Are you walking in true freedom? I’m not just talking about the fact that maybe you have given your heart and life to Jesus and now you are free. I am talking about freedom that goes even beyond that. Because the sad truth is that there are many believers who are actually not walking in the fullness of the freedom that Jesus has for them.
Recently I had a discussion with a beautiful, godly woman who had been studying the Sabbath and began to feel that she was not honoring it as she should. We had a discussion about the Ten Commandments and she pointed out that they are there for us to follow. Now really think about that. If we follow something, that makes it a rule. Otherwise we wouldn’t have to follow it, right? Did Jesus call us to live by rules?
If being a believer means do this and don’t that, then we are back in the same trap that the Pharisees were in. The Word declares that if we break even one of the commandments then we have broken them all. That can be disheartening to take in. But only if you don’t see the freedom that Jesus really has for you.
See, we cannot possibly find unmerited favor when we have broken a rule. Rules are not meant to be broken. If you were driving down the highway and broke the rules of the speed limit and began to drive over the limit, you could be pulled over by the police. Will the officer let it slide? No. You are facing a ticket because you have broken a rule.
To me it is a very discouraging thought that I have to follow the Ten Commandments. Not because it is so hard to “be good” but because I will always have this punishment luring over my head if I break one of them. Isn’t the point of having rules so that we won’t break them? And isn’t the way to prevent breaking them is to be punished when we do?
The Ten Commandments are not a set of rules. Jesus not only abolished the law but He fulfilled it when He died on the cross. If we continue to live by rules, we have not recognized the incredible price that He paid for us. He doesn’t want us to live by the letter of the Old Testament; we are supposed to be free New Testament believers.
Rules tell us when we are doing wrong. That brings guilt and condemnation. That is not what Jesus is about. He knows that when He lives inside of us and we allow His Spirit to refine our character, doing the “right” thing will begin to come more naturally. We walk in His grace then, not in rules. We walk in freedom and not fear. Now answer my question and see if your answer is different: Are you walking in true freedom?
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