Christian Freedom Explained: Set Free to Love God and Serve Others

Summary

This article contrasts secular and Christian freedom, showing that true freedom is more than personal choice. Through Christ, believers are freed from the burden of the law and sin’s dominion, not to indulge themselves but to serve God and others in love. Christian freedom finds its purpose in faith expressed through love, revealing spiritual health and enabling a life that honors God and blesses people.

The secular idea of freedom is more than doing whatever we want. It is believing, thinking, speaking, worshiping, gathering, or behaving as we desire while not trespassing on others’ freedoms.

Secular Freedom and Its Limitations

Secular freedom focuses on personal choice and restraint toward others. While valuable, it does not address humanity’s deeper bondage to sin or provide power to live rightly.

Freedom Described by World Leaders

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in the State of the Union Address delivered on January 6, 1941, described two essential “freedoms of” and “freedoms from.”

The first is freedom of speech and expression, and the second is freedom of worship. He added two more—freedoms from want and fear, and suggested that governments help secure the last two.1

Christian Freedom Explained

The Apostle Paul explains Christian freedom as he enlightens the Galatian Christians concerning it. Like secular freedom, it is much more than doing whatever we want. It includes “freedom from” and “freedom to.”

He wrote, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Galatians 5:1 NLT). Christ frees us from the burden of earning God’s favor by keeping His law. God graciously declares us righteous when we decide to live for Him rather than ourselves and receive Jesus, God’s provision for our sins, as our Savior and Lord.

Freedom From Sin’s Dominion

Release from the law sets us free from sin’s dominion. Paul also wrote, “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14 NLT).

Jesus is our new master who enables us to fulfill God’s will for our lives. We still sin, but after becoming God’s children by grace through faith, we have the freedom not to sin, which is new.

Christ did not set us free to fulfill the secular idea of freedom. Life is not about us and what we can do to gratify ourselves (Romans 6:15).

Freedom to Serve in Love

Christian freedom’s purpose is to live for God and others. God called us to live in freedom without using it to satisfy our sinful natures, but to serve one another in love. Loving our neighbor as ourselves sums up God’s law (Galatians 5:13-14).

Faith Expressing Itself Through Love

Loving our neighbor as ourselves is faith breathing. Paul wrote, “For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6 NLT). As a thermometer measures our physical health, our love measures the health of our faith. Christian freedom liberates us to live for God and others.

1.     Defining Freedom — Signature Theatre

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