True Freedom is without chains/ Monthly message August 2006

True freedom is without chains!

John 8,31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The word freedom is very often misused and misunderstood by society, just like with other divine values such as truth, love, righteousness, and peace. However, that is no great surprise, considering that this world has turned away from God’s rules since the fall of Adam through sin and is faraway from God.

During the time of Noah, ungodliness already dominated, which twisted truth and the righteousness of God and perverted love. (Homosexuality was also a widespread sin at the time of Sodom. See: Genesis 19,1-25; Romans 1,18-32)

Nimrod, the first person on earth to gain power, abused his power. The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and the provinces Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Schinar. Babel became a stronghold of idol worship. They promised freedom and were evil. When they reached the summit of their power and built the tower, God had enough of it all. Up until now all of them had shared one common language, but God changed that in a moment, and they were scattered in all directions -like “all four winds”. As a result of His punishment, everything underwent a quick and sudden end (See: Genesis 11,1-9;10,8) The Pharaohs were mighty rulers in antiquity and made claims to be divine, and they promised peace and freedom. Their freedom consisted of oppressing the people. You can extend this list at your own leisure on this subject, or you could also can pick up a history book.

The fruit which these leaders brought forth, instead of being freedom, was violence, egocentrism, deceit, and the abusing of power. God alone is aware of all their sins. Without HIM, nothing works! There is no real freedom outside of God’s precepts.

Throughout the entire history of mankind there are demonstrations of cruel despots who existed, such as Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mussolini, Mao, Idi Amin etc. Also in this present day and age, terrorists or “believers” who want to spread their influence of power and their religion by murder and violence, they fall into the same category. They promise freedom, prosperity and a better life, but it turns out to be the opposite. What is the problem? The problem is man himself. As a result of being estranged from God and due to his sinful nature, he is unable to bring about freedom. There is only ONE alone in the whole universe who is able to bring about freedom and that is the living God.

The Creator himself speaks to the Jews who believe in Him and also to us today: John 8,31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

What freedom and truth is Jesus talking about here? And what type of truth is this which sets a person truly free? It is the truth of the gospel, the truth of the Word of God. This freedom is based on a condition, for Jesus gives the promise to those who remain faithful to His Word and who are true disciples. (Also see John 4,24) The gospel is the power of God, it is capable of doing that which no human being could possibly do, but only God alone. It changes an individual, it break the chains of sin and sets him free. As a consequence, God is glorified and He alone receives the honour and glory. Every true child of God is a reward of the cross, whether from the Old or the New Testament. Jesus Christ has paid for our freedom. He is the sinless lamb of God who died on the cross for our transgressions and sins, and this sacrifice alone was accepted by God.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Rom.1,16-17

But how do we become righteous before God? Here is God’s plan, the new covenant which is also still valid today: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2,38

This plan of salvation which God has prepared for us runs like a red thread through the book of Acts (Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19 and also other scripture verses like those in John 3 and Romans 6 refer to this). The obedience of a person the plan of salvation will bring him into the kingdom of God. However, it does not stop there but continues to go on. Matt. 24,13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” The word “endure” has the same meaning as in the fore mentioned scripture verse in John 8,31-32 “continue in his word”. Through obedience to His word, we demonstrate our respect and our love to Jesus Christ. You have to lead a holy live, for without holiness “no man shall see the Lord.” (Heb. 12,14) The Scriptures gives us instructions relating to this.

How does the freedom which Jesus talks about function in our life? The freedom of the children of God is of a spiritual nature. It is the freedom to be able to say no to sin and to overcome it. The powers of darkness of this world no longer have any power over a child of God. It is the freedom to love and to view this world through the eyes of God. His perspective is greater than our own love.

Paul and Silas and others experienced this freedom which is not able to be eliminated by troubles and woes. This true freedom which Jesus Christ gives puts a song in our hearts. (Read: Acts 16; Rom. 8,31-39). If the Holy Spirit fills our heart, then Jesus will be with us until the end of the world - nothing can take us under its control and power. Rom. 8,10 “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

A sinner of this world has to sin, for he is the prisoner of sin. He can be in bondage of hate, envy, jealously, love of gain, or other sins. Others are in bondage of sex, drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol, or also simply because they reject God. There is no freedom without Jesus Christ. This freedom which Jesus talks about is not a freedom which can be established by a person. We are not able to make ourselves to be holy, that will never work. This freedom enters into the life of a person when the Spirit of God fills him and HE sets him free. Therefore, the Scriptures say: “We are His work.” This is the great mystery - that God accomplishes this work which we ourselves are incapable of performing. Only the children of God have this true freedom. It is the will of God that every person would be set free from the world and from sin and would live daily in God’s truth. As your father, God loves you and He will take care of everything else in your life. It is necessary that you follow His Word, then you will stay free, and that will be for all eternity. If a person enters into the freedom of Christ, then it is not difficult to follow Jesus Christ and to love His Word.

Heaven will be our desire, from which He will come to give His people a home (John 14,1-4). ra