How free are you and why? Jesus warned about those who build upon sand that can be washed away in a storm, rather than on solid rock that can withstand the assaults of the weather (Matt. 7:24-27). The foundation of the spiritual freedom was purchased for us by the death of Jesus Christ. Our firm foundation is JESUS. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; stand firm and do not be subject to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). Paul goes on to say, “You were called to freedom” in Galatians 5:13.

Christians are free to be all that God intends them to be, Free to experience Life AS God Intended. Free to manifest the character of God (Gal. 5:22,23) in loving relation with others, and that by the dynamic provision of God’s enabling grace.

People have been searching for freedom ever since it was lost in the Garden of Eden. Adam gave up his freedom to experience Life as God Intended by choosing to eat of The Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil. From that time forward, the perfect freedom that was theirs in Christ was gone, and the long-term effects were catastrophic on the human-race. Today, many people are living in spiritual slavery without realizing it. They are searching for freedom in the false gods of money, success, personal comfort, and romantic love —only to realize they still have an emptiness that can’t be filled by any of those things.

Man cannot regain his lost freedom by self-effort, only God can and has provided the restoration of man’s freedom in Christ. God’s response to man’s loss of freedom is Jesus Christ. When Jesus stood up in the temple to read (Luke 4), He was declaring that freedom and Liberty had come in Him. “And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Freedom in Christ is both freedom from and freedom to. Jesus came to free us from death, sin and anything that enslaves us, and He came to free us to The Gospel, the Good News, the best news ever is that faith in Jesus Christ frees us from and frees us to.

The misconception of God’s grace and its accompanying Christian freedom causes many who call themselves “Christians” to think that they are absolutely free to do anything they want to please themselves. That is not the intended outcome of grace. Christian freedom is not libertinism or the freedom to engage in illicit and immoral behavior. Christian freedom is realized as God’s grace is manifested in our behavior unto His own glory. This is realized and only accomplished as by means of the Spirit of Christ living in and working through the Christian. Christian freedom is always derived from the character of Christ being expressed through us.
We are therefore, freed from ourselves as a point of reference.

God has freed us from ourselves and our attempts to earn favor with God in the human performance of good works. Emphasis on freedom is always susceptible to being misunderstood and pushed beyond its intended limitations. We must caution Christians about the misuse of liberty as did the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians. Christian freedom entails both a freedom from diabolic tyranny and legalistic slavery, as well as a freedom to function as God intends by the dynamic of God’s grace. It must be recognized that freedom is never absolute freedom. Freedom is not freedom from all restriction or control, and freedom to do anything one wants to do. The Christian is to be controlled by the Spirit of Christ, which Paul refers to as a fruit of the Spirit, self-control. Better understood as “the Godly control of self.”

Freedom is always freedom in context. never an unlimited absolute. I might illustrate it like this…Both God and man’s freedom has context. God’s freedom is in the context of His own character and stated self-limitation, while man’s freedom is in the context of his choices of spiritual derivation. When we think of God’s freedom, we are observing God’s character, His person, who He is. He is free to be Himself – consistent with Himself. God does what He does because He is who He is. Man’s freedom is very different.

Christian freedom must be understood in terms of relationship. First, in relationship to God and Second, in relationship to others. The basic of all Christian freedom is love. Though the Christian is free to sin, due to his God-given “freedom of choice,” therefore, he may choice to obey or disobey, however, as a Christian being indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, he is not free to misrepresent the character of Christ in self-oriented, sinful behavior that does not manifest the love of Christ, who is the basis of his identity as a Christian. Therefore, Christian freedom has context. Jesus declared, “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Jesus “makes you free” from and therefore you are “free to.” Freedom has both a positive and negative aspect.

Let’s look first at our Freedom from: Freedom from the negative. Free from sin. “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).

Free from “flesh” – “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:124).

Free from the curse of the law. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13).

Free from Death – “But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10).

Free from Religion – Col. 2:20-23
Free from guilt. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Free from shame. “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Rom. 10:11).

Free from legalism. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

Free from Satan’s dominion. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13).
Next, we are free to… Freedom to experience God’s positive.

Free to “live by the Spirit” – “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” – Rom. 8:2

Free to manifest “fruit of the Spirit” – Gal. 5:22,23

Free to live in hope – “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” – Col. 1:27

Free to glorify God – I Cor. 10:20

Free to rest/relax

Free to live for others – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

Free to approach God. “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19).

Free to relate to God as His child and His heir. “Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Gal. 4:7).

Free to partake and enjoy every spiritual blessing. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

Free to bring our concerns and requests to God. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).

Free to walk with God throughout life. “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ’I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Cor. 6:15–17).

Free to live out God’s purposes in your life. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

You are free to enjoy and express the presence and character of Christ as a Christian. You are not free to live in such a way that betrays who you are in Christ. As Paul powerfully declares in Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.