“If the Son shall make you free
Then you shall be free indeed”
Iconic words from the Godhead
No truer words were ever said

Free men still slaves of their desires
As the Enemy stokes the fires
Of their lust and endless greed
But ‘tis the Truth that makes us free

Freedom! One of the deepest longings of every human heart. From Moses to Mandela, every leader in the fight for freedom has struck a chord that resonates with common people – we want to be free.  Everybody wants to be free; free to live as we please, go where we wish, associate with who we want, vote who we like and practice any profession we desire. It is no surprise that imprisonment is one major way we punish crimes and offences – the withdrawal of freedom from those deemed to be lawbreakers. Even parents punish their children by grounding them!

While we desire freedom from external influences, our greatest bondage is often not without, but within us. We may be free, but the inability to bring our thoughts, emotions, words, and actions under control is still bondage. Jesus plainly stated that “…whoever commits sin is a slave of sin”. If you find yourself doing things you do not want to do, then it means you, like the rest of the human race, were born a slave of sin. And the only way to be free from that compulsion to do wrong is salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. Only God’s Son can set you free!

Jesus boldly declares to the Jews: “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed”. He is the Son, no question. His Modus Operandi is not hidden either – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. We come into freedom by learning the truth about who we are, by listening to the words of Jesus and embracing them. God’s Word reveals that we are spirit beings with souls who live in a body, that our souls are accountable to God for our actions, and that we can be saved from the power and penalty of sin by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus – he paid for it all!

When you come to God humbly accepting the sacrifice of Jesus as sufficient to pay for your sins, you receive a new life and are transformed internally. Your body experiences no change, but your spirit is recreated, and God’s Spirit begins to dwell in you. Now the Bible states “…and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”. God’s Spirit empowers you to live free from the power of sin. As you expose your mind to God’s Word, the truth continues to permeate your thoughts and break every thought pattern inconsistent with God’s way of thinking, setting you free!

Nature, they say, abhors a vacuum. This is also true in spiritual terms. To exercise freedom over sin, and every compulsion from our past, we must constantly fill our minds with God’s Word and devote ourselves to prayers. This achieves a double purpose of renewing our minds and strengthening our spirits to resist the advances of sin. The enemy does not give up because we are saved; he keeps making advances at us. But we resist him by standing firm in the truth of God’s Word – we have been set free by God’s Son, and we remain free!

Scripture References: John 8:31-36, II Corinthians 3:17