Article: True Freedom | Mini Tharian, USA
Everyone desires to be free, and freedom is the most sought after entity. On August 15th India just celebrated its 75th independence day, marking its freedom from British rule. When India woke up celebrating freedom this year, someone else lost theirs. The media now is filled with people, who constantly wonder about the future of their lives, education, career, etc. The peculiarity of freedom is that when you have it, you don’t value it, but when you don’t have it, you want it desperately. Thus, the cry for freedom can be heard everywhere if you look into society. The scripture puts it this way that God created man with perfect freedom in the Garden of Eden; however, it was given up by man due to his disobedience and rebellion to God.
We always hear and read about the freedom fighters – men and women who gave their very lives and luxuries to attain freedom. It is because the desire for freedom is one of the strongest ones. Subash Chandra Bose, popularly known as ‘Netaji’ is well known for his saying, “Give me blood and I shall give you freedom”. He was able to attract people to join him in the freedom fight. Patrick Henry in a famous speech said, “Give me liberty, or give me death”.
Freedom is a gift, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s free. It’s costly. The price of the freedom that we enjoy today was paid by someone else. Freedom is a word that is easily misinterpreted in our culture, and many times it is viewed as the ability to choose whatever life we want to live. But the real freedom for a Christian comes when his life is surrendered to Christ. Surrendering is not easy, but it will lead to life. Deuteronomy 15:12 tells about the slaves in the household of ancient Israelites. The law was that the slaves should be set free in the 7th year. And when the slaves are sent out, they should be furnished liberally. But the verse 15:16 tells about some slaves who are not willing to leave their master because they love their master and their house. The same thing is true with a Christian, who has developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and master of their life. They see freedom in a life of service and surrender to their master and find true liberty there.
Galatians 5 begins by saying that it was for freedom that Christ set us free. We are freed from the bondage of sin, condemnation of law, and penalty of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. John 8:32-36 tells clearly about freedom in Christ and slavery to sin, and the verse 8:34 describes that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God, brought us liberty by his ransom death. He died on the cross for mankind taking the penalty of our sin. The verse 8:36 says “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed”. Philosophers, scientists, psychologists all around the world are searching for the truth. Buddha once said, “I am still searching for the truth”. But Jesus declares to his disciples that “I am the truth” (John 14:6).
In reality, the only free people in this world are those who have made Christ their master and their Lord because the scripture says in John 8:32 “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free”. By inviting us to freedom through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we are called to embrace a new way to live in freedom. True freedom is found only in Christ.
Unless you are a person who enjoys freedom in Christ and is liberated from the bondage and penalty of sin, you are facing spiritual and eternal death. Paul urges us in Galatians 5:1, to “stand fast therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage”
– Mini Tharian, USA
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