Author: David Wilber
On every 4th of July in America, we are reminded of the value of liberty. But liberty is not an American concept; it's a biblical concept. God created us to be free. Indeed, the first of the Ten Commandments ("Ten Statements" in Hebrew) is a reminder of the source of our liberty.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Exodus 20:2)
Liberty comes from the Lord. God liberated us from slavery in Egypt and then gave us His Torah so that we may live in liberty. Indeed, James calls the Torah the "law of liberty" in James 2:12. (Some translations say, "the law that gives freedom/liberty.") God created us not to live as slaves, but to live as free people. And living as a free people means living in obedience to God's commandments. The entire basis of the Torah is liberty.
The only time the Torah doesn’t bring liberty is when we break it. The Torah defines sin according to Romans 3:20, Romans 7:7, and 1 John 3:4. When we transgress the Torah, we sin. Indeed, according to Scripture, we've all transgressed the Torah and thus sinned. We've all been enslaved to our personal Egypts. But God sent His Son, Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah, to die for us and purchase our liberty. He gave His life for us so that we can be free!
Therefore, when we turn against the Torah that gives liberty and turn back toward our old sinful habits, we are essentially seeing if the yoke of slavery from which we were freed still fits. But God didn't create you to live as a slave. He cares so much about your freedom that He gave His Son for you. Christian theologian Charles Spurgeon put it this way: "Sin has been pardoned at such a price that we cannot henceforth trifle with it."
So from this day forward may you choose Yeshua. May you choose to live in obedience. May you choose liberty.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)
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