John 8:32 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:36 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
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Circled Stars in the flag Did you know that the original stars in the original American flag were in a circle? They did it so that all the Colonies would appear equal. Now, that’s interesting!
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The first Independence Day celebration took place in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. This was also the day that the Declaration of Independence was first read in public after people were summoned by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.
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Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird but was overruled by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who recommended the bald eagle.
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Every fourth of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped thirteen times in honor of the original thirteen colonies. This means that the bell is not actually rung. Instead, it is only being tapped.
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Only John Hancock actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. All the others signed later.
Now that we have learned some random facts about the independence day in the USA, it is now time for us to learn what independence or freedom is from a Christian perspective.
In the Bible there is a common verse about the freedom that is being used by both Christians and non-christian individuals? An Interesting thing about John 8:32 is that is has also made its way in films, movies, tv shows, and other pop culture.
In most cases it has been used and never fully understood or used in the proper context.
The truth is, true freedom can only be found in Christ. And just like what John 8:36 is saying, if the Son, meaning Jesus, will set us free, then we shall be freed. Why? Jesus Christ has always been God’s answer to our loss of freedom.
When Jesus began His ministry on earth. He announced that He was the one that God’s people had been waiting for. He did so by reading a particular message from the book of Isaiah.
“And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’ – Luke 4:17-21
In the last verse of this passage, we can see that Jesus Himself confirms how the Scripture is being fulfilled in their midst through Him –– that He is the Messiah that the people are waiting for. That Jesus is that will free all of humanity from the bondage of sin and that He is a manifestation of freedom Himself.
So, true freedom as defined by the Bible can only be found in Christ. And we, as God’s people, should always seek Christ to experience freedom from all things chaotic –– freedom from things that will keep us away from God.
1. FREEDOM FROM DEATH
“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 very reason why Jesus had to die on the cross is to free all of humanity from sin and give us the opportunity to attain eternal life. That is how much God loves us. He sacrificed His own begotten Son just to save you from your sins –– to save you from death! And to offer you eternal life by sacrificing His own Son.
2. FREEDOM FROM SIN
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” – John 8:34-36
It is important to always choose God over anything else. But do not worry because while we still battle with sin, we are no longer slaves to it because of the power of Jesus Christ. Through Christ, we can be set free from the bondage of vanity, pride, greed, addiction, pornography, gluttony, selfishness, and any other sin.
3. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE OUR OWN PATH
“’I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything—but I will not be mastered by anything.” – 1 Corinthians 6:12 “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” 1 Corinthians 9:19
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1
4. FREEDOM TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,” – Luke 4:18
Now that we have been freed from the bondage of sin through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, like Paul, we also have the freedom to proclaim and spread the Gospel. This is because God did not just save without a purpose. He saved us so that through us, many people will come to know Him.
Just like what happened to Zacchaeus. When Jesus came to his house, he did not just save Zacchaeus alone. Instead, he declared that salvation will come to his entire household. “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” – Luke 19:9
And in the following verse, Jesus continued with this “ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”. Likewise, we who experienced God’s freedom by accepting Jesus Christ should continue to spread the Gospel to our friends, families, communities, cities, nations, and to all those who do not know Christ.
5. FREEDOM TO ENJOY LIFE IN CHRIST
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2
“Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 97:10