Our Freedom was Bought with a Price

¹⁷Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  ¹⁸But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.  II Corinthians 3:17, 18 (KJV) 

The Word of God speaks of the liberty, or freedom, which comes to us as followers of Christ.  This freedom is spiritual in nature and refers to our having been liberated from the captivity of sin and death.  In Jesus Christ we are now free to love, forgive one another, serve the Lord, and walk daily in peace and joy without the chains of sin weighing us down.  We are also freed from having to prove ourselves worthy of God.  Jesus Christ has accomplished this for us through the cross of Calvary.   

There is no way any one of us could ever live up to God’s righteous requirements as expressed in the law and the commandments.  Jesus Christ has come and redeemed us and has fulfilled the law on our behalf.  Through Him we now walk in spiritual victory having been reconciled to God through Christ.  Spiritual freedom is the high call of God in Christ Jesus and we can now serve the Lord having been liberated from sin. 

We also know of actual freedom to live our lives as we choose.  We indeed have laws of the land we are called to follow, so we know our freedom carries with it thoughtful responsibility.  Consider how in America we are free to worship, pray, study the Bible, proclaim the gospel, and live out our faith without the government forbidding us to do so.  These freedoms were paid for by those who fought to ensure we might remain a free country.  Today as we celebrate our nations’ independence let us be thankful for the freedoms we hold dear.  Let us not take for granted such basic rights as free speech, free expression of ideas, and freedom of worship. 

Join with me in praying for a great revival of faith to sweep across our nation in which people would give their hearts to Christ.  Pray also believers who have grown cold and indifferent in their faith would be revived and would join the cause of sharing the love of Christ with a lost world. 

Freedom is not free, but was bought with a price.  Let us therefore cherish our freedom, use it responsibly, and be thankful for it.