Free In Christ

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’” (John 8:31-32, NASB).

Everyone wants to be free. I want to be free. Often, when I am feeling trapped in life’s trials and tribulations I watch the 1956 epic movie The Ten Commandments produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille combines the Holy Scriptures with the historical writings of Josephus, Philo, and others to tell the story of Moses who was raised in the house of Pharaoh’s sister as a prince of Egypt. After forty years, Moses learns that the he was born a Hebrew slave. Moses kills an Egyptian and leaves Egypt escaping to Midian where God calls him on Mt. Sinai and commissions him to return to Egypt to lead His people out of their bondage. Moses leads the people to Mt. Sinai where God gives Moses the Ten Commandments that he is to teach the people. The movie ends when after forty years of wandering in the wilderness Moses commissions Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The movie shows that people of every tribe, race, color, and social background can find freedom in God. Yet many people in the world today are still held in slavery.

In the United States of America, according to the constitution everyone is free. However, there are hegemony structures in our society that prevent many of America’s citizens from being fully free. These structures keep people in bondage to poverty, hunger, and sickness with a lack of access to adequate and affordable health care. People are not treated equally and fairly under the law. We can say that in the greatest democracy the world has ever known many people are not free. Yet, Jesus says that all who believe in His word will be made free. How is this possible?

When we speak of being free, two questions arise. “What do I want to be free from?” “What do I want to be free to do?” Based on these two questions, we may ask: “What is the nature of the freedom that Jesus offers?” The Israelites cross the Red Sea and are free from bondage in Egypt, but they are still in bondage to their own sins. When Jesus said that “the truth will make you free” He is promising freedom not just from physical oppression, but also from the bondage of sin. “Jesus answered them, ‘truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” John 8:34, NASB). Jesus says that it is the truth that makes one free. This truth comes by believing the claims that Jesus makes about Himself and by being true disciples by continuing in His teachings.

At this point, I want to pause and say something about this word “truth.” In the world today many people believe that there are many truths and each person has his or her own truth. There is no absolute truth. This is a contradiction to the scripture before us. The writer uses the Greek definite article, the word “the.” The use of the definite article indicates that Jesus is talking about one truth from one source. Jesus claims that His teachings alone come from God, and what God says is the only truth that can make one free from sin.

It is helpful if we understand the difference between facts and truth, especially since our scientific minds demand facts as proof. Facts are true assertions based on present knowledge and circumstances. Facts are temporary. For example, scientist have changed the status of Pluto as a planet or dwarf planet as they have learned more about this star, and as they have set new criteria for determining what is a planet. On the other hand, truth is eternal. Truth is not affected by time and circumstances. I am my daddy’s son, always have been and always will be regardless of how we relate to each other, and whether we are alive or dead. The teachings of Jesus contain the truth of God and all that God has willed to be from the beginning to the end.

In John 5-8 Jesus is in dialogue with the Jews about His work of healing a man on the Sabbath Day. Jesus claims to be doing the work of God, but this is not according to their understanding of the Law of Moses. There is debate as to who Jesus is and His relationship to the Father. Some of the Jews believe Him, and Jesus tells them to continue to live by His teachings. In following Jesus’ teachings about God and His relationship to God their belief in His word will bring them into right relationship to God. God will give them His Spirit and will forgive their sins. They will be made free, and their freedom in Christ is eternal. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (v. 36).

So does this mean that freedom in Christ offers hope in things spiritual only? How does freedom in Christ help me with my life today? In both the movie and the Scriptures our physical bondage results from sin. Men seek to enslave other people because they desire to control others so that their own sinful desires will be met. Sin means that we want things to serve our purposes and bring glory to ourselves instead of the purposes and glory of God. Our actions reflect the desires of our hearts, our thoughts and our way of thinking.

The truth of God gives us new desires, new thoughts and ways of thinking that are different from the ones that come from our sinful nature, the wisdom of the world, and the influence of Satan. The freedom that the world offers is really a means of being in deeper bondage. The world teaches us that we should be free to follow our own desires. The desire for self control keeps us separated from God, and we cannot be who and what God created us to be. We are looking for freedom in the wrong places and by the wrong means. Thus, the writer of 1 John says “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16, NASB). Simply put, one cannot put the things in the world before the things of God and be free. In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus teaches us that seeking the things that in the world should never take priority over our relationship with God. First, we are to seek His righteousness. Jesus said, “‘But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you’” (v. 33, NASB).

Jesus died to set us free from the bondage of sin. His death is the atonement for our sins; we are forgiven. His Spirit enables and empowers us to live by His truth making us free from the power of sin which prevents us from being who God created us to be. This truth is eternal. Those who believe the teaching of Jesus, that He is the Son of God and the promised Messiah that delivers us from sin have eternal life with Jesus and the Father.

How do the teachings of Jesus help us in our present life? When Jesus says “you are truly disciples of mine,” He means that we live by His laws and regulations. Now, some people believe that God gives us His grace and we are free from the law. Yes, this is true as far as our salvation is concerned. There was no power in the Law of Moses to save us from sin. However, Jesus is saying that when we continue in His word, we obey and follow His teachings. His teachings are not designed to keep us in some kind of bondage. Indeed, His teachings are what make us free. This can be shown through the flow of water in a river.

The river is water contained within the banks of the river. The flow of the water is determined by the banks of the river. The water is directed by the curvature and direction of the river. As long as the water is controlled by the banks, it is able to provide many uses. On the Tennessee River there are nine dams. These dams were built to control the water in the river so that electrical power is generated at a lesser cost. On the other hand, at the time of this writing we see that in South Carolina the rains have caused the water to overflow its banks and at least fourteen dams have been compromised. Instead of providing a good, the out of control water is causing damage to property, the water is not safe for drinking, and people have lost their lives.

When we follow the teaching of Jesus we are His disciples. We are free from the sin that separates us from God, and we can be who God created us to be. When we get outside the banks of the river, the teachings of Jesus, we become a destructive force, damaging our own life and the lives of others. Although it may not always seem that following Jesus’ teaching is best for us today, the disciples have eternal life in the kingdom of God with Jesus and the Father. The truth will make you free.