So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” vs. 36
John 8:31-38
In Christ we live by grace and truth and not by the law–and this is all a gift, not our own doing. Therefore, John tells us, we have been set free, and furthermore as Paul told the Galatians, since we have been set free, we should never again submit to the slavery of the law. These are important truths, ones that we learn to relish as we continue in faith, but sometimes we wonder exactly what this life of freedom looks like. Obviously it doesn’t mean doing as we please–no one could be so foolish as to believe that. And of course it doesn’t mean we are exempt from obeying the laws of the land. So what is it? Put simply, the freedom we have in Christ revolves around two things: First, it’s freedom from the coercive moralisms and restrictive pieties that religious leaders have long used to control and manipulate believers. For too long people told to “live by the book” have been robbed of the joys that come with Spirit-directed immersion in this incredible creation. Secondly, freedom means loving our God and our neighbor with all our heart, soul, and mind! That’s why we’re here on earth in the first place. Freed from guilt and sin we have been equipped to love unconditionally and universally in every imaginable way. And, oh what joy it brings when this freedom finally takes root, and we can live in Christ without abandon!
Thought for the Day: What does it mean to “live without abandon”?
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