What does freedom in Christ mean? Can you truly have freedom in following Jesus without feeling like you are following rules or being deprived in this life? The answer is YES! Imagine if following Jesus could give you more freedom than you have ever experienced with never feeling you “have to” do something or follow rules?
The truth is that so many people live their lives trying to follow God’s rules to earn God’s approval or even earn their way to Heaven by their own righteousness but that is missing the ENTIRE point! The truth is we can’t do good on our own and we are incapable of earning our own way to Heaven. That’s why God sent His son to die on the cross for us and pay the price of our sin. He made a way for us! By placing our faith in the one who made a way for us we are given pure grace. We are forgiven, redeemed and made right with God not by our own works but by what He did for us! Understanding this is the beginning of freedom in Christ.
From here we get to live our lives in response to this truth and our natural heart is to follow in the footsteps of the one who died for us. We do it out of love and eager desire not our of obligation. We follow Jesus because we know He loves us and He has the best for us not, not because we think we have to. What does freedom in Christ mean? It means understanding you are loved, forgiven and redeemed by the blood of Jesus and living your life in response to that truth as an expression of love back to God.
Scriptures shared in this episode include:
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Matthew 7: 13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Gal 5: 13-22 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,[c] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
