Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
I often thought that if I could have everything and do anything—because time and money were no object—I would experience total and deeply satisfying freedom. But, ah…I was drinking the enemy’s Kool-Aid. You see, I had the recipe for true freedom all wrong. I thought it meant the absence of restriction. But the Bible makes it clear in the verse above that freedom is found—NOT in more time or resources—but in the presence of the Spirit.
“Freedom” is never about having no boundaries; rather, it’s when the Spirit of God fully occupies our life.
Real freedom isn’t self-generated. It’s Spirit-generated. For years, I chased the enemy’s version of freedom, but it had nothing to do with God’s Spirit. Rather, it had everything to do with my non-spiritual desires. Our flesh is sneaky—always looking for its own way. For example, I’ve spent years reading contracts, and I’ve noticed something about human nature. Given the chance, people search for the loophole. They want to know exactly where the line is so they can lean as far as possible toward what they want. I confess I’ve done the same thing with God’s truth. I’ve read His Word the way I’d read a contract, hunting for the clause that lets me out of the parts I don’t want to obey. I told myself that was freedom. But it is sin, and sin is a violation of God’s love, and it destroys everything. It was just a more sophisticated form of slavery, because I was still being led by what I wanted instead of by who God is.
Freedom is found in Jesus, and He described freedom in a way that leaves no room for negotiation.
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you are free indeed. (John 8:36)
In Jesus, we are offered true freedom. Every other version of freedom is a counterfeit. But, if we are to walk in this freedom in this fallen world, we must learn to guard it against our enemies who want to drag us back into the slavery of sin.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)
I find the word “entangled” instructive. It happens one small compromise at a time until we look up and realize we’ve chained ourselves back into the slavery of the flesh. Paul, in the same letter, lays out two entirely different kinds of fruit that our lives WILL produce: the works of the flesh—sexual immorality, hatred, jealousy, and drunkenness; or the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, self-control, etc. (Galatians 5:19-23). One path is bondage; the other is the freedom produced in a Spirit-led life. Paul had made this pointed distinction explicit a few verses earlier:
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
This is where I got it wrong for so long. I assumed liberty meant I finally got to do whatever I wanted. What my flesh wanted. The Bible says the exact opposite: Liberty means I’m no longer required to obey the flesh’s demands, which means I’m free to live in the Spirit.
Freedom that serves self is simply slavery packaged in shiny paper.
True freedom is found by requiring our flesh to submit to the ownership of God; thus, our born again soul enjoys the absolute freedom of living in Christ:
But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)
Every person is enslaved to something. The only real question is this: What kind of fruit do we want to enjoy in this lifetime? I’ve come to believe the truest test of my freedom isn’t how unrestricted I feel on a given day; rather, it’s evidenced by which fruit is growing in my life.
The greatest evidence that we are living in the freedom of the Spirit is…God’s love, joy, peace, compassion, wisdom, and strength.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the freedom You’ve given me through Your Spirit, not the counterfeit freedom of my fleshly desires. Help me recognize when I’m hunting for loopholes in Your Word instead of surrendering to it. Teach me to stand fast in YOUR liberty and to be led by YOUR Spirit—not entangled again in old patterns. Be the Master in every corner of my life so I live in the true freedom You want to bless me with. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
