Friends:
My new book, Bless-ed! Fifty-Two Weekly Blessings You Have as a Believer and How to Help Your Lost Friends Find Theirs will soon be available on Amazon here. I have advanced copies if you are interested. I will send you a copy for $10 (which includes shipping). Here’s Blessing #34 in Bless-ed:
BLESSING #34: The Blessing of the Gift of True Freedom
“Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.” (Epictetus)
The believer in Jesus has many blessings! And one of the reasons to have unsaved friends (in addition to our Savior being a friend of sinners) is that we are able to count the many gifts and advantages that we have in Christ which our lost friends don’t yet have. We are those that the book of Revelation refers to as ones who have been “freed . . . from our sins by his blood” (Rev. 1:5).
So when it comes to followers of Jesus, I believe —
34. WE HAVE THE GIFT OF TRUE FREEDOM!
THE BLESSING Freedom in Scripture is not the right to do what I want, but the power to do what I should. As one writer put it, “Man’s first duty is not to find freedom, but a Master!” Trusting Christ as one’s Savior brings an incredible freedom which the world can only counterfeit. As the One who said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32), He promised, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36).
THE BIBLE Much of the epistle to the Galatians emphasizes the freedom the believer has in Christ. We read in Galatians 5 verse 1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
The Messiah was prophesied as one who would provide freedom for those who believed in Him. We read of this prophecy in Isaiah 42 and hear Jesus apply those words to Himself in Luke 4 verse 18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free . . .”
The psalmist understood freedom and proclaimed: “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts” (Psalm 119:45). Obedience to the precepts of God does not bring slavery, but a joy in freedom to live as we ought.
Even creation itself longs for the freedom that is promised; as we read in Romans 8:21: “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
The believer can come to God, as Ephesians says, “with freedom and confidence” (3:12). Paul makes it clear as he thinks about his freedom in Christ — “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial.” (1 Cor. 10:23). Psalm 18 says, “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. . . . You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way” (vv. 19 & 36). There are no spiritually sprained ankles for those who, in freedom, walk in the spacious place and the broad path God provides.
ACTION STEPS
1. Imagine that you meet the Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus one day on a bus (he’s been dead since 135 BC, but work with me here). You have a dialogue with him and his quote, “Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.” What do you say from the Scriptures?
2. The late John R.W. Stott said, “Freedom to disagree with the Bible is an illusory freedom. In reality it is bondage to falsehood.” Examine your heart this week and ask yourself, “Even though I affirm the authority of the Bible, I seem to disagree with God’s Word when it comes to ___________.” Then ask the Lord to free you from that bondage.
3. Unit-read (read the entire book at one sitting) the Epistle to the Galatians. Take notes on what you learn about freedom in that letter. And share your notes with another believer this week.
4. PRAYER So, how do I pray for my unsaved friend? We read in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” My lost friend doesn’t have the Spirit because he doesn’t have the Savior. And I can pray for him for a God-given freedom from his sins.
Tags: "Bless-ed!", freedom, Galatians, the Bible, the gospel
The believer in Jesus has many blessings! And one of the reasons to have unsaved friends (in addition to our Savior being a friend of sinners) is that we are able to count the many gifts and advantages that we have in Christ which our lost friends don’t yet have.
And I’m pretty sure that Mike — and my other unsaved friends —
34. THEY DON’T HAVE THE GIFT OF TRUE FREEDOM!
Freedom in Scripture is not the right to do what I want, but the power to do what I should. As one writer put it, “Man’s first duty is not to find freedom, but a Master!” Trusting Christ as one’s Savior brings an incredible freedom which the world can only counterfeit. Jesus promised, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Much of the epistle to the Galatians emphasizes the freedom the believer has in Christ. We read in Galatians 5, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
The Messiah was prophesied as one who would provide freedom for those who believed in Him. We read of this prophecy in Isaiah 42 and hear Jesus apply those words to Himself in Luke 4: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free . . .”
The Psalmist understood freedom and proclaimed: “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” (Psalm 119:45). Even creation itself longs 
for the freedom that is promised, as we read in Romans 8- “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
The believer can come to God, as Ephesians says, “with freedom and confidence” (3:12). Paul makes it clear as he thinks about his freedom in Christ — “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.” (I Cor. 10:23).
Psalm 18 says, “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.” (vv. 19 & 36)
So, how do I pray for my unsaved friend? We read in 2 Corinthians 3, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (v. 17). My lost friend doesn’t have the Spirit because he doesn’t have the Savior. And I can pray for a God-given freedom from his sins. (to be continued)
Tags: benefits of being a believer, freedom, the Bible
Dr. Larry Dixon
larrydixon.wordpress.com 