Christ the Liberator

Christ the Liberator continues the series of teen devotions which answer the question, Who is Christ?

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

John 11:31-36, NKJV

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. . . 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Romans 8:2 and 21, NKJV

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[a] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1, NKJV

Christ the Liberator

"Give me Liberty or give me death," shouted Patrick Henry; his cry is as emotionally felt today as much as it ever was. Why then do so many people choose to live in a state of bondage - eternal bondage?

In John 11:34 we read, Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. The Bible tells us that, All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). If we combine these two verses we begin to understand that we are in real trouble. First, we have all sinned; and second, whoever sins is a slave to sin. We are conceived in sin and immediately are enslaved by Satan. What happened to our liberty? There is no liberty! Do we have no hope?

Oh yes, we do have hope; that hope is found in the Lord Jesus Christ the Liberator. He was the only man who was never bound by the law of sin, because He never sinned. He was never enslaved by Satan, therefore, His death on our behalf can free us from the bondage of Satan.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. . . because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Just think about these two verses. First we can be liberated by Christ. Do you want liberty? Choose Christ. Do you want to remain a slave to Satan? Do nothing. But look at verse 21, we are not the only ones who are enslaved by sin; even creation itself: animals, plants, fish, birds, etc. are all corrupted by our sin.

No wonder we Christians look with so much hope to the second coming of Christ! Christ has freed us from the bondage of sin. But as long as we are still here on earth, we will battle sin. When Christ returns, we will never have to war with sin again - our sin or any one elses's sin. Also, Christ will make a new heaven and a new earth. What will this new earth be like?

It will be a world without sin. All of nature: man, animals, birds, fish, plants, etc. will no longer be under the effects of sin. What a glorious day that will be!