This past Sunday we looked at our Freedom in Christ during worship at Genesis, answering this question as part of our Top 10 List Series,
What does it look like to practically live out our true freedom in Christ, and how do I deal with the guilt and anxiety in my life even though I know I am supposed to be free?
In my study I looked up the primary Biblical texts looking at this topic, focusing on the Greek word “eleutheria”, which means freedom, primarily as the opposite of slavery. God has set people free in the Gospel, free from their slavery to the Law, sin, and death, and free to live as they were created in worship and joy. But true freedom is only found when a person becomes a slave to God in Christ. Here are key passages using this word and other ideas related to freedom in the Bible.
John 8:31-38 – Jesus tells religious crowd that if they knew truth of the Gospel it would set them free, for who the Son sets free is free indeed.
Romans 6:15-23 – The way out of slavery to sin is through the Gospel which makes us a slave to God and righteousness
1 Corinthians 9:1-23 – Freedom is not more important than the glory of God or the spread of the Gospel
1 Corinthians 10:23-32 – A great passage on our freedom in Christ as it relates to drinking, eating, and other cultural issues. Be free, don’t let other religious people’s conscience dictate yours, enjoy your freedom, but do all things for the glory of God.
Galatians 4:21-31 – Hagar and Sarah are used as an illustration of freedom and slavery.
Galaatians 5:1-15 – The Gospel frees from the Law, but if we return to the Law it always leads to discord in God’s people and distortion of the Gospel.
1 Peter 2:16 – Live as free people, but don’t use freedom to cover up evil, rather live as free servants of God.