ByHave you ever thought of the difference between freedom and liberty in Christ? Liberty is the condition wherein individuals behave according to their own will and govern themselves, taking responsibility for their actions. Freedom, on the other hand, refers to the state of being unrestricted to enjoy one’s will.
Freedom usually pertains to a person’s choices in everything he does, which of course, includes the will to govern himself (that is, liberty). These two words are frequently used synonymously, but a careful and closer look reveals that freedom is more concrete than liberty. Look at it this way; freedom is a state, whereas liberty is a process or action.
Liberty In Christ
The New Testament is very precise that, as saved people, we are not bound by any laws (including the Mosaic laws) to please God but are under His grace (Colossians 2:16-17, Ephesians 2:8-9). We, therefore, have the power to make godly decisions on our own. We can walk and move about in the Holy Spirit as free children of God.
However, though we have the free will to enjoy Christ, we cannot take this opportunity to sin. Christian liberty allows us to possess the blessings of God and walk in them. Hallelujah!
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:17 that the Spirit of the Lord provides liberty.
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 (KJV)
Today, people live in the headlong pursuit of “freedom,” which they think is doing whatever they want and never denying any desire. That is a “false liberty.” The liberty in Christ is our freedom from the tyranny of having to earn our own way to God, the freedom from sin, guilt and condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Freedom in Christ
Paul’s words, “for freedom Christ has set us free …” (Galatians 5:1), has a similar formula used in the sacred freeing (manumission) of slaves. According to history, slaves had no rights or liberty. Therefore, they lived according to the dictates of their masters. It took only powerful men and women to buy slaves. They literally owned their lives.
Christian liberty allows us to possess the blessings of God and walk in them.
In Galatians 5, Paul enumerates some of the things we were bounded to — some things required of us by the law. Jesus, being superior to those laws, has come to purchase us from those grips. He has come to set us free. He pays whatever we are worth so that he can have us. Hallelujah! And that’s exactly what He did on the cross.
What does Paul mean by “freedom?” It is not just a mere abstract concept. It is a type of breakthrough tied to our relationship with Jesus. Life outside of Christ is characterised as bondage, as slavery to sin, to death, to demons and evil spirits. (John 8:34 -35). Come to Jesus today.
In conclusion, life without Christ is full of crises. You’ll only live in bondage and oppression if you don’t decide to embrace Jesus. The devil will subject you to slavery under sin, death and himself. And just as slaves, you will have no power to free yourself from him.
But thank God for grace. That by grace, Jesus has stepped into the scene and paid the sin-sacrifice for our lives with His life.
