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The entire story of mankind is epitomized in the age-old saga of bondage versus freedom.  When we think of bondage, we often picture prison cells, balls and chains, chain gangs, slave auctions, soldiers forcing people to work or to pay taxes, etc.  Some may even think of their financial debt or monthly bills as a form of bondage.  In the Library of Congress, there are way more than 10,000 titles associated with this topic.

In short, it has historically been a matter of overwhelming importance.  And, man’s answers to resolve these various bondages take the form of political elections, civil rights marches, tax reform, limited government, and such.

But the oldest and most severe form of bondage has not been and frankly, cannot be addressed by any power, politics or philosophy of man.

In the beginning, man’s disobedience to God’s command concerning the Tree of Knowledge of God and Evil introduced the pernicious, chronic, trans-generational and ubiquitous bondage of sin and death.

And sad to say, mankind, on his own, simply cannot be free from these two oppressors no matter what he tries or how long or had he struggles.  Even imagining they don’t exist or trying to ‘redefine’ them doesn’t work.  Every man is a slave to sin and doomed to die.

If you’ve read it you know the Bible makes clear that there is indeed a lifelong bondage in every person – that is, the fear of death.  See Hebrews 2:14, 15.  And we all know this very basic foreboding nests in the background of our psyche, emerging when we feel threatened.

Becoming a sincere Christian can and should alter this for when you are at peace with our Creator and have the guarantee of eternal life, physical death no longer masters you.   Of course, that’s not to say that Christians lack survival instincts, not at all.

But the believer knows that physical death has lost its ‘sting’.  For the Christian, it is merely a transition and in fact, the fulfillment of being born of the Spirit.

And so, Christ offers many freedoms – freedom from the slavery to sin, freedom from hatred and bitterness, freedom from condemnation and guilt, and freedom from fear.  Of course, all of these are blessings of believing in Him right now.  But there is also the greatest freedom of all – an eternal one that Christ described in John chapter 3.  In this life, when you are truly saved, Christ sends His Spirit to live within you – it’s call a ‘down payment’ by some, of the things to come.  See 2 Cor 1:22, 2 Cor 5:5 and Eph 1:14.  And thus there is a spiritual insemination of sorts.  But, for the true believer, physical death is the culmination of being ‘born again’ or literally translated, ‘procreated from on high’.  It is really the climax of being “born of the Spirit”.

And Jesus described it like this - “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:7, 8)  It is the eternal awesome unsurpassed freedom of the Spirit.  Perfect freedom!

No more bondage to a fallen, sinful human nature.  No more threat of death or tragedy or sorrow.  You’ll be moving about like the wind, freely where ever you wish.  You’ll find the fruit of the Spirit -  love, humility, joy – all as pervasive and free as the air we currently breath; and all embedded in the new heavenly nature even more than sin is in the old.

When you finally experience the fulfillment of being born of the Spirit, when you leave this earthly life and are welcomed into the heavenly, that’s when real freedom embraces you.

Now, this freedom is not for everyone.  It is available to everyone, but Jesus Himself said few would find it.  That’s because it’s found only in Christ.  And you cannot fake it. Those who turn Him down, spurn the amazing love, ignore the gracious gift and choose their own path – these leave this earthly life for a permanent desolation.

Don’t be one of them!  Choose life, choose freedom, choose the unmerited, unconditional, everlasting love of Christ.  Be forever FREE.