As we turn into summer, for many the most awaited time of the year, many seek and try to find what society cherishes the most, Freedom. Freedom is a topic of priority today and has been for millennia. Men and women alike treasure freedom as a treasure in their lives. We celebrate the 4th of July as a token of freedom for all as a nation, and yet many do not realize that being free is but a mirage.

The human soul hopes to find freedom from what causes us deep anguish in our life. In essence, we seek freedom from the bondage of this world, bondage of sin, of guilt, of judgment, of fear, and of death. Although we don’t pinpoint the cause of the absence of freedom, we suffice it by seeking a kind of temporary freedom. Free people think freedom comes from being free to do whatever you want to do, to hear whatever you want to hear and only what you want to hear, and to have no one impose on you anything that you don’t want. And so, we hear people demand freedom to say what they want, freedom to think what they want, freedom to do what they want, freedom to disagree, freedom to dissent, freedom from authority, freedom from ethics that are imposed on them – freedom.

And yet people are not free – at least the freedom the soul wants and needs does not come from any of these areas of our life.

Nothing in this world sets you free but the Word of God. Religion is not capable of giving us freedom, as it ultimately imposes certain rules. Personal freedom from any laws is incapable of it either, as it only brings frustration and guilt. Others intend self-reliance as a provider of freedom, but that only frustrates us even more as it isolates us from God and those around us.

The word of God is the only one that sets us free from every bondage known to man. We have been given Grace, and Grace in abundance. It is the Grace provided on the Cross; the only freedom necessary to the human soul is the freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Galatians Chapter 5, verse 1, tells us that “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” It is the only source of that feeling of freedom that can sustain our lives. All of creation, according to Scripture, is enslaved by sin. Enslaved by sin in a world of darkness and despair. But our hope remains in the power given to us by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Grace alone from Christ is sufficient for our enslaved soul. When a soul comes to Christ, the prison door of sin is open and Grace abounds and breaks the chains of the power, the penalties, and one day the presence of sin.

Grace that only comes from Him who defeated sin, is the only source of freedom for the troubled, enslaved soul. It is His Grace and power that free us from the bondage in our lives. It is His Grace and power that will set us free for eternity.

By Pastor Ron Castillo