our freedom and rights come from God and that whenever any governing power interferes with those God-given rights, the people have the right to abolish that government and start a new one. They declared that the King of England had violated their God-given rights and, therefore, they had to duty and right to break away and institute a new government. They wanted to be independent. 

That independence was costly, resulting in a war with Britain. There’s an old saying, “freedom isn’t free,” and that was certainly true, with as many as 25,000 Revolutionary soldiers being killed or maimed in the war, along with 24,000 British soldiers. That doesn’t sound like a lot by today’s population standards, but back then it was 1 out of every 20 people in this new land of America who were killed or maimed. Those lives were lost in the war to become independent. 

There are many good things about American freedom, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to live and work without oppression from a tyrannical government. But according to what they wrote, all these freedoms come from God and are given to us by God. Freedom itself, they said, is a gift from God and is therefore subject only to the sovereignty of God.

But since the 1700s, that connection linking our freedom to God has changed. Today, what freedom means is radically different from what our founding fathers intended. Particularly in the past 100 years, the meaning of American freedom has been pushed away from any connection to God and, instead, has been pushed more and more toward the liberal left, taking us farther and farther away from what our founding fathers intended and certainly much farther away from what the Bible means when it refers to freedom.

Here is the current definition of the word “freedom” from Wikipedia:

Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of “giving oneself one’s own laws.” Something is “free” if it can change and is not constrained in its present state. 

Today, instead of freedom being derived from rights that God has given us, freedom is now the power or right to do “as one wants.” It is no longer God in control. Mankind is now in control and God is completely out of the picture. This is completely backward from what our founding fathers intended.

The freedom to do “as one wants” is a broad concept with no limits. There is no hinderance or restraint in today’s view of freedom and this is what school children are now being taught. Now the prevailing attitude is, “Who are you to say what I can or cannot do?” And we see the result of that attitude in increased crime, violence, disrespect toward one another, and a complete breakdown of the moral structure of society. Man has now replaced God as being the one in control.

I find it interesting that the definition of freedom has drifted so far to the left that it now includes the right to change, obviously a reference to the transgender movement. I also find it interesting that this definition uses the phrase, “giving oneself one’s own laws.” No longer does freedom include any requirement to answer to a common set of laws, standards or societal norms. Instead, everyone should have the right to give themselves their own laws. This is not what our founding fathers intended when they thought of freedom, and it sounds remarkably like the last line in the book of Judges, which says:

“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25 KJV)

That’s not a compliment, but a word of condemnation from God. Everyone no longer answered to God but did what was right in their own eyes as they saw fit. That concept of freedom was so far removed from what God intended that eventually, after many warnings, He judged Israel and removed the nation of Israel entirely as a country. America is heading down that same path. How much longer will it be before God removes America as a country? Many think that judgment is coming soon, right at the door.

This new idea of American freedom is closely related to the term, “autonomy.” which means “the ability to make choices yourself rather than having them made for you by others.” It is the quality or state of being self-governing, which includes self-directing freedom and especially moral independence.

This is not what the Bible means when it speaks of freedom. Unfortunately, this liberal view of freedom has crept into the church, including the misconception that our freedom in Christ includes the freedom to sin if we want to because, after all, God has already forgiven us. God has become only a god of love and puts no boundaries on us. He’s there to bless us financially and makes us free to do whatever we want. As a result, many churches have become indistinguishable from the world. 

But this is not biblical freedom.

When the Bible speaks of freedom, true freedom, it is referring to the freedom from sin. It says from the moment we are born, really from the moment we’re conceived, we are slaves to sin. But through Christ, we can be set free from sin. That is biblical freedom. 

There are two parts to this freedom from sin:

True Biblical Freedom is:

1. 1. Freedom from the power of sin to condemn us, and
   2. Freedom from the power of sin to control us.

Let’s look at each of these, beginning with:

1. Freedom from the Power of Sin to Condemn Us

Romans 8:2 says, 

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2 KJV)

What is “the law of sin and death?” Simply, that if you sin, you will die, both physically and eternally. 

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV)

The penalty of sin is physical death, followed by eternal death in hell. That is because God is perfectly holy and will not allow even on sin to enter into His presence. He is a just God Who demands payment for sin. If He lets even one sin go by unpunished, then He is no longer perfect in His holiness. Therefore, it only takes one sin for someone to be sent to hell. The problem is, we’ve all sinned, and therefore we are all subject to the power of sin to condemn us to death, which means physically dying and then spending an eternity in hell as punishment for our sins. Those are the wages we have earned on account of our sin.

But Romans 8:2 says, 

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2 KJV)

Romans 8:2 is a declaration of Biblical freedom over the power of sin to condemn us. How are we made free? Through the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ.” 

What is the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ?” It is the Gospel, the good news, that by believing in Christ, you can be set free from this judgment of condemnation against sin. Believing in Christ means believing that Jesus, Who is God, took on human flesh and paid for our sins by dying on a cross, and then raising from the dead, so that whoever believes in Him will no longer die but have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV)

By believing on Jesus to save you, believing the Gospel, that Jesus died in your place to pay for your sins, was buried and then rose from the dead, by believing and trusting in this, you are set free from the power of sin to condemn you. Your debt of sin has been paid in full. 

It’s important to note here that in this freedom from sin to condemn us, that God remains perfectly holy. Sin must be paid for because God is holy. The only question is who will pay for it – you or God out of His love in the Person of Jesus Christ. You decide. All sin must be paid for. Will it be you paying that debt, or will it be Jesus?

For those who trust in Jesus, Paul wrote in Colossians 2:

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened (made alive) together with Him, having forgiven you ALL trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;” (Colossians 2:13-14 KJV)

Note that Paul said that ALL sins were forgiven. He used the word, “all.” This includes past, present and future sins. They’ve all been nailed to the cross and paid for. For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, we are free, truly free from the power of sin to condemn us. Christ has broken the power of sin in our lives to send us to hell. Sin can no longer send a saved believer to hell.

We see the concept of Biblical freedom even in some of the scary verses of the Bible, such as in 1 Corinthians 6:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 KJV)

These verses have terrified many saved Christians, making them think that they may still end up in hell on account of their sin. But look at the very next verses, verses of freedom:

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:11-12 KJV)

The phrases, “ye are washed,” “ye are sanctified,” and “ye are justified,” are in the present tense, meaning that the washing away of sins in our lives is forever ongoing and present. That is why we say that ALL sins (past, present and future) have already been nailed to the cross and paid for. We are forever being washed by the blood of Christ. Therefore, sin can no longer cause us to be condemned, even the very sins Paul just listed. And so, he concludes by saying, “All things are lawful for me.” He says that TWICE!

If all things are now lawful to Paul, then there is nothing unlawful that could condemn him, even the very sins he just listed. That list of sins was directed at non-believers, the unrighteous. Believers are NOT the unrighteous, even when we sin, and we all still sin, every one of us. We are NOT the unrighteous because we stand forever in the very righteousness of Christ. The power of sin to condemn us is broken. That doesn’t give us liberty to sin. We’ll talk about that in a minute. But the power of sin to condemn us to hell has been broken. Romans 8:2 is our Declaration of Independence.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2 KJV)

This verse is the reason why the verse right before this one says that there is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, those who are saved. There is forever no condemnation because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. That is Biblical freedom from condemnation.

But along with this freedom from the power of sin to condemn us, comes another kind of freedom:

2. Freedom from the Power of Sin to Control Us

Just because we’re free from the power of sin to condemn us, that does not give us license to sin however we please. God is holy, perfectly holy, and He expects us to learn to walk in holiness. If, in our freedom from condemnation, we give ourselves again over to sin, we become slaves to sin. God wants us to be free from sin entirely. That’s biblical freedom, not only freedom from condemnation from sin but also freedom from the ability of sin to control us. He expects us and even enables us to walk in freedom in our free will, to walk with restraint, so that WE are in control of sin in our lives, no longer sin being in control of us.

We see this idea of restraint from Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:12, where he wrote:

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12 KJV)

Let’s break this down. First, this word “expedient” means “profitable.” All things are lawful, but all things are not profitable. We know as Christians that we will one day stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where Jesus will review our lives and either reward us for faithful behavior on earth, or we could lose rewards for unfaithful behavior. 

“If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15 KJV)

No one loses salvation at the Judgement Seat of Christ, because salvation is not a reward but a free gift that comes by God’s grace through faith in Christ. Notice that Paul says that even the Christian who was unfaithful, whose entire life of works is burned up at the Judgment Seat of Christ, deemed worthless, is still saved. We may lose rewards, but we will never lose salvation. And that final reference, “yet so as by fire,” is not the fire of hell because he just said they would be saved. Hell is nowhere in view here. This fire is the fire of having to stand in front of Christ as He reviews with you how you lived your life on earth. You will give an account for what you did on earth with the talents and resources that He gave you. To the one who lived unfaithfully, that review will feel like fire, but that person will still be saved.

How important it is to put away sin now and live for Christ. Galatians 5:13:

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13 KJV)

We have liberty to sin if we want to and, for those in Christ, this liberty means we will not be sent to hell if we sin. But that doesn’t give us license to sin. There is still consequence for sin, but loss of salvation is not one of those consequences.

Paul wrote:

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12 KJV)

All things are lawful, Paul said, but he would not allow himself to be brought under the power of any. In his freedom from the power of sin to condemn him, he freely chose to exercise Biblical restraint. Biblical freedom and Biblical restraint go hand in hand. We have freedom even to sin and not be sent to hell. But God is Holy and therefore expects us to walk with restraint in our freedom so that we do not become slaves to sin. He will reward us if we honor Him and do this, or we can lose rewards if we don’t.

So, the first part of Biblical freedom is the freedom from sin to condemn us. But that’s just the start. The second part of Biblical freedom is the freedom from the power of sin to control us.

“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant (slave) of sin. … If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34, 36 KJV)

God’s plan for true freedom is to set us free from not just from the power of sin to condemn us but also from the power of sin to control us. A saved believer can still be caught up in sin, even a lifestyle of sin. Such a believer is walking in bondage to sin and is a slave to sin, even though that believer is free from the power of sin to condemn him or her. God wants more than that for you. He wants to free us from any and every bondage to sin, and He’s taken steps to do just that.

The moment we place our faith in Christ, we are born again and God’s Holy Spirit comes to live inside us forever. Jesus said in John 14 and 15:

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;” (John 14:16 KJV)

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me:” (John 15:26 KJV)

God gives us His Holy Spirit to teach us the truth of His Word and to teach us about Jesus. He does this so that we can learn to walk in freedom, true freedom, in holiness, and not giving sin the power to control us.  

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 KJV)

We learn Biblical restraint so that we can walk in Biblical freedom from the power of sin to control us. We don’t have to be slaves to sin. We can walk in freedom. We do that by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, abiding in Christ, staying close to Him, and by filling our minds and bodies with the truth of His Word. 

That is how you have victory over sin. It’s not that hard. You don’t have to climb a mountain. Just put God’s Word in you every day and let it transform your mind. Set it as a goal that you won’t let a day go by without putting God’s Word into your mind. That’s the way to freedom from sin controlling you in your daily walk.

So, let’s bring this to a close. To tie all this together, as we look at this concept of Biblical freedom, we see the two stages of the Christian experience:

True Biblical Freedom is:

1. 1. (SALVATION) Freedom from the power of sin to condemn us, and
   2. (DISCIPLESHIP) Freedom from the power of sin to control us.

First, there’s salvation, the one-time act of placing your faith in Christ to save you. That one-time act breaks the power of sin to condemn you forever. Then comes discipleship, the life-long process of learning to be like Christ, the key being putting God’s Word in you, and the more we do that, the more freedom we have from the power of sin to control us.

How different and totally opposite true Biblical freedom is from American freedom.

The American freedom of today is:

• Independent
• Self-willed
• Casting off all restraint
• Deciding for yourself what is right or wrong
• Rejecting all forms of authority over your life
• Rejecting all sense of morality, rules and norms
• Putting yourself first 

Biblical freedom, on the other hand, is the exact opposite:

• Dependent – We depend on God for daily strength
• A surrender of self-will to God’s will in your life
• Freely choosing to exercise restraint
• Believing that God alone decides what is right or wrong, as revealed in His Word
• Submitting yourself freely to God’s authority over your life
• Allowing God to set boundaries in your life concerning morality, rules and norms
• Putting yourself last, loving God first and others second

The Biblical view of freedom can best be described as that of a bondservant. A bondservant in the Old Testament was a slave who had been set free by his master, but then decide that he loved his master and wanted to stay as a servant to his master forever. Exodus 21:

“And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.” (Exodus 21:5-6 KJV)

Throughout the New Testament, the apostles refer to themselves as “bondservants of Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1). The Christian experience of freedom is that of being set free through faith in Christ from the penalty of sin to condemn us to hell, and then deciding in our freedom that we love our Master and so we freely choose to stay with Him and serve Him forever. Being set free is salvation. Then freely choosing to stay and become His bondservant forever is what we learn in discipleship. 

This is Biblical freedom. This is the Christian experience:

• Being set free through faith in Christ from the penalty of sin
• Then deciding in our freedom to serve Him forever

That’s the Christian experience. That is true freedom.

In fact, the Bible says that there are only two conditions possible: being a slave to sin or being a slave to Christ.

“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18 KJV)

How opposite Biblical freedom is from today’s American freedom. In fact, today’s American freedom is not only the opposite of Biblical freedom, but it is opposed to Biblical freedom for modern American freedom demands the removal of all restraint, including God as the Authority over your life. We see that being played out everywhere across America, God being removed first from schools and then from all of society. 

The real question is: Which side of this chart are you on? If you are a Christian, are you living as a bondservant to Christ? 

If you are a Christian whose lifestyle more aligns with the American freedom side of the chart, perhaps you struggle mightily with sin, then take this opportunity to re-align your life with God. Where there’s sin in your life, confess it. God is rich in forgiveness. Ask God for help and re-commit yourself to a life of discipleship, a life as a bondservant, the key being putting God’s Word into your mind every day.

If you are not a Christian or if you are not sure of your salvation, maybe today’s the day to get saved. If you are not a Christian, take the first step to freedom from sin and make the decision to believe on Christ for your salvation. The wages of sin is eternal death. Someone’s got to pay for your sins. Will it be you? Or will you let Jesus pay that debt for you? You can be free…TODAY.

The Apostle John said in 1 John 5 that you can know that you are going to be saved with absolute certainty:

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…” (1 John 5:13 KJV)

Do you know with absolute certainty that you will be saved? It’s not just believing in Jesus, that He is the Savior, but believing ON HIM, that He is YOUR Savior, that you are putting your full trust on Him to save you and nothing else. You’re not depending on tithing or baptism or being good so that you will be found worthy. You’re depending on one thing: that the blood of Jesus was shed for you to pay for every one of your sins before a perfectly Holy God and that, without Jesus, you have no hope. He is your hope. Only through Christ can you experience true freedom.

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36 KJV)