What did Jesus give us freedom from - part 3

Previously I spoke about how Jesus gave us freedom by dying on the cross. He took the weight of our sins upon Himself and made us clean so that we could come before God without sin. I want to look more closely at what exactly Jesus gave us freedom from, because this can really highlight the awesome power of our Lord and Savior!

Firstly He has given us freedom from guilt. Noone is without sin, apart from Christ Jesus. We have all sinned against God, broken His laws. And just like with any crime committed, there is a price to pay for the wrongs we have committed. This is stated in Romans 6:23 -

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It wasn't till I went to church that I fully understood the significance of this statement. The punishment for our sin is eternity apart from our loving God. We are all guilty and deserve to be punished. But there is some great news...when Jesus was crucified on the cross, he took our sin upon himself, He took our penalty upon himself and by His blood we are free of guilt.

Through Jesus we can also be set free from our addictions. Before being led to Christ, there was addictions in my life. They were not drugs or smoking, but rather addictions to things that were leading me away from God. Sometimes there are things in our lives that we are slaves to and we don't even know it. It may be alcohol, it may be listening to bad music, it may be watching R rated television, it may be lust for the opposite sex, it may even be as simple as swearing or lying. Jesus said in John 8:34 -

I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

But the great news is by the power of Christ we can be set free from our addictions. By His act on the cross, the power of addiction in our lives was broken. When we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are no longer slaves to sin. Just as Jesus stated in John 8:36 -

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed

Jesus also sets us free from fear. Many people who don't have a relationship with Christ fear death. But the good news is when we are born again, death is not the end, but rather the beginning of eternity in the presence of our mighty God.

Although Jesus is not physically still with us, He never left us alone. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit comes to reside within us and He gives us a new freedom. But a freedom for what exactly?

A freedom to know God more intimately. This is a topic by itself, so I will keep this brief. When we want to know someone more intimately, what do we normally do? We want to spend more time with that person, we want to get to know them more closely, we want to speak to them and hear them more and more. Its only by spending large amounts of time in this persons presence that we can intimately know them. When Jesus died on the cross for us, he made a way for us to come into intimate relationship with God. In 1 John 4:15 it says -

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

His spirit lives within us and we should constantly be in communication with the Holy Spirit listening for his guidance and wisdom in our lives.

We also have freedom to love. The act of Jesus dying on the cross for us shows just how much God loves us. As the powerful verse in John 3:16 says -

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God loves us so greatly and calls us to love others and serving other people in need. We are called to live lives where we don't focus on our own needs, but on the needs of others.


Jesus died so that we could live. He died for us even when we still sinners. And it is only through Jesus that we can truly be set free.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)