I’m free indeed, In Christ I’m free indeed

No chains are holding me, It’s who I choose to be

Lyrics from Free Indeed, by Timothy Reddick

What does it mean to be free? The word has many definitions to many people. For instance, to a dog who for months has been literally been chained to a post, being free means the ability to run without hindrance. To a person who has been locked up in prison, and is let go, being free involves the ability to walk with no boundaries. To a person who retires from employment after working for decades, being free involves sleeping in, no longer needing to hear the alarm clock go off early in the morning. The dog can now experience freedom of running. Once a prisoner but now free, the experience involves a newness of life, perhaps years in the making that has finally arrived. The retiree looks forward to having the freedom to travel and take long naps in the afternoon, and not feel guilty for doing so.

From a spiritual standpoint, there are many believers who have not experienced such freedom, even though they confessed Christ, and know scriptures that include the word free. The lyrics above are from the song Free Indeed, by Timothy Reddick. It is a simple song with powerful lyrics. Why do Christians struggle with freedom?

Perhaps it is like the song says that believers don’t do. While Jesus provides the freedom, it is our choice not only to accept it, but embrace it. Isn’t that what choice is all about? Choice is a preference, a decision, it’s an action. The act of choosing can be a powerful thing. It extends to the act of faith. When faith is extended beyond a concept of what has been taught, and what we understand, freedom moves from the realm of thought to the sphere of reality. Freedom, then becomes real to the person who chooses to allow themselves to experience it. This is what the lyric in the song means:                                      I choose to be free… and to choose to be free in Christ.

Many choose freedom by their own terms as a way of escape, delving in alcohol, drugs, an extramarital affair, spending beyond financial means, and so on. This type of freedom is temporal, and does not last, and because it doesn’t last, the results of doing these things brings on more troubles. But here is a long-lasting way of being free:

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

If you open the door to allow the Son to gift you with freedom, you will be free indeed. The Greek word for the first word free is eleutheroo, meaning to deliver, set at liberty, and verb tense is without regard of the past present or future time. Jesus can provide the freedom regardless of has happened in either timeframe. That’s a wonderful thing. The Greek word for the second word free is eleutheros, meaning free born, not bound by any law or obligation. The Greek word for indeed is ontos, which means of a truth, in reality, not fictitious, but certainly. So,

             If the Son shall deliver and set you at liberty, you will be of a truth certainly                     not bound but free.

I have a pastor friend who is trying to lose weight. She’s lifting weights, doing cardio, and sweating during the process, but her goal is to be free of the extra weight she knows she should not be carrying. She is choosing to do whatever it takes to lose the weight, which will give her the freedom to set herself at liberty. Being a pastor has her including God in this process, but the key thing is she has made the choice for the Son to deliver her in this regard. The chains of weight are still there, but she is making progress. Would you like to experience chains dropping off your life situations?

Ask Christ to gift freedom to you, and choose to be Free Indeed…He will do the rest.