“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
TEXT — John 8:30-36
Message
Former US president, Abraham Lincoln signed the Slave Trade Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The moment it went into effect on January 1, 1863, every slave living in the Confederacy was legally free. Nevertheless, until they knew of their freedom, the legal fact had no impact on their lives. They continued in their slavery. In fact, Union soldiers carried hundreds of thousands of copies of the proclamation and passed them out as they made their way through the South during the war to help those slaves still in ignorance regain their freedom.
Our passage is a replay of the same old ignorance and unbelief of the Israelites. Jesus tried repeatedly to make them see and experience real freedom that comes through Him, but they preferred to remain in their bondage. Freedom was not only available, the personification of it was accessible – even standing in their midst; yet, they rejected His offer. They falsely claimed that they were never in bondage, when Jesus told them they could be free indeed from sin.
There is a clear difference between physical, political and socio-economic freedom that comes during independence from colonial imperialists, and the spiritual and inward freedom that comes from Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Just as a person’s right to liberty can be restricted if he is found guilty of a crime by a court of law, we lose our liberty in Christ if we continue to live in sin and rebellion against the laws and principles of God. We could also remain in slavery if we are ignorant of the liberty we have already. You cannot be free until you first recognise the error that holds you in bondage. Christ has come to grant complete freedom to everyone who will accept Him as Lord and Saviour. Connect with Him today and experience lasting freedom.
Thought for the day
Embrace true freedom in Christ to avoid living in bondage.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
