So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” vs. 36
John 8:34-36
We love freedom! Nothing else gets our juices flowing like the prospect of being free! It’s been the rallying cry of nearly every revolution as the masses have risen up together against tyranny. Many can remember the joy of leaving the structured living of parental homes, and for the first time realizing that they could go where they pleased and come back whenever they wanted. It’s a delicious feeling–and though it can dissipate quickly as we enter the rat race, we savor the memory, and look forward to feeling it again in retirement. The problem is that we are never as free as we think we are. As Jesus reminded the Jews who flaunted their freedom, anyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. And he’s right. And those who flit around doing whatever their flesh desires, learn quickly that doing as they please can lead to the ugliest kinds of bondage and captivity. According to Jesus there’s only one way to know real freedom, and that is through forgiveness. And that’s the message that’s been the heart of the gospel from the beginning. It’s the good news that Paul proclaimed and that Luther discovered anew in the Reformation. Through the cross of Christ, we have the complete forgiveness of all of our sins, and have been set free to live in accordance with God’s perfect design. Yes, freedom is wonderful, but it comes, not through our own works, but by the grace of God.
Thought for the Day: When did I discover the joy of freedom?
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