36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36). Freedom comes only through the Son of God, but what is Jesus Christ setting us free from? Some say freedom from the laws of the land, but if we are freed from the laws of the land, why do we get arrested when we break the laws? Others say freedom from sin, but if we are freed from sin, why is there still so much temptation? So what exactly did the Son (Jesus Christ) set us free from? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answers in our video, Free Indeed: But What Am I Freed From?
Romans 5:15-18
Galatians 5:1
Ephesians 6:12
Hebrews 12:1-2
1 John 4:4
1 John 5:4-5
Galatians 3:23-29
John 1:12-13
John 1:12-13
Revelation 12:10-11
Free Indeed: But What Am I Freed From?
Freedom from Sin in Christ Jesus
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Romans 6:22
38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:38-39
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 1:21-23
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son (Christ Jesus) in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1-4
Are we free from the laws of the land?
Though we are free, we are not freed from the laws of the land, nor are we freed from the rights of the land. When Jesus came, He died on the cross to take our punishment for our sin (Romans 5:8 & Romans 4:25). In doing so, He became our perfect and only sacrifice, thereby completing and fulfilling the first covenant, which is the law (Hebrews 9:11-14 & Hebrews 10:1-7 & Matthew 5:17-20). Peter addresses this very subject in his first letter. “13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperoras supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:13-17). According to Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we as Christians are to obey the laws of the land and honor those in authority.
This is easy to do until the law of the lands forbids us from fulfilling the laws of God. There is an order to which we are to obey. We obey God above everything. Above laws, culture, and our own desires. Look with me at what Peter said in response to being charged to be silent by the rulers, elders, and scribes of Jerusalem. Acts 4:18-22, “18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’ 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.” Peter said that they cannot but speak of what they had witnessed, as should be the same with us. We must continue, no matter the repercussions, the ultimate will of God, which is to preach the gospel from one end of the Earth to the other. The disciples and the Early Church were persecuted and martyred by various governments for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Peter then goes on to tell slaves to obey their masters, even if they were unjustly enslaved. Instead, Peter tells them to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, saying, “23 When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). This is by no means an easy teaching, but what teaching of Truth is easy to accept? Very few, if any. Don’t return injustice done to you with more injustice. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth will leave the whole world blind and toothless. There was a time for that law, but no longer, for we have been forgiven a debt that we could never pay.
As 1 Peter 2:17 stated, we are to “17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” We are to honor the President, the Senators, the Governors, and all other elected officials. We do this by giving them the respect they have received by being voted into their office and respecting the laws they put into place. This is the importance of voting. Though we are free in Christ Jesus, we are not free from the rights of the land. We don’t have to fulfill these rights though, that’s why they are called rights, they are optional, but our freedom in Christ has nothing to do with it. Those who are not Christians still have that freedom or right to either vote or not to vote, but how can we follow the laws of the land if they are against God’s law? This is the importance of voting. I urge you to listen to what the candidates say, but even more so, to watch what they do and what they have done. Anyone can say they are for you, but unless their actions match their words, they are liars and hypocrites.
May the LORD give each and every one of you the wisdom to vote for the godliest candidate, and the strength to endure any injustice that may come your way. May the LORD Bless you and keep you.
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