Friday, July 19, 2013

Jesus Sets You Free

"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."
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
John 8:31, 32, 36 (NKJV)
People have a natural desire to be free, no one what to be in slavery or bondage to anyone or anything.  The life of a slave is dominated by their master; the slave is completely controlled by someone other than themselves.  Mankind was bound by sin because of the disobedience of Adam, but mankind has been delivered from the bondage of sin through Jesus Christ.  Now, just like a slave who has been legally set free only has to leave his former master to live a new life, mankind must receive Jesus Christ to walk in the freedom and liberty that He provides.
The desire people have to be free from wrong habits, wrong thoughts, and wrong desires has driven them to many things.  But, the only true liberty and freedom that can be found comes through Jesus!  In John 8, Jesus made statements about people being His disciples, staying with His Word, knowing the truth, and being free.  These are not separate thoughts but they fit together.  To be a follower of Jesus, to be a disciple of Jesus, to be a Christian, means to know and stay with the Word of God.  John 1:1, 14 tells us that Jesus is the Word.  To be free means to know Jesus and to know Jesus means to know the Word.

Jesus came to set us free, and to keep us free.  Once we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are like the slave who has been legally set free, we can now leave our former master and live a new life.  Paul wrote in Galatians 5:1 that we need to stand firm in the liberty we have in Christ and not go back to living under the Law.  In Romans 6 Paul talks about how we have been set free from being slaves to sin so that we can now become dedicated to righteousness.  God wants us to live a life of freedom but it can only happen through Jesus and staying with the Word of God.  What is trying to put you into bondage today?  Stand firm in the liberty you have in Christ and don't let anything put you into bondage.

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