“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor 3:17)

Each year on July 4, my thoughts turn to freedom as we celebrate America’s Independence Day. In Western culture, we use the terms “freedom” and “independence” synonymously. Because of the great blessing of living in a free country, I learned about Jesus at a young age and had no fear of repercussion from the government or anyone else. I didn’t have to worry that my family or I might go to jail for going to church or talking about Jesus. I could carry my Bible in public and wear a cross around my neck. I took this freedom for granted because it was all I had ever known. I was an adult before I learned that not all people have this type of freedom.

The freedom that we receive from Jesus is different. His is a spiritual freedom that can’t be found anywhere else, and it’s available for all who believe in him, no matter where you live. Freedom in Christ is freedom from sin and for victory. Without this freedom, we are still slaves to sin (Rom 6:6).

As believers, we do have free will, but that doesn’t mean we are free to live any way we want, as some people believe. Instead, Jesus shows us what we should do and how we should live in relation to others. Even so, many Christians still live in bondage – to sin, to fear, to addictions, to their pasts.

How can we live in the true freedom provided by Jesus?

1. Spend time with God through prayer and reading his Word. By doing this, you will be able to discern the right choice and do the next right thing.
2. By embracing our freedom in Christ, we can defeat Satan’s lies and “crush Satan under our feet” (Rom 16:20). We embrace our identity in Christ and know we are his children, his masterpiece, his beloved. And we defeat Satan’s lies by holding onto those truths.
3. We’re constantly growing and learning, and true freedom in Christ means that we embrace the things we need to change and make those changes. We develop new habits and drop old ones. Freedom in Christ doesn’t mean we’ll never sin – we’re still human – but we can make better choices.

Jesus frees us from sin so that we can live with peace and joy in our lives. We can’t force freedom on anyone, and we can’t expect non-believers to embrace this type of freedom. It’s counter to what our culture teaches. But with God’s help, we can change ourselves.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the freedom we find in you as well as the freedoms we have here in the United States. Help me to live in true freedom in you. Amen.