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Reflections

What it Means to be Free

The Declaration of Independence clearly delineates the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that Americans enjoy. On the Fourth of July we celebrated the signing of that document, so it seems appropriate this month to reflect on those rights.

Last week we observed that government can provide only civil liberty; it does not deal with the problems of sin in the universe and man’s own selfish nature. For freedom from the bondage these bring, we look to Christ alone.

Freedom from Sin

“The devil made me do it!” a popular TV comedian used to say. The general public picked up this phrase to conveniently use anytime they wanted to shift blame away from themselves. And we all laugh.

But imbedded in that humorous phrase are some serious questions we might debate at length. First, does “the devil” exist or is he only symbolic of evil which we cannot explain? The second question follows naturally—does this existent or non-existent being have power to “make” me do things I do not want to do?

“Whoa,” you say, “I only have 5 minutes to read this article so you better give some quick answers to those weighty questions.” Perhaps the best way to spend those minutes is looking at Scriptures that bring light on the subject.
 
Does the devil exist? Apparently the writers of both the Old and New Testaments thought so, for they call him by his name, Satan. The oldest book in the Bible, Job, refers to Satan 11 times. All the writers of the New Testament refer to him as well. Jesus verified the existence of Satan when He said He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18).

Jesus also refers several times to the different activities of Satan. John tells us the primary reason Jesus came to this earth was to overcome Satan: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8, NIV). Through His death on the cross, Jesus bought freedom from sin’s power for all of us.

Can the devil “make” us do things we do not want to?  Not according to the Scripture. Satan has influence, but as long as we resist him, he does not take control of our will. James, that wonderfully practical theologian, wrote: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NIV). As long as we are walking with Jesus, the devil is on the run from us.

In the world around us we see abundant evidence of the influence of evil. Sometimes we might think Satan is so powerful we do not have strength to resist the temptations he puts before us. Yet, because of the freedom Christ gives us, we can overcome the influence of evil. We need to remember “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4, NIV).

What if I fall into Satan’s snare? Christ’s victory over Satan is still available to us, even if we err. John recognized that we are imperfect human beings. Even after we enjoy the wonderful freedom of forgiveness of sin, sometime we might fall into sin.
 
John gave us instructions as to what to do in that case:  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8,9, NIV). We quote this passage to unbelievers, but John was writing to Christians, assuring us that continuance in Christ’s freedom is available.

As we celebrate our civil freedoms this month, let our minds go on to celebrate the freedom Christ brings.  “If the Son sets you free,” the Scriptures say, “you will be free indeed” (John 8:36, NIV). Let us relish that freedom today.

Points to Ponder:

Have I found the freedom Christ offers by confessing my sin and receiving His forgiveness?  Does the influence of evil around me overwhelm me sometimes? Am I actively resisting Satan’s influence in my life and world? Am I celebrating the freedom from sin which Christ brings?

PEGGY MUSGROVE is a licensed Assemblies of God minister. She is also a speaker, freelance writer, author and prayer group leader. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.. You can visit her at www.musgroveville.com.

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