Are we free? We have so much and
can do so much in this country. Think of
all our freedoms: what we believe, eat, drink, buy- where we work, worship,
live, go to school- how we live, transport ourselves, spend our free time- who
we marry and how many children we have…
There once was a man named Jacob who brought his family- all 66- to live
in a foreign country where his son was living (Gn. 46). They were given a fertile land on which to
feed their herds, lived a prosperous life and grew into a nation (Ex. 1).
And there arose a new king over Egypt ,
who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the
sons of Israel are many and mightier than we. Come, let us deal
slyly* with them, lest they multiply… Ex. 1:8-10
All was going
well for Jacob’s descendents when a new king/ pharaoh came who didn’t
acknowledge Joseph or what he had done for
I often
wonder if we are truly free, or if we can keep our freedoms only if we live
within the confines of socially acceptable morals, values, beliefs and
actions. We must buy this, we must act
this way, we must watch this… We are in
bondage to our possessions (need more- fix more- more to clean- replace), cell
phones and constant connection but only surface relationally, the need to be
more and do more, succeed as society deems success, etc. So we haven’t truly left our bondage behind.
Don’t let the world slyly keep us there through deception,
flesh and lethargy.
Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you,
Whoever practices sin is the slave of sin. Jh. 8:34
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to
anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of
sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Rm. 6:16 ESV
Then we became
born again, a new man (2Cr. 5:17 ;
Ep. 4:24 ; Cl. 3:10) and yet we
continue to act the same: spend our money, keep attitudes and values, watch
same shows, play same games, same sluggish morality, etc. In fact, ‘the world’ can’t see much of a
difference between us and them- except for the judgmental attitudes we often
display. Oops! But as the Israelites were called out of Egypt
into God’s promise, so we are called out* of the sinful world and its bondage.
(*church- ekklesia- a gathering of those called out)
We are called out of the bondage of our old lives, but
into the new life given by Jesus Christ through His blood. Buried with Him. Alive to God through Him.
Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into
death, so that as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rm. 6:4 (Dead people can’t sin)
knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin. Rm. 6:6
Likewise count yourselves also to be truly dead to
sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rm. 6:11
True freedom only comes through giving up our present
bondage and completely surrendering ourselves to Almighty God, trusting in Him
to do right by it. Only then can we be
completely free.
Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall
be free indeed.
Jh. 8:36
*many translations read wisely, but the word chakam here
is in the hithpael form which in the BDB dictionary means: to show oneself
wise, deceive