“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” — Romans 8:1-2, NIV

At times in life, we have probably all felt trapped to at least a certain extent. It could have been by our circumstances or even our own actions. Perhaps, we want freedom from a crisis, person, feeling or any other wide variety of things that weigh us down or make our lives difficult. When we find ourselves in these situations, we may long for freedom but struggle to find it.

No matter our struggle, there is one who offers freedom that we could never find on our own with our own power. Jesus Christ gives freedom from sin and death. For us, this kind of freedom is incomprehensible and unattainable, but Jesus offers it to us when we believe in salvation through him.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” — Galatians 5:13, NIV

Sin is a struggle, and no matter where we are in our Christian walks, we will always encounter temptations. However, when we have accepted Christ into our lives, we are set free from the bondage of sin. We are no longer control by our own desires and nature but rather are submitting to God’s will for us.

True freedom does not have to do with being able to do our own thing, but rather we find true freedom when we submit to Christ and his righteousness. God’s will is much better than ours could ever be (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Romans 6:18 says, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” We have a higher purpose than our own desire to make choices or escape our struggles. We are called to live for Jesus and in righteousness.

Even though we have freedom in Jesus, we shouldn’t go around making bad decisions or choosing sin as Christ is now the master of our lives. Galatians 5:13 tells us to use our freedom to serve one another. We may have the option and opportunity to sin but that doesn’t mean we should take that route.

To compare with a simpler example, when we are little children, we have our parent/guardians to tell us what to do. They tell us to eat food, get adequate sleep, etc. After time has passed, we have to make those decisions for ourselves. Just because we have that freedom to chose not to take care of ourselves, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t. It is the same way with our freedom from sin, we should do what we know is right even though it’s in our power to chose what’s wrong.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8, NIV

Although the name might imply otherwise, freedom comes at a cost. Before Christ, we are so stuck in our sins and we could never get out and are doomed to death. Jesus, however, was willing to take on our debts. He took on the consequences of our sin, a horrible death, even though he had never sinned and done nothing to deserve that sentence.

God loves us so much and so deeply that He created a plan that included sending His own son to earth knowing he would need to face suffering and death. This is the price of our freedom.

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 15:57, NIV

Thanks be to God for paying the price of our freedom from sin. This is something worth celebrating. We can now have victory and true freedom over sin and death. This leaves us with the decision to chose to embrace this freedom God has blessed us with and pursue righteousness or let our sin continue to control us. Praise God that we no longer must be slaves to sin.

Grand Canyon University celebrates embracing what the holy spirit tells them and encourages students to find their purpose. You can check out more about the university's history or Christian identity and mission on GCU’s website. If you would like to learn more about GCU’s degree programs, click on the Request Info button at the top of your screen.