![]() ![]() While Christ followers still battle with sin, they are no longer slaves to it. It frees us from the punishment that would be inflicted upon us at the end of our lives for the evil things we’ve thought and done. The Good News-the best news ever-is that faith in Jesus frees us from the death we deserve for sinning against God. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The core message of the Christian faith-the Gospel-is that Jesus Christ rescues us from the slavery of sin and offers true freedom in this life and beyond. Jesus came to free us from death, sin and anything that enslaves us. > Read Billy Graham’s short devotion, “Truth Brings Freedom.” 3. And he began to say to them, ‘ Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:17-21, emphasis added). And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’Īnd he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. To set at liberty those who are oppressed, He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. When Jesus stood up to read, He was saying the future had arrived. The words had been written hundreds of years earlier and spoke of a new freedom that was coming in the future. He did this by reading a particular passage from the book of Isaiah-a passage his listeners knew was referring to the Messiah, or the Savior of the world. When Jesus began his short period of ministry on the earth, He announced He was the One that God’s people had been waiting for since the fall of humanity. God’s answer to our loss of freedom has always been Jesus Christ. Read Billy Graham’s short answer about the definition of an idol. They chase false gods of money, success, personal comfort and romantic love-only to realize they still have an emptiness that can’t be filled by any of those things. ![]() Today, many people are living in spiritual slavery without realizing it. When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He was foreshadowing the arrival of Jesus Christ, who came to free humanity from sin-the spiritual slavery that leads to death. But time and again, the one true God forgave His people and rescued them. The loss of physical freedom was often tied to spiritual disobedience like worshiping false gods. The Old Testament of the Bible records how God’s people lost their physical freedom time and again as various empires overtook them (most notably the Egyptians, as recorded in the book of Exodus). From that time forward, the perfect freedom God created in the Garden of Eden was gone, and the long-term effects were both physical and spiritual. Just three chapters into the story of God’s creation, humanity gave up its freedom by choosing to rebel against God. The quest for freedom is a theme found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. People have been searching for it for thousands of years. Here are some key ideas from the Bible about freedom-including how to find true freedom in your life. The Declaration of Independence states that people “are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”īut what is “liberty,” exactly? Is freedom based upon the country where you live, or can it have a deeper meaning? As the United States of America celebrates Independence Day on July 4, it’s worth noting the nation was founded upon the idea that God created human beings to be free. ![]()
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