The concept of freedom is highly valued among human beings. We like to talk about our right to be free and to act as we want. However, only with Jesus can we have true freedom, that which springs from the depths of our being. John 8:36 says:
So if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free.
what does it mean to be truly free? What does Jesus free us from? Let’s look at some of the freedoms we can enjoy from the moment we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Let us learn to live in freedom from him!
In Christ we are free
1. Of condemnation and guilt
Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation for those who are united to Christ Jesus, because through him the law of the Spirit of life has freed me from the law of sin and death.
(Romans 8:1-2)
Jesus carried on him all our guilt, our sin and condemnation by dying on the cross (Isaiah 53). It is thanks to his death and his resurrection that we are cleansed from all sin. We just have to accept it! In him we have the opportunity of a new beginning here and the security of eternal life.
When we receive his gift of salvation by faith we are telling him that we accept his sacrifice on our behalf and that we know it is enough. We don’t need to do anything else to be saved! Nor do we need to live with the burden of guilt for past sins. In Christ we have a new life and become children of God, redeemed by him and for him.
2. From the dominion of sin
He freed us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(Colossians 1:13-14)
Darkness or sin have no more power over us thanks to Jesus and his work of redemption on the cross. In Christ we have total forgiveness and the new life in him is one in which his light guides us, we no longer walk in darkness (John 8:12).
Thanks to that change in our being we can make the right decisions. The Holy Spirit guides us and shows us what pleases God and helps us to live in his will.
So I say to you: Live by the Spirit, and you will not follow the desires of the sinful nature.
(Galatians 5:16)
With God’s help we can live a holy life (Romans 6:20-23). We don’t have to listen to the devil’s lies and accusations about our past or his insistence on the power of our sinful nature. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, helps us discern between good and evil and gives us the strength to do what pleases God. We belong to the kingdom of light!
What is holiness according to the Bible
3. From eternal death
For the wages of sin is death, while the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)
In Christ we have the gift of eternal life! We do not deserve it nor can we earn it with our efforts, but he grants it to us from the very moment we receive Jesus as Lord. Death no longer has power over us because Christ overcame it with his resurrection. Our physical body is mortal, but our soul will live with Christ for eternity.
Truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has passed from death to life.
(John 5:24)
4. From fear
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
(Psalm 34:4)
God longs to free us from our fears and fears, he does not want us to live chained by them. He has put potential in each of us and wants us to use it for his glory. Like the psalmist David, we can experience God’s freedom by seeking his face and presence, spending time with him and letting him fill us with his Holy Spirit.
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-control.
(2 Timothy 1:7)
Fear and fear do not come from God. Power, love and self-control, yes. When great challenges come into our lives we need to remember that our Father is almighty. He gives us the strength and power to reject fear! We count on his help at all times and we know that in his name we will have victory.
31 verses to overcome anxiety and fear
5. From the wrath of God
And now that we have been justified by his blood, how much more so, through him, shall we be saved from God’s punishment!
(Romans 5:9)
The Bible speaks of the day of God’s wrath (Zephaniah 1:14-18; Isaiah 22:5). On that day God will judge sin, disobedience and all rebellion against him. However, he himself provided the solution for us to be free from his wrath. Jesus! Through him we receive the forgiveness of our sins and the favor of God.
…because God did not destined us to suffer punishment, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 5:9)
That is the destiny that God desires for every human being! Jesus already suffered our punishment on the cross, and thanks to him we enjoy salvation and forgiveness. When the day of God’s wrath arrives, those of us who have received Christ as Lord and Savior No we will suffer the coming punishment (1 Thessalonians 1:10). looking at us, God will recognize the work of Christ in us, will see Jesus and his righteousness, not our faults and sins. Blessed freedom!
6. Of trying to earn our salvation
In fact, Christ is the end of the law, so that everyone who believes may receive righteousness.
(Romans 10:4)
The end or purpose of God’s law is to lead us to Jesus. No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to comply with the entire law. At some point we will fail at something, be it word, intention or deed. But the work of Jesus on the cross is perfect and when we accept that his sacrifice has power to cleanse us from all evil, we leave the oppression of trying to comply with all the law.
Only through Christ do we receive God’s righteousness and eternal salvation. All we have to do is believe in Jesus with all our hearts and confess with our mouths that he is Lord. The law fails to justify us, but everyone who believes that Jesus is God is justified and receives forgiveness from him (Acts 13: 38-39).
…that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Because with the heart one believes to be justified, but with the mouth one confesses to be saved.
(Romans 10:9-10)
7. To draw closer to the presence of God
So, brothers, through the blood of Jesus, we have full freedom to enter the Holy of Holies, through the new and living way that he has opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his body.
(Hebrews 10:19-20)
During the crucifixion of Jesus the veil that divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was torn. Before that time, the High Priest was the only one who had access (once a year) to the most sacred place of the tabernacle. There he made atonement for his sins and for those of the people.
Amazing details of the crucifixion of Jesus.
The death of Jesus changed that. He shed his own blood in atonement for our sins. He himself carried our guilt and opened the way for us to have direct access to God the Father. We no longer need to do any more rituals and sacrifices. Christ, the Lamb of God, is enough! Thanks to him we can speak in confidence with the Father and receive his forgiveness and his love (Ephesians 3:12).
Let us therefore approach God with a sincere heart and with the full security that faith gives, internally purified from a guilty conscience and externally washed with pure water.
(Hebrews 10:22)
Let us thank God because it is because of him that we are truly free. No other freedom compares to the one he grants us. Let’s live lives that reflect that gratitude! Let his joy and his love flow through our lives so that we can impact those around us and encourage them to seek true freedom in Jesus.
Learn more about what it means to be free in Christ