The Scriptures reveal our God as Deliverer. David declared this; so did Paul. The only message in the entire universe that frees sinful, fallen man is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We, as Christians, need to cling to this liberty that Jesus Christ has given us.
Incredibly, many people ‘prefer’ bondage to freedom in Christ! The Word of God cites four sources of bondage:
1. The world system: Typified by Israel while in the land of Egypt. While in Egypt, life for Israel was bitter and hard. The same is so for people who live for this fallen, twisted world system. Never forget who ‘runs’ this world system.
2. Death: Hebrews 2:15 records this bondage. In Christ, death is dead! The only cure for the fear of death is trust in Jesus Christ, because in Jesus ‘to die is gain’.
3. False teaching: The entire second chapter of 2 Peter covers this. False teaching will hold you as a slave through fear and insecurity. False teachers beat sheep, intimidate sheep. Both our Lord and Paul warn about these ‘wolves’. In contrast, Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep, that we might in turn be enriched by Him not enslaved by unbiblical rules, or expectations.
4. Legalism: This may seem a lot like false teaching, but it isn’t. A legalist is a person who franchises the kingdom of God into one pattern or opinion – his! Of course, in Christ there are absolutes, but grace does not license sin or unholy living. However, there is room for different convictions on some issues.
The Christian has been set free from the world system, the fear of death, false teaching and legalism. This is truly reason to rejoice!
