Free Indeed

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Freedom is such an important topic, as it causes us to dive deeper into what it truly means and how to ensure we have it! It is something that needs to be protected, but just as importantly, it is something that needs to be thoroughly defined.

What does freedom mean? 

According to the Webster Dictionary, freedom means "the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action" as well as "liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another". If we take it a step further, we can see in scripture that true liberty is living as we should not as we please.

Think about it: isn't it easier to live a life where you have nothing to hide? Isn't it better to not live by the impulses of the flesh?

Though this may sound great, it's not always easy to walk out. It takes self-control and discipline to maintain this lifestyle. It takes a certain amount of restraint to say "no" to the things we know can and will enslave us if we let it. Living life in such a way that we are emboldened to do whatever we want will ultimately cause us to make destructive decisions if we have no caliber of what it means to "live as we ought". We have to draw from one source that instructs us what is right and wrong and reveals why this is so, namely God's Word. Freedom and righteousness go hand-in-hand. Righteousness is defined in the Greek as:

• in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God

  1. the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God

  2. integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting

• in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due

(G1343 dikaiosyne)

When we understand righteousness through Christ's eyes that means, foundationally, 3 things:

1. We have not earned this position, but have been given it by His grace, so we are indebted to Him

2. Because of this, we should be motivated and strive to act as the righteousness of Christ more and more each day out of gratefulness, love, and obedience

3. The more we live a righteous life, the more freedom we'll experience because we are not gratifying destructive appetites

Scripture says in John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed". We have to recognize that there is a difference between the world's idea of freedom and God's. God's goal for your freedom is not for you to just simply to do what is right but to be free from and delivered from sin. It is a breaking free from the things that keep you separated from Christ!

How are we free indeed?

Freedom in Christ is a daily walk, flowing from a once paid-in-full action. When Jesus died on the cross for us and rose again, He defeated sin once and for all! We do, however, have to wait to see the full manifestation of this until Jesus returns, but we can walk out the freedom of our salvation every day, knowing in faith that, one day, sin will no longer oppress us ever again! "Indeed" confirms with strength the absoluteness of our freedom in Christ.

Let's look at some of the scriptures referenced in my song "I Am Free":

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom"

2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom". (ESV) We have the Spirit of God living inside of us (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; etc.), giving us the ability to continually walk in freedom. The song also goes on to say, "I've been made new" and that "old things pass away" and these truths can be found in 2 Corinthians 5:17. When we come to Christ, we are no longer the same person that lives for self and sin, but our perspective has changed from a human to spirit. Our understanding of virtues such as freedom are now elevated and fully developed!

"Broke the yoke of slavery"

This really tackles the heart posture. If we are not free indeed by the Savior, we will be living by our own works. Whether we choose to do good or evil actions, without acknowledging the One Who Saves in our hearts, we are slaves to self and sin. If you define yourself by your works, you will never be free. Why? Because you will mess up, you will choose the wrong things, and your motives will not always be pure. What will happen then? You live in condemnation. That's not freedom.

In Galatians 5:1, it declares that Christ set us free, specifically from the law. This is not to say that the law is null, but that we have a new relationship with the law. It's not works-based, it's relationship-based walk with the One who set us free!

"Tore the veil"

Honestly, this is truly significant...

There was a veil in the temple that separated the inner court and the Holy of Holies. At the time, only the priest was able to go beyond the veil as it signified a deep, binding relationship with God. When Christ died on the cross, that veil was torn from the top to the bottom. God removed that separation between Him and His people because sin was paid for by His blameless Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is our mediator who allowed us to return to the Father no longer hindered by sin. He restored the fellowship we had with Him in the Garden of Eden before the fall. Now, His Spirit can dwell in us each and every day, an intimacy that is far greater than anything previously experienced. A relationship like this, where we are eternally connected to the Father, grateful for the sacrifice of the Son, and led by the Holy Spirit keeps us free forever!

The chorus is a huge declaration that the chains of sin are no longer a reality for the child of God once we've repented, believed, and accepted all that Christ is! Now, we must respond to this gift of freedom by respecting it and upholding it in righteousness.

"I Am Free" is available on my "reality" EP and I hope the song and this blog inspires you to live a life free in Christ! Feel free to support this music and this message here: https://linktr.ee/taylorjanell_music

With Love,