We are preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday and the birth of independence and freedom that God graciously gave this great nation. However, we never want to forget that the power of freedom we experience as Christians is much greater! From 1776 to the present day, the Fourth of July has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks and parades to concerts and casual family gatherings.
Even though we are known as “the land of the free”, based on recent religious surveys we can probably estimate that at least 150 million Americans are not really free … because they don’t know Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one who can truly set them free. Thank God for the freedom we have in Jesus Christ!
Our freedom in Christ originated because of a plan that our Father God in Heaven executed. Philippians 2:8-10 tells us:
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.”
We were delivered from sin, superstition, error, bondage, deception, guilt, depravity, ignorance, a destructive life, and from being a captive of satan—which included facing eternal death! Jesus was sent to the earth to rescue mankind. Jesus came into this world from His home in Heaven. So, the freedom He gives is Heaven-sent and Heaven-bound. That’s what makes our freedom in Christ unique. The world can’t give it and the world can’t take it away.
Colossians 1:17 in the Amplified Bible explains it like this:
“And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]”
This verse tells us that not only is He the architect, builder, and owner of creation, He is the sustainer as well! In Verses 35 and 36 of John 8, Jesus proclaimed:
“Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Christ’s freedom is ever-present and everlasting! It is both eternal as well as internal! We can be locked up in chains and thrown in the deepest dungeon, but still experience the Heaven-sent, Heaven-bound freedom of Jesus Christ!
Spiritual freedom is the most powerful freedom that there is—it is the freedom of being free from sin! As you enjoy this holiday with your family and friends, let’s not forget to continue praying and believing for the expansion of the message of the Gospel, and revival coming to millions of people, so they too can experience the Greatest Freedom on Earth!
