What is freedom? Dictionary.com (I’m a geek, where else would I look) defines freedom like this:

the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint

So freedom is essentially defined by what it is not – shackles. Galatians 5 says “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery”. I read that like Jesus is saying this: “I set you free so that you’d be free. So be free!”

So how do we “be free”? I believe there are two kinds of freedom offered to us in Christ. There’s “freedom from” and “freedom to”. We have freedom from things that Christ never wanted for us, and we have freedom to the things He desires for us, though the devil would try to keep us from both.

As a follower of Christ, I am free from my sin. I am free from the expectations that others place on me. I am free from the curses spoken over my life – freed by the power of Jesus name. I am free from the worries of politics and government because I serve a bigger God (my God is bigger than your god).

As a follower of Christ, I am free to love my wife and son. I am free to worship Him in spirit and in truth. I am free to come boldly before His throne. I am free to be called a son of God, because Romans 8:15 says “you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”.

These lists could go on forever, because the ways of God are infinite. I encourage all who read this to add to these lists. Allow your freedom to be an encouragement to those in need of it, whether believers struggling in temporary shackles, or those still looking for the freedom only offered in Christ Jesus.

Because of Christ, what are you free from? What are you free to?