True Freedom in Christ

James 1:25

Introduction.

  1. What does it mean to be free?

    1. Today is July 4, the day in which this country celebrates independence from Great Britain.

    2. It was declared all the way back in 1776, 245 years ago, in the Declaration of Independence.

    3. As Americans, we know some key phrases written in this important historical document: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

    4. This is how our nation has defined freedom, at least on a basic level.

  2. Preview—but is all this self-evident?

    1. Are we created equal?

    2. What does the Bible have to say about these rights?

    3. Where is true freedom found?

Body.

  1. Equality.

    1. Definition.

      1. It is defined as the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability.

      2. In this context, it clearly cannot be all of these things.

      3. Equal in quantity? Yes, in the sense that I am one person and so are you.

      4. Equal in degree? Well, that depends on how we define degree.

      5. Equal in value? Oh most definitely. Each and every soul is of equal and immense value! After all, we are all made in the image of God, are we not?

      6. Equal in rank? Yes and no. While we are to submit to our elders, we are also to submit to one another (1 Pet. 5:5).

      7. Equal in ability? Again, yes and no. Not all of us are given the same natural abilities, but we are given the opportunity to make the most of the abilities we have been given. This does not speak to roles, for the Bible gives men and women different roles in the church that we are bound by.

    2. So are all men (people) created equal? Yes!

      1. We are all made upright (Eccl. 7:29).

        Truly, this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

      2. God does not show partiality (Acts 10:34-35).

        In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

      3. In Christ, we are all of the same value (Gal. 3:28-29).

        There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

      4. Of course, this did not mean such a state would change anything.

      5. Onesimus was a slave before his conversion as he was after, though if he could become free, he was to pursue it (1 Cor. 7:21) – pursue happiness?

      6. And we certainly can’t change our ethnicity or gender – ?

      7. The point is, such earthly states do not affect our eternal reward.

      8. So are we equal? As sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, as image bearers of God Most High, we most certainly are.

      9. As sons and daughters of Christ, as Christians, we are one in Christ!

      10. While we are made in the image of God, we are to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29) – becoming more and more Christ-like every day!

  2. Rights.

    1. Definition.

      1. A moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way.”

      2. I want to focus on that word “entitlement” for a moment.

      3. As Americans, we feel entitled to a certain level of freedom, which is different for everyone.

      4. But these days that idea of a sense of entitlement evokes some negative imagery, doesn’t it?

      5. Truth is, we are entitled to nothing in this life, not even the rights we think we have as Americans.

      6. After all, what does Job say after everything is taken away from him?

        The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21).

      7. What about my rights, Lord? “I gave you your rights, and I can revoke them!”

      8. So if the government gives us certain rights, that implies it can take them away.

      9. Are they God-given as the Declaration states, or were they given to us by some government?

      10. Hmm, well, let’s consider the three rights explicitly stated in the Declaration.

    2. Right to Life.

      1. Well, there are certainly biblical prohibitions against murder, aren’t there?

      2. That clearly shows that we have a right to life.

      3. This is why abortion is so horrendous, the killing of innocent life.

      4. But can the right to life be revoked? Well, as stated before, if someone has given us a right, they have the right to revoke it.

      5. We do find the death penalty in Scripture for various violations of the OT Law.

      6. While we are not under that OT Law today, He still retains the right to remove us from this earth whenever He sees fit.

      7. But the civil authorities are given the right to execute God’s justice (Rom. 13:1-7).

      8. Of course, in this country the Bill of Rights (8) prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment,” so we cannot be legally killed for just any infraction.

      9. Regardless, while we can argue about the pros and cons of the death penalty, the truth is the Bible allows for it.

      10. Now, that’s not a ringing endorsement of everyone who has been put to death by the state—governments are made up of people and people do wrong and make mistakes, even one’s “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

      11. We must always pray that God’s will be done.

    3. Right to Liberty.

      1. God gives us so much liberty! We might call it free will.

      2. But it’s not liberty or a free will that’s free of consequence.

      3. Meme:

        1. Secular society: We want to do “X.”

        2. Christian Church: You are free to do it.

        3. SS: But you think “X” is wrong.

        4. CC: Yes.

        5. SS: Because you want to control us.

        6. CC: No. You are free to do what you want.

        7. SS: But you think “X” is wrong.

        8. CC: Yes, but only because we want your ultimate good, which is the definition of love.

        9. SS: But we want to do “X.”

        10. CC: You are free to do it.

        11. SS: But we want you to say that “X” is good.

        12. CC: We cannot say that.

        13. SS: Why do you hate us?

      4. We have the right to do these things as long as they do not harm another, but that doesn’t make them good, and they are not free of consequence.

      5. Basically, we have the right to sin.

      6. And the consequences for sin could be earthly, but there are definitely eternal consequences.

      7. So liberty has boundaries—your rights end where mine begin.

      8. While this country had not come close to living up to her ideals of liberty until June 19, 1865, when slavery effectively ended—and we still had a long way to go after that—her ideals are still great, enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

      9. Your liberties cannot be curtailed without due process of law (5).

      10. Again, I pray that God’s will be done when such rights are revoked.

    4. Right to Pursue Happiness.

      1. Note that this is not a right to be happy.

      2. This is a right to do what we can to be happy, to pursue happiness, to enjoy in uor labor (Eccl. 3:12-13).

        I know that there is nothing better for them … that every man should eat and drink and the enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

      3. This is a right we have not to be stuck in the same profession as our parents.

      4. This is a right to find what makes us happy.

      5. This is not a right to be lazy or to be a mooch (2 Thess. 3:10).

      6. This is closely linked to the right to liberty, so if our right to liberty is curtailed, then our right to pursue happiness is, too.

      7. The Bill of Rights, again, enumerates those rights and can only be revoked after due process.

      8. And if we fully exercise these rights, that does not free us of the consequences of our actions.

      9. And ultimately we must realize that true happiness cannot be obtained externally.

      10. If we pursue happiness by purely external means, we may find it for awhile, but it is not a lasting happiness.

  3. Freedom.

    1. This is how our country defines freedom.

      1. But how should we use it?

      2. What does that mean for us?

    2. True freedom is in Christ.

      1. It is the truth that makes us free from sin (John 8:31-36).

      2. And that truth is God’s Word (John 17:17).

      3. The main passage where we might find this is Romans 6.

        1. While slavery has been made illegal all over the world, there are actually 7.88 billion slaves in the world today—yes, that includes you!

        2. We are either a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness (Rom. 6:18).

        3. How do we know who our master is? (Rom. 6:16).

        4. So, it depends on who we obey.

        5. If we obey our sinful desires, we become a slave to those desires.

        6. Paul also calls it a “yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

        7. There are those who talk about freedom after they have left the faith. Sure, they are free from righteousness, but they have made themselves a slave to their passions and desires.

        8. That sounds kinda nice, until you see where that ends up: addiction, broken families, dissatisfaction.

        9. But even if you manage to keep from those things, there is an ultimate end to those who are slaves of sin—death.

        10. But if we present ourselves to obey righteousness, we have a better outcome—everlasting life.

        11. After all, the Lord has given us that “perfect law of liberty,” right? (James 1:25).

        12. Sin doesn’t love you. Oh it gives the appearance of love by giving you all you want at the moment (2 Pet. 2:19).

          While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

        13. But the truth is, that’s not love.

        14. Only Christ loves us so much that He was willing to die for us so that we could have that eternal life in Him.

        15. So let us be slaves of righteousness, let us obey Him and follow Him (Rom. 6:17).

        16. We start that by obeying the gospel… but before I get into that…

    3. Does this freedom in Christ mean I get to do whatever I want?

      1. No! As we mentioned before, “all things are lawful, but not all things edify.”

      2. Paul also wrote, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve on another” (Gal. 5:13). Peter repeats that sentiment (1 Pet. 2:16).

      3. Recall also that Paul writes, Why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?” (1 Cor. 10:29).

      4. Yes, we must take into consideration our brother; sometimes it means we are bound in certain areas when it might not make sense to us (boots example).

      5. We are to “bear with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2), correct? We are also to “esteem others better than himself” (Phil. 2:3). One way that can be defined is, “Not insisting upon my own rights.”

      6. Of course, there’s another reason why this doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want.

      7. If you have once served the Lord but now serve sin, well, no man can serve two masters, right? (Matt. 6:24).

      8. If you begin to serve sin again, you have been “again entangled in [sin] and overcome, the latter end is worse … than the beginning” (2 Pet. 2:20).

      9. I thank God for the Advocate we have with the Father when we do sin (1 John 2:1), but He only speaks for us if we walk in the light, confessing our sins (1 John 1:7, 9).

Conclusion.

  1. We cannot forget to obey the gospel!

    1. That’s where true freedom is.

    2. While obeying the gospel frees us from sin—a master who hates us—it also binds us to Christ—a Master who loves us!

    3. We have all kinds of freedom in Christ, but that does not mean we are not to obey His gospel.

    4. Let us present ourselves as slaves to obey Him, obeying from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered to us, spoken of earlier in Romans 6.

    5. How to obey the gospel: HBRCB.

  2. True freedom can only be found in Christ.

    1. He has given us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

    2. But this can only truly be had if we humble ourselves before God and obey Him.

    3. That may not sound like freedom, but it is the best kind of freedom.

    4. Freedom with the boundaries that He has set for us—a God who loves us more than we can know.

    5. Obey Him today and be truly free!