The greatest freedom is spiritual.
America will soon be celebrating July 4th – the day that this country remembers the special freedom we now enjoy. Celebrations with fireworks will be occurring across the nation. It must also be remembered that the freedom we now enjoy was not free. Freedom from tyranny is something that many people around the world have never known.
Although this freedom is precious and certainly something we want to continue to enjoy, it is not the greatest one that you could possess.
The greatest liberty is one that can be enjoyed by anyone in any situation – even if they are sitting in a jail cell. In spite of it being available to everyone, most people have never known this kind of freedom. It is spiritual freedom – the kind that sets you free from the penalty of your sin.
The first condition to obtaining this freedom is to realize that all of us are under the curse of sin. The Bible reveals that “the wages of sin is death” in Hell (To. 6:23). Because all of us have broken God’s commandments, God’s righteous judgment demands a payment that no one in their rignt mind would ever want to pay – or could ever pay!
The second condition of obtaining this freedom is to admit that you have sinned against God and deserve His wrath. Then, you must also realize that you can never pay the eternal debt you owe.
A third condition is that you need to understand that all of the debt you owe was paid for by Jesus Christ God’s Son. Because He was also God, He alone could pay this great and immeasurable price of all sin for all time. John the Baptist rightly said of Him: “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29).
The fourth thing you must know to enjoy freedom from the penalty of sin and assurance that you will go to Heaven when you die, is that you must receive salvation as a gift to you. You cannot earn it. John 3:16 says that God’s great salvation is free – like a gift: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus promised that understanding the Bible’s message of salvation – as given in the Bible – that you will have this freedom. His words are found in John 8:32: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The freedom that Jesus spoke of pertains to several things that includes:
1. Freedom from Hell
2. Freedom from the guilt of past sin
3. Freedom to know your future is sure – in Heaven!
4. Freedom from trying to keep the Law as a means of salvation.
Do you personally know this kind of freedom today? Isn’t it time to make your eternal destiny something you can look forward to – instead of doubting where you will go?
This kind of freedom is a gift that God has already purchased for you. In order to get this kind of freedom, in prayer, tell God that you are sorry for sinning against Him and that you want to live His way from now on. Ask him to forgive you because of Jesus’ payment for sin and ask Jesus to save you now. He will!
“For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Ro. 10:13).
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, he shall be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36).