Page 004 - Are You Free?
*Verses from NIV
"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you know the truth (reality), and the truth (reality) shall set you free. They answered Him, We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free? Jesus replied, I tell you the truth (reality), everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son set you free, you will be free indeed." (NIV: John 8:31b-36)
It is ironic that in the United States everyone is for FREEDOM! Nevertheless, everyone's definition for freedom is so different. The superficial way of looking at freedom is that I can do what I want, when I want, and no one should be able to limit my rights. This type of freedom is selfish and self-centered.
A more noble approach to freedom is that the American people should be able to govern them-selves the way they want through elected representa-tives that collectively carry out the will of the people for the betterment of the country.
However, there is a flaw with each approach. Jesus warned us that anyone who sins is a slave to sin. This means no matter how noble a people we want to be, sooner or later, corruption will bring us down. Despite the fact that the Unites States began with strong Christian roots, people are under the bondage of sin more than ever. Once we give up Christ's teachings, which bring us into life, we no longer have liberty or the freeing truth that is only within God (2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1, 13-14)