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“When the Son sets you free, you’re really free.”
᛭ INI ᛭
God couldn’t be more clear in His Word. The Triune God wants you to be free. Inspired St. Paul says, “You were called to freedom, brothers, only do not serve the freedom which is for an opportunity of the flesh, but rather serve one another through love.” (Gal 5) St. Peter by the same Spirit also says that we live “as free, and not as it were possessing freedom as a cloak of wickedness, but rather as slaves of God.” (1Pet 2) Or as Christ says today: “When the Son sets you free, you’re really free.”
Only Christ gives the freedom that Paul and Peter are talking about. Christ’s freedom is radically different from worldly freedom. He freely bestows His freedom in His Word of forgiveness. In fact, when it comes to true freedom, true liberty, true life, such things only come from the Son of God. “When the Son sets you free, you’re really free.” Yes, it’s true:
ONLY THE SON GIVES TRUE FREEDOM AND LIFE.
(I. Worldly freedom is slavery to self and sin.)
As Americans we think we know a thing or two about freedom, about liberty. It’s one of our unalienable rights: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But the freedom and liberty of the world has nothing to do with the freedom IHS is talking about today in John 8. In fact, the freedom of the world, the liberty sought after by the world is the complete opposite of what Christ is talking about! Worldly freedom and Christ’s freedom are completely incompatible, they’re polar opposites, black and white, up and down, as far as the East is from the West.
Worldly freedom is doing whatever you want. You’re master. You’re the boss. You’re in charge. You call the shots. You cast the vote. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise, or tries to do otherwise is wrong and stepping on one of your supposed “inalienable rights,” even though no such rights are mentioned in God’s Word. You’re king of your own castle.
Turn on the TV, watch a movie, look at the world during June or black Friday, and you’ll see that the world’s definition of freedom and liberty is being libertine. To be libertine is to reject morality, especially regarding the Sixth Commandment and adultery, and also to reject the sensibility of religion in general. The world’s freedom is to be greedy and gluttonous, sexually immoral and selfish, lazy and envious. And that’s just the ads between possessions!
All of that is slavery to self, slavery to the passions and desires, the wants and pleasures of our sinful flesh. That’s not freedom at all! Selfishness is slavery, slavery not only to yourself, but to sin. The preachers of the world, the politicians, actors, musicians, and many false preachers within the visible Church of God, promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (2Peter 2)
So then, in fact, if you sin, you’re a slave to sin. Christ is quite clear on that today. In fact, our flesh is so bad, we don’t even realize it! If worldly liberty is simply doing whatever you want, then, well, that’s pretty much a lot of our day! What IHS says is clearly true, “If anyone commits sin, he’s a slave to sin.” The world doesn’t give true freedom or life, no matter how many die to defend the idea or vote to keep it.
ONLY THE SON GIVES TRUE FREEDOM AND LIFE.
(II. Christ’s freedom is living free from sin for others.)
Christ’s freedom is the opposite of living for yourself or making others do what you want so that you can have a happy day or a good life. Christ’s freedom is to be set free from that sinful way of life, to be forgiven and then to live within that forgiveness. Forgiveness’s freedom isn’t a cloak to cover continued wickedness…
“This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor. (1Thess 4) Or as St. Peter says that we live “as free, and not as it were possessing freedom as a cloak of wickedness, but rather as slaves of God.” (1Pet 2) Slaves of God “serve one other through love.” (Gal 5)
That’s the Christian life. It’s how believers behave, but it’s nothing other than living as Christ did. Freedom is Christ doing the will of the Father. Christ only ever did the will of His Father! “He gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” (Gal 1) This charge He received from His Father, that He lay down His life for the sinful sheep. (Jn 10) As Paul says,
“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ IHS, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil 2)
That’s the TRUE FREEDOM AND LIFE Christ gives.
(III. Christ’s gives this freedom in the Word.)
So, if Christ is the ONLY one who GIVES TRUE FREEDOM AND LIFE, and “anyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” Then how is that we become free? Well, Christ lays that out, too. “If you remain in My Word, you’re truly my disciples, and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” ONLY Christ GIVES FREEDOM AND LIFE, and He only does that through His Word.
That’s the true importance of baptizing newborns. That’s the true importance of reading our Bibles daily. That’s the true importance of listening and digesting faithful sermons. That’s the true importance of Holy Absolution, both corporate on a Sunday Morning and Private whenever you want to track me down for it. That’s the true importance of Holy Communion. Christ’s Word in all its forms is not incidental or occasional or optional for faith or life or freedom, His freedom.
It’s the flesh that says, “It’s just a small sin, not that big of a deal.” But the Son says, “Whoever commits sin, is sin’s slave!” And Christ further warns you, “The slave doesn’t remain in the house forever.” Psalm 1 also sings its warning: “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
His Word kills and keeps your flesh in subjection and obedience. His Word makes you righteous. His Word will strengthen your faith that you actually “serve others through love.” A person with true faith will only live for others as long as Christ is living and working in him through the powerful working of the Spirit by means of the Word. “Let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it’s God who’s working within you both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.” (Phil 2)
Conclusion.
ONLY THE SON GIVES YOU TRUE FREEDOM AND LIFE.
He forgives your sins and sets you free through that forgiveness to live no longer for yourself, which is just slavery, but to live for Him who for your sake died and rose again. To live that way is to live “serving others through love.” Well, it’s no longer you who live but Christ who lives within you. It is to be living by the Spirit.
He GIVES YOU His TRUE FREEDOM AND LIFE in His Word. As He says today: “If you remain in My Word, you’re truly my disciples, and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” Such remaining in Him and His Word is easy to spot. Christ also says in John, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood, remains in Me and I in him, and I will resurrect him on the Last Day. (Jn 6)” “Whoever remains in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me He’s thrown away like a branch and withers; the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” (Jn 15) After all,
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