Freedom is a word that gets used often, but few people truly understand what it means to be free in Christ. The world views freedom as the ability to do whatever we please, but the Bible teaches a different kind of freedom—one that liberates us from the bondage of sin and empowers us to live in righteousness. Jesus said in John 8:36:
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
This freedom is not a license to sin, but a deliverance from the power of sin that once ruled over us. Before coming to Christ, we were slaves to sin, incapable of breaking free from its grip. But in Christ, we are not only forgiven; we are given the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to walk in holiness.
Freedom from the Bondage of Sin
Before salvation, every person is a slave to sin, whether they recognize it or not. Jesus made this clear when He said in John 8:34:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”
This means that without Christ, people do not have the power to resist sin. They may try to live morally, but their nature is still bound in corruption. Paul describes this condition in Romans 6:20,
“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”
The idea here is that before salvation, people are enslaved to their sinful desires and completely incapable of living righteously on their own. But everything changes when a person comes to faith in Christ. Paul continues in Romans 6:22,
“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”
The moment we are born again, we are no longer under the dominion of sin. It no longer has the power to control us because we now belong to Christ.
This does not mean that we never sin again, but it does mean that sin is no longer our master. Before Christ, we were powerless against temptation, but now we have the power to say no. Romans 6:14 assures us,
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Freedom Through the Power of the Holy Spirit
When we come to Christ, we are not only forgiven—we are also given the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to walk in righteousness. Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 3:17,
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
This liberty is not the freedom to do whatever we want, but the freedom to live as God intended. Galatians 5:16 tells us,
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
The Holy Spirit dwells within every believer and gives us the strength to resist sin. Before salvation, we could not resist sin because we had no power to do so. But now, we have divine help.
That doesn’t mean we won’t struggle. Even Paul acknowledged his battle with sin in Romans 7:15 when he said,
“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.”
But the difference now is that we have the ability to fight sin through the Spirit’s power. The battle is real, but we are no longer powerless.
Freedom Is Not a License to Sin
One of the greatest misunderstandings about Christian freedom is the idea that because we are under grace, we can live however we want. Paul addressed this directly in Romans 6:1-2,
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
True freedom in Christ does not mean we are free to sin—it means we are free from sin. The difference is critical. Those who think they can continue in sin because they are under grace do not understand salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21,
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Paul reinforces this in Galatians 5:13,
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Christian freedom does not lead to lawlessness; it leads to righteousness.
The Conviction of the Holy Spirit
Even though we have been freed from sin’s power, we still stumble at times. But the difference is that now, when we sin, we experience conviction. Jesus said in John 16:8 that the Holy Spirit
“will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”
The moment we begin to go astray, the Spirit convicts us, urging us to turn back. This is one of the clearest evidences of true salvation. A believer cannot continue in sin without experiencing the discipline of God. Hebrews 12:6 reminds us,
“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
If a person claims to be saved but feels no conviction when they sin, they should seriously examine whether they truly belong to Christ. David, a man after God’s own heart, knew this conviction well. After his sin with Bathsheba, he cried out in Psalm 51:11,
“Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
When a believer sins, they may feel distant from God, but He is always calling them back to repentance.
My Final Thoughts
Freedom in Christ is not freedom to sin—it is freedom from sin. Before we were saved, we were slaves to sin, unable to resist its grip. But now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are free to live righteously. This doesn’t mean we are sinless, but it does mean we have been given the power to say no to sin. True freedom is found in obedience to Christ, not in rebellion against Him. If we truly belong to Jesus, we will desire to walk in holiness, and when we fail, His Spirit will convict us and bring us back. Let us walk in the freedom Christ has given us, not as those who use grace as an excuse for sin, but as those who have been truly set free to serve the Lord in righteousness.
