Sister,
“Choose Freedom!” I said to my fifteen-month-old daughter Annabelle as she once again reached out to play with the computer cords. I had already begun training her not to grab the cords in the house, as they can be dangerous if pulled and yanked. She looked back at me slyly as her chubby fingers barely grazed the cords. “No Annabelle,” I said to her quietly. She continued to stare me down while carefully caressing the cords. I could see her little mind wrestling between her perceived freedom of touching and grabbing everything she desired, and the real freedom of obeying her mom.
Aren’t we all like this? We truly think that freedom is doing whatever we want when we want. But in fact, that is anarchy and chaos. If everyone does what is right in their own eyes, societal orders collapse and individual freedoms soon follow.
So, how can we choose freedom? Freedom implies that we are a slave to something. One thing all of humanity has in common is that we are a slave to sin. No matter what country you are from, no matter who your parents are, no matter what age or maturity level you have obtained, you are a slave to sin. The Bible teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 6:23a). Annabelle knew she was not allowed to touch the cords, yet she was compelled to touch them because she is a sinner. Me too! I know I should be patient with her and my husband but how quickly I choose impatience and anger. The Bible also says that the wages, or cost of this sin (disobedience to God), is death. DEATH. Death is no joking matter. Scripture describes death as a real place, hell. Hell is where God pours his wrath down on sinners. There is fire, gnashing of teeth, and separation from all that is good and right, God. We are a slave to THIS! THIS sin that God will punish in eternal hell. Stop and sit on this fact for a bit. The longer you think about how completely hopeless, painful, and abhorrent God’s wrath in hell is, the sweeter the freedom of Christ will be to you.
The rest of Romans 6:23 says, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” He died for us when we were still sinners (Rom 5:8). When believer’s eyes are opened to the utter slavery of their sin and the freedom that came through faith in Christ, our joy abounds! We have been set free from the ultimate penalty of sin and have the ultimate freedom of heaven! I can hear you now, “but I still sin!” “I still want to touch the cords!” “I am still impatient!” Yes, we still have our moments of desiring perceived freedom, but real freedom is walking in the righteousness that Christ has already given us.
So sweet sister, no matter where you are in life, there is freedom for you. If you have not yet put your trust in Jesus, you can have the freedom from the ultimate penalty of sin. Trust that He paid the price for your sin by dying on the cross and rising again! He took on your filthy sin and put His righteousness on you instead! What an amazing gift of freedom! And fellow sister in Christ, you are free to walk in His righteousness! Your righteousness is not based on what you do or don’t do. Your freedom does not rely on your good or bad works, it relies on Christ alone! So be radically free! This gospel is for you! There is freedom in obeying Christ!
~Colleen