Getting your driver’s license gives you the freedom to drive, but it also means you must be responsible and follow the rules to ensure everyone’s safety. Even people living in the freest nations have laws to obey. Someone may defy authority and attempt to live as he or she pleases, yet that person still remains subject to certain realities, such as gravity and time.
Our freedom in Christ is a precious gift, but it doesn’t excuse us from accountability, nor does it give us license to do anything that we please. God gives us freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. The Bible urges us to use our liberty for the good of others rather than to indulge our own desires (Galatians 5:13). In other words, we’re to live for Jesus Christ instead of ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15).
Notice what Jesus did when He healed the lame man beside the pool at Bethesda and when He saved the adulterous woman from being stoned: He exhorted them both to go live in holiness (John 5:1-14; John 8:1-11). Today His purpose is the same—He restores us so that we can love others for Him.
How can you use your freedom to serve others and live for Christ?
Bible in One Year: Psalm 132-138
