Free Indeed

Jesus said, V34 "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." Sin is slavery. Adam and Eve reached for freedom. - You can be as God, you can determine good and evil. - But they only received slavery and death. Only God is free.

Notice the language of young people, - I need to find myself. Reaching for freedom from God, they, so often, reap slavery to sin.

When the Jews claimed freedom, Jesus makes it clear - You follow your father, the devil. This is the fallen human condition - we either follow and obey Jesus, or we follow and obey Satan. You notice no one is neutral and just carefully evaluates the alternatives – as modern atheists claim. Everyone is under one Lord or another. There is no neutral.

Besides John 8, Romans 6, and Ephesians 2 make it clear that in our natural state without Christ we are all in slavery under Satan. This slavery to sin is worse than any external slavery because it is in the heart.

This is the essence of our bondage - our very wills are corrupt to want only evil (Genesis 6:4). Thus, our free will choose according to our desires, but our fallen desires are only for sin.

Thus, When Jesus says, "If the Son makes sets you free, you will be free indeed." He must free our souls from our fallen wills. We must be given a new heart, made a new creation, we must be born again by the Holy Spirit.

Freedom in Christ means from from the curse of the law, freedom from the guilt of sin, freedom from the wrath of God. Is God's love really so great that he feels no wrath at my ongoing sins? Has He really forgiven me so thoroughly? Is His love really unconditional? I don't have to earn His favor? Yes, this is the gospel.