“Freedom to
be…Transformed!”
September 2007
Back in my 20’s, God broke into my life and I
accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
I still praise him for plucking me as a brand from the burning. God is so good! Thank you Jesus!
As a brand new Christian, I found a
favorite Bible verse in Galatians 5:1.
“For freedom Christ has set us free.”
Yes! Praise God! Finally, at last I was free!
But that
Biblical declaration of freedom begs
the question: this freedom that we enjoy
in Christ — is it more a “freedom from?” Freedom from a religion of
legalism. Freedom from a religion
of do this...don’t do that...eat this...don’t eat that. In Christ, I had been set free. Free to be
me.
Oops!
Without even realizing it, I had begun to bend my newfound freedom in
Christ into a self-centered self-serving freedom. Into something that was all about me.
Paul spoke to that very issue in Galatians 5:13, “For you were
called to freedom, brothers. Only do not
use your freedom for an opportunity for the flesh (read S-E-L-F), but rather
through love serve one another.”
Truth be told, freedom in Christ is
both “freedom from” and “freedom for.” Freedom from sin and
self and man-made religion (Colossians
Yours in Christ,