Freedom
History starkly shows us that knowing Jesus Christ does not guarantee physical freedom. Christians around the world are in prison. Many Christians who know physical freedom feel other shackles: a difficult marriage, an alcoholic parent, a rotten job. In Jesus' day, the Jews looked for a Messiah who would liberate them from Rome. Yet Jesus obviously didn't do that. So what freedom does he give us when he says he has come to set us free?

If freedom is the absence of oppression, then Jesus' death and resurrection broke sin's oppression over us. W don't have to sin. Romans 6 explains why - and what we need to do in light of this reality. We discover this freedom when we live by faith, believing God's promises as outlined in the Bible. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for," Hebrews 11:1 tells us. As we believe God's promises and act upon them, God holds up his end of the deal: He sets us Free.

Are we freed from our circumstances? Sometimes, but not always. God calls us to persevere (see 2 Peter 1:5-7), and, quite often, to wait (see Psalm 27:14; 37:5-7; 40:1). But the Lord always sets our hearts free as we wait and persevere. As King David wrote, "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free" (Psalm 119:32).

Jesus Christ sets us free from the chains of sin.
Luke 4:18-19
John 8:31-36
Romans 6:6-7
2 Corinthians 3:17
Galatians 5:1
We should not misuse our freedom.
1 Corinthians 8:9
Galatians 5:13
1 Peter 2:16
God's gifts of forgiveness and grace flow freely into our lives.
Isaiah 55:7
Romans 3:22-24
1 Corinthians 2:12
Ephesians 1:4-6
Jesus said that because we have freely received, we should also freely give.
Matthew 10:8