When can you find genuine freedom?

Freedom is something I have been taught to value throughout the course of my entire life.  When studying our nation’s history, themes of freedom are woven throughout the historical narratives.  When politicians make promises, I usually find myself voting for those who understand the concepts of freedom and liberty like I understand them.  When I was in high school, I saved up and purchased my first car, not because I had an intrinsic love for 1985 Oldsmobiles, but because I valued the freedom that owning that car represented.

Even now, I continue to value my freedoms.  I value my freedom to worship and speak according to the dictates of my conscience.  I value the freedom to travel to new places, and work in a profession that aligns with God’s calling on my life.  I value the creative liberties I’m able to take when I write and record various forms of media.  I’m grateful for it all.

But, as we well know, there are freedoms that seem to last for a season, and other, deeper-level freedoms that reverberate into eternity.  And as we read through the pages of Scripture, we’re repeatedly shown that genuine, eternal freedom is only found in a relationship with Jesus.  That freedom is likewise secured for us through Him.

But what is real freedom according to God’s word?  How should we define it?  In just a moment, I’m going to show you four specific ways our freedom in Christ should be applied to our life, calling, and relationships, but allow me to share a helpful, biblical definition of freedom first.

According to God’s word, freedom is not merely the ability to do whatever one wants. Instead, it is the liberation from sin, death, and the law’s condemnation, made possible through Jesus, so that we can live in a right relationship with God and walk in obedience, love, and purpose through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now, let’s look at how that freedom is meant to be lived out in our daily lives…

1.  Jesus has set you free to stand firm in the faith.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." — Galatians 5:1 

Freedom is a gift. But it’s a gift we often take for granted—or worse, surrender. In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes with urgency and clarity to remind us of what Christ has done: He has set us free. Not partially. Not temporarily. Not conditionally. Jesus has completely and eternally liberated us from the heavy burden of sin, shame, and the law’s impossible demands.

The Galatian believers were being tempted to return to legalism—specifically, to add circumcision and other ceremonial laws to their faith in Christ. Paul saw this not as spiritual growth, but as regression. To him, adding law-based requirements to grace-based salvation was not only unnecessary, it was dangerous. It meant returning to slavery after having been freed.

We may not be facing the exact issues the Galatians did, but the principle still applies. How often do we slip back into old mindsets of performance-based righteousness? How often do we measure God’s love for us by how well we behave, rather than resting in Christ’s finished work? The temptation to prove our worth—through religion, success, approval, or morality—is real. But Paul reminds us that those paths lead back to bondage.

Christ didn’t die to make us better rule-keepers; He died to make us free sons and daughters of God. His freedom includes deliverance from guilt, freedom from trying to earn God’s favor, and release from the fear of never being good enough. In Christ, we are fully accepted, fully forgiven, and fully loved.

So Paul says, “Stand firm.” Don’t drift. Don’t compromise. Don’t let your heart be pulled back into the old ways of slavery. Hold tightly to the freedom Christ purchased for you with His own blood.

This freedom isn’t a license to live recklessly—it’s the power to live joyfully in the Spirit. It’s the ability to walk in love, peace, and holiness, not out of fear, but out of gratitude and trust.

You are free. Not because of your efforts, but because of Christ. Stand firm in that truth, and refuse to go back to chains Christ already broke.

2.  Jesus has set you free to relate to God in a healthy way.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." — 2 Corinthians 3:17 

Freedom is one of the deepest desires of the human heart. We long to be released from fear, guilt, shame, addiction, anxiety, and every form of spiritual bondage. In 2 Corinthians 3:17, Paul gives us a beautiful and powerful truth: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

This verse is part of a larger passage where Paul contrasts the old covenant, written on stone, with the new covenant, written on hearts by the Holy Spirit. Under the old covenant, people lived under the weight of the law, always reminded of their sin and never quite able to fulfill its demands. But under the new covenant, Christ fulfilled the law on our behalf, and through the Holy Spirit, we are given new hearts and new desires.

The Spirit of the Lord doesn't bring more burdens—He brings freedom. Not the kind of freedom the world talks about, where people do whatever they please, but true spiritual freedom: freedom from condemnation, freedom to walk in righteousness, and freedom to live as beloved children of God.

Where the Spirit is, shame loses its grip. Guilt is replaced by grace. Chains fall off. The Spirit brings clarity where there was confusion, hope where there was despair, and courage where there was fear.

This freedom also changes how we relate to God. We are no longer distant or afraid. The Holy Spirit testifies to our hearts that we are God's children (Romans 8:16), and He invites us to draw near with confidence, not cower in shame. We are free to love God—not to earn His approval, but because we've already received it.

If you are in Christ, the Spirit of the Lord dwells within you. That means freedom is not a distant dream—it’s a present reality. The challenge, then, is to walk in that freedom daily. To reject the lies that tell you you're still bound. To resist the temptation to return to the old ways of fear, legalism, or self-effort.

3.  Jesus has set you free to sacrificially serve others.

"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." — Galatians 5:13 

Freedom in Christ is a beautiful calling. It’s not a loophole to live however we want—it’s an invitation to live how we were always meant to live: in love, in service, and in step with the Spirit. In Galatians 5:13, Paul reminds us that the freedom we’ve been given has a purpose—not self-indulgence, but self-giving.

As we already mentioned, we are no longer bound by the law to earn God’s approval. In Christ, we are already accepted, already forgiven, already made new. But that doesn’t mean we’re free to do whatever our flesh desires. Instead, Paul says we’re called to a higher kind of freedom—a freedom that leads us to love others more deeply, not serve ourselves more selfishly.

The “flesh” represents our old sinful nature—our tendency to make life all about us. Left unchecked, even our freedom can become twisted into an excuse to gratify our own desires, chase comfort, and ignore the needs of those around us. But Paul draws a sharp contrast: true freedom doesn’t lead to selfishness—it leads to service.

Christian freedom isn’t just about being free from sin and the law—it’s also about being free for something greater. And that “something greater” is love. Love that expresses itself in tangible acts of service. Love that humbly puts others ahead of self. Love that mirrors the heart of Jesus, who did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life for others (Mark 10:45).

When we serve one another in love, we reflect the freedom Christ gave us. We break the cycle of self-centered living and display the transforming power of grace. Whether it’s helping a neighbor, bearing a friend’s burden, or simply listening with compassion, every act of love becomes a declaration: I am free in Christ—and I use that freedom to love like He does.

4.  You aren’t free until Jesus sets you free.

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." — John 8:36 

True freedom isn’t something we earn, achieve, or manufacture. It’s something Jesus gives. In John 8:36, Jesus makes a bold and comforting declaration: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” This isn’t a hypothetical or partial freedom—it’s real, complete, and unshakable.

One of my theological pet-peeves is the tendency some people have to speak of our lives and spiritual states as if we were “free” prior to Christ graciously intervening on our behalf.  But we weren’t free.  When Jesus came to us we were spiritually dead and living in the slavery that accompanies spiritual death.

Jesus spoke the words of John 8:36 to people who thought they were already free. They believed their religious heritage and outward conformity made them secure. But Jesus revealed a deeper truth: anyone who sins is a slave to sin (John 8:34). And slavery to sin is far more devastating than any external bondage—it traps the soul, clouds the mind, and keeps people from walking in the light of God’s truth.

That’s why we need Jesus. He didn’t come just to improve our lives; He came to rescue us. He broke the chains we couldn’t break ourselves—chains of guilt, fear, shame, addiction, and rebellion. He went to the cross to bear the penalty of our sin and rose from the grave to give us new life. That’s the kind of freedom only the Son of God can give.

And when He sets us free, we are free indeed. That phrase, “free indeed,” speaks of a freedom that is genuine, lasting, and secure. It isn’t dependent on our emotions, circumstances, or performance. It’s anchored in the finished work of Christ.

But what does it look like to live in that freedom?

It means we no longer have to be defined by our past. It means we don’t have to live under the pressure of perfectionism or the fear of rejection. It means we are free to walk in the Spirit, to love sacrificially, and to obey joyfully—not to earn God’s favor, but because we already have it.

This freedom also invites us to walk in truth. Jesus said earlier in this chapter, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). And that truth is ultimately found in Him.

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I consider myself to be a rather patriotic man.  I gladly fly the flag on my front porch, and I thank God regularly for the genuine privilege it is to live in our nation and enjoy the freedoms that we’re blessed with.

But as we can see from Scripture, there is a deeper freedom that reaches the heart and touches eternity in a way that no political leader or national culture ever could.  In Jesus, we’re granted eternal freedom.  His freedom releases us from sin, guilt, and the law, so we can love, serve, and live in joyful obedience to Him—now and forever.

© John Stange, 2025