FREEDOM!

Today, we celebrate a very important event in history. The day, that started the Reformation: October 31st, 1517 when Dr. Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the Wittenburg Church door. 
Today we look at a discussion between the Jews and Jesus. Jesus shares with the Jews who are following him in John 8:31-36

To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can You say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

We as believers should listen very carefully to these words. Jesus shares with them the meaning of true "freedom". First he shares that when we are believers and followers we belong to him and therefore know the truth and are set Free!

It is always amazing to me that they respond the way we do. They say they are not enslaved! These people who have been enslaved by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and now Romans only to mention the big ones. These people who are born sinful and continue to sin. Jesus says they are slaves to sin! Paul in Romans 3 makes this very clear when he states "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We are all in need of forgiveness. None of us are really "free." In the United States we like to talk about "Freedom" and "Liberty." On November 11th in British countries and here we will remember the sacrifice of Veterans and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Jesus would say to us "what about the sin of putting other things before our Lord, of coveting more things we don't need, pride, other gods, etc.....?" We have liberty and freedom as believers but the COST was and is huge! Just as so many have given their lives for our political freedom so Jesus shares that we are his family and therefore through Christ we are "sons" of God and because of Christ's death and resurrection we have been set free and we are free indeed! This is TRUE FREEDOM! It is as Romans 3: states 

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 

This word "freely" is the greek word "dwrea"= dorea meaning free, undeserved, unpaid, GIFT! Freely given!

This is one of the founding principles of the Reformation and this is what our Lord is trying to share with the Jews who are believing in him!

Do we this day understand that our TRUE FREEDOM is the gift of grace, forgiveness, redemption and adoption as Children of God to become the people God wants us to be as we live for him? I pray that today we would boldly live as we boldly proclaim THE SON HAS SET US FREE AND WE ARE FREE INDEED!!