What is Christian freedom?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Christian freedom is not the liberty to do anything we desire but the freedom from sin to live for God. The Old Testament foreshadows this freedom through the Israelites' release from physical slavery and their call to live in obedience to God's laws, which ultimately point to a life of freedom in Him. In the New Testament, Christ fulfills the Law, setting us free from the power of sin, enabling us to live by grace rather than under the law. This freedom empowers us to live holy lives, motivated by love for God and others, and to serve one another in love. Ultimately, Christian freedom transforms us, enabling us to live with purpose, joy, and fulfillment in the service of others and for God’s glory.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Old Testament does not explicitly address "Christian freedom" in the way the New Testament does, but it does talk about God breaking yokes (Isaiah 58:6) and slavery (Exodus 6:6) and freedom to worship God.
• God gave the Israelites laws not to restrict their freedom, but to show them how to live freely in a way that honors Him and reflects His holiness. True freedom, from a biblical standpoint, is living in alignment with God’s will (Psalm 119:45).
• In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God promised a new covenant with the law written onto our hearts.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• When we are saved, Christ brings us freedom. We are freed from the power of sin and instead free to live for Christ, as explained in Romans 6:15–23. Galatians 5:11 alludes to this when it says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
• Before Jesus came, God’s people lived under the power of the Mosaic law (Galatians 3:19–29). Through living a perfect life, then dying and being resurrected, Jesus fulfilled the Law and ushered in the promised new covenant (Matthew 5:17–18; Colossians 2:6–15; Hebrews 8:1—10:18; Jeremiah 31:31–33). Now we are under the power of grace and the “law of Christ” (John 13:34–35; Galatians 5:16–14; 6:2; James 2:8; 1 John 3:23). The place where many people get confused now is in figuring out what Christian freedom is supposed to look like.
• Christ fulfilled the Law for us, and we are not supposed to fall back under its yoke (Galatians 5:1), nor are we to fall back into slavery to sin (John 8:36).
• Instead of living in bondage, we live in the grace that He has willingly bestowed upon us: "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14).
• Romans 6:22–23 explains, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are called to be obedient to God in all things (John 14:15; Acts 5:29; 1 John 1:5—2:6).
• Although we have been freed from the power and punishment of sin and are no longer required to follow the Old Testament law, it does not mean we have the freedom to behave however we desire. No, we are freed from the power of sin so we may freely live holy lives in Christ, empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit. Titus 2:11–14 makes it clear: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."
• Some things in life are clearly in accordance with God’s ways, and others are clearly against His ways. Other issues are less obvious. Everyone has their own personal convictions about gray areas within the Christian life (Romans 14:1). In areas that leave room for uncertainty, we must be considerate of what may be best for those around us (Romans 14:13), and we need to use wisdom to determine what is spiritually beneficial to us (James 1:5).
• In 1 Corinthians 10:23, the apostle Paul says that: "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up." While we are technically able to do all things, not all things will be beneficial to us or others.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Christian freedom is not about having the freedom to do whatever you want. It's about being free from the power of sin for the purpose of living for God, or as Paul puts it, being a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:17–18). Christian freedom enables us to live for Christ, and it frees us to love others with the same love that we have so freely received from Him. The Message paraphrase puts Galatians 5:13–14 this way: "It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom." In light of this, let’s use our Christian freedom to reflect Christ’s love and grace in the world and to live for the things that bring abundant life. Ultimately, Christian freedom transforms how we live and who we are, enabling us to live with purpose, joy, and a deep sense of fulfillment in the service of others and in the glory of God.

UNDERSTAND

• Christian freedom is freedom from the bondage of sin and death.
• Christian freedom does not mean we can live however we want.
• Christian freedom is freedom to live for God without that which enslaves us.

REFLECT

• How do you use your Christian freedom to live for God rather than for yourself?
• How can you serve others in love, using your freedom for God's glory?
• What does freedom from sin and death and freedom to live for God reveal about God’s heart and purposes for you?

ENGAGE

• Where do people misunderstand Christian freedom as doing whatever they want, and how can we help them see true freedom?
• How can we encourage others to use their freedom to serve and love God and others?
• How does understanding grace, the Law, and freedom affect how we live and interact with others?