Finding Freedom in Jesus

Galatians 5:1 (CSB)

For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.

We All Want Freedom

Freedom is what we all desire. It’s built into us. And for Americans, it’s even declared to be a basic right. We want to see people live free rather than under oppression.

But here’s the remarkable truth: God also desires that we be free. His desire for our freedom is revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to bring freedom—not just political or social freedom, but the deep spiritual freedom our hearts long for.

So, if we desire freedom and God desires that we be free, what’s the problem?

The Problem with Our Definition of Freedom

The problem is that our definition of freedom and God’s definition of freedom aren’t the same.

We tend to think of freedom as the ability to decide how we want to live—to be free from authority, expectations, or restrictions. We want the financial freedom to do what we want, when we want.

For us, freedom is defined by having complete control of our lives.

But according to the Bible, God defines freedom differently. In fact, the very people who experienced the freedom Jesus gives—Paul, James, and Peter—used a surprising word to describe themselves.

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus…” — Romans 1:1

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” — James 1:1

“Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ…” — 2 Peter 1:1 

The word translated “servant” here literally means slave.

These men didn’t equate autonomy or self-rule with true freedom. They saw freedom as the ability to surrender fully to the authority of King Jesus.

In our culture, being under someone else’s authority sounds like bondage—but for them, it was the only path to real liberation.

When Freedom Becomes a Trap

Let me ask you a question: Is your life better or more complicated since you’ve been in charge of making all the decisions?

We live in a time and place with more freedom than almost any other generation. We can choose our careers, our spouses, our beliefs, and even how we spend our time and money.

Yet, even with all this freedom, many of us feel trapped.

We feel trapped in jobs we hate.

Trapped in marriages that have lost their joy.

Enslaved by debt, addictions, or the expectations of others.

Burdened by the pressure to keep up appearances.

When we define freedom as control, we often end up enslaved by our own choices. 

The Freedom Jesus Offers

Thankfully, Jesus offers a different kind of freedom—freedom for those of us trapped in the prisons of our own making.

He frees us from the curse and condemnation of the Law.

He frees us from the addictions and compulsions of sin.

He frees us to live in the spontaneity of love—for God and for people.

True freedom in Christ looks like this:

• Free to use our resources to help those in need.
• Free to turn our blessings into blessings for others.
• Free to hope when the world feels hopeless.
• Free to give our lives away to God and His Kingdom.

True Freedom Comes Through Surrender

So let me ask again:

Are you living a free life—or are you enslaved to your habits, addictions, or the expectations of others?

The only way to truly experience freedom is to surrender your life to Jesus.

He guides us out of the chains of bad choices and leads us into His Kingdom of freedom.

Freedom is found not by taking control, but by stepping off the throne of your life and letting Jesus be King.

That’s where true freedom begins.