We are promised great freedom in the Gospel of Jesus. The nature of our salvation is multifaceted, and the blood of Jesus is more powerful than we know. Consider Colossians 1:13-14: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Redemption, forgiveness, and deliverance from the kingdom of darkness. Look also at how Jesus described how the Gentiles would receive salvation through Paul’s apostolic ministry: “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18). Notice that while these verses above include forgiveness of sin, they don’t stop there. As amazing as forgiveness is, our salvation contains so much more.
Through the finished work of Christ on the cross, believers are, promised freedom from:
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The penalty of sin: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We are to live with the weight of sin lifted off of our shoulders, knowing that we are totally forgiven because of the blood of Jesus.
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The power of sin: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). We are not to be enslaved by sin, and we are not to be bound by addictions. We are to be able to walk in holiness by the grace of God working within us.
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The curse of the law: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’)” (Galatians 3:13). Because Jesus became a curse for us, we are empowered to be free from every generational curse. We are also not to be bound by legalism and other religious bondage such as condemnation and paralyzing guilt.
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The dominion of satan: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). We are to be totally free from the devil’s power. We are not to be oppressed by demonic spirits or tormented by the enemy’s lies.
The above is not an exhaustive list, but it gives an idea of the freedom we are meant to have in Christ. And this does not even begin to mention what we are saved into. In Christ, we are a new creation, saved into a relationship with God, a divine purpose, and so much more.
While we are promised great freedom in Christ, the reality is that many believers are not seeing this in their actual experience. In other words, what they have legally they do not have experientially. So, we often reduce the Gospel message to only include forgiveness and assume that we will live the rest of our lives in some type of bondage or oppression. We believe the lie that we can’t really expect to be free on this side of eternity. Instead of seeing freedom as the norm, we lower the bar and expect people to live in captivity, even using religious language to enable it: That’s just your cross to bear. It must be your thorn in the flesh. You can’t expect to really be free; we’re all sinners after all.
Do you really believe that Jesus died on the cross so that we could obtain relief from guilt but continue to be enslaved by sin and bound by oppression and torment? This is certainly not God’s plan. While we will not be perfect and we will certainly experience trials and difficulties, we are clearly called to walk in liberty. No matter what chains may be keeping you in captivity, this is not how you have to remain. Do not settle for anything less than freedom!
Jake Kail joins James and Betty this Monday and Tuesday on LIFE TODAY. Excerpted from Setting Captives Free by Jake Kail. Copyright ©2020 by Jake Kail. Published by Destiny Image Publishers. Used by permission.
