In the oft-referenced movie Braveheart, a blue paint-smeared William Wallace sat back in his cushy recliner, sipped some chamomile tea, and whispered, “Freedom.”
Wait a second, that’s not how it went!
Wallace, insurgent leader of the ragtag army of Scotland, knew his life was at stake. He knew the lives of his people were at stake. But what else was at stake in their fight against the English? Wallace screams the answer in all-caps earnestness:
FREEDOM!
Wallace knew the cost, and it was a supreme cost—he died for the sake of the freedom of his countrymen. Why? Was it just so they could go back to living a life of squalor and slavery?
No; it was so that their lives would never be the same again.
The first half of the story—the sacrificial hero who gives up a potential life of comfort and indeed his very breath and blood for others—resonates strongly with us. We recognize it in the story of Jesus, who set aside His heavenly glory to come to Earth to die in our place. But we don’t always connect with what happens after that sacrifice—the second half of the story of freedom.
In John 8:34-36, Jesus says, “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.”
What does Jesus’ sacrifice free us from? Simply: slavery to sin. But what then does Jesus’ sacrifice free us to?
Let’s listen to the Word and consider a few inheritances of the freedom Jesus bought for us.
- Freedom to think. Our minds are no longer bound to earthly cares and worries—we are given the ability to consider sacred truths with renewed minds (Colossians 3:2).
- Freedom to feel. Our hearts are cleansed, and we are given supernatural strength to love not only our friends and family, but our enemies as well (Romans 12:14-21).
- Freedom to live. We attain the privileges of sons and daughters, rather than mere servants—we gain God’s blessings (Philippians 4:19), discipline (Hebrews 12:7), protection (1 John 5:18), strength (Philippians 4:13), and much more!
Wow! There is so much in store for the one who has been freed by Christ’s sacrifice! But it is still upon us to live in that freedom; it is not an automatic process. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Are you living in Christ’s freedom today? There is freedom found in His Word!
