A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (February 9, 2017)
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)
What does freedom actually mean? Well, according to the Webster’s New World Dictionary it means a civil or political liberty; being able to act, use, move, etc.; exemption from a specified obligation; and being free from usual rules, patterns, etc. Webster’s definition fits a certain civil or political type of freedom that is also declared in our Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—(July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence)
On the other hand, spiritual freedom is a totally different matter. The Greek word in the New Testament used for free is eleutheros which is defined as unrestrained; not a slave; exempt from obligation; and at liberty. The freedom talked about in the New Testament is much more than just a civil or political freedom. It is what Jesus calls “free indeed”.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36) {the word indeed in the Greek is ontos which means really} In other words, when Jesus sets you free you are REALLY free!!!
However, the enemies of being “free indeed” are many. We have physical addictions, unrepented sins, unforgiven offenses, religious traditions, false teachings, and those are just a few. However, none of those can steal our real freedom if we just do what Jesus instructed us to do.
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. (John 8:31-32)
The simple fact is this. The basic weapon used in any attack on our real freedom is a lie. Your enemy is the “father of lies” and that is his most powerful weapon. At the root of every addiction, every sin, every offense, every religious tradition, and every false teaching, is a lie. The way that we overcome those lies is by knowing and doing the truth. If we will continue (abide, live, dwell, endure, be present in, remain, stand) in His Word we will know the truth and that truth will overcome every lie and make us “free indeed”.
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. (Galatians 5:1, NLT)
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (Proverbs 4:20-22)
I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. (Psalm 119:45, NLT)
