When we consider the word “freedom” and all it implies, many of us think of it in legal, political, or civil rights terms. These are facets of it, but they’re narrow definitions that leave out many other aspects. We can be free physically, but in bondage spiritually. Contemplating the true freedom that God’s grace provides brings us to a whole new level.
Grace is God’s unearned, undeserved favor that applies to every situation; but, as His children, we sometimes take this tremendous blessing for granted. Under the old covenant the people could never quite escape the sin that held them. No matter how hard they worked or how many sacrifices they made, they weren’t free from the curse that Adam and Eve had brought on humanity. When Grace came to earth in human form everything changed. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:14, 17).
Jesus offers grace and truth as gifts, and we can be thankful we’re not required to earn them. We could never do enough to deserve what we receive from Him, but we’re emboldened when we realize that we can stand in the presence of our heavenly Father because of what Jesus did on our behalf. “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12, NIV). Our faith in God’s grace frees our spirits to move upward.
Some new Christians may mistake their freedom for an excuse to continue doing the things they did before they were born again, but grace isn’t a license to sin. Once we begin studying the Word of God and applying it directly to our lives, something inside us rises up and rebels when we try to return to the sinful things we once enjoyed so much. This is the liberating power of the Word at work in every child of God. “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’” (John 8:31, 32, NKJV). Because of the Holy Spirit now living inside us we won’t want to go back to the way we used to be.
Before, we had no choice but to sin because of sin’s power over us; now, we have the freedom to decide for ourselves, with God empowering us to make the right choice. On a physical level, this is like alcoholics or a drug addicts breaking free from their addictions. On a spiritual level, this freedom moves us from death to life. “For when a man dies, he is freed (loosed, delivered) from [the power of] sin [among men]. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy]” (Romans 6:7, 8, 14, AMPC). Because of grace, we’re free in the truest sense of the word!