2 Peter 2:16

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 

It’s a good feeling to skip out of morning work for a semi-early tee time and see the group in front of you exiting the green. You immediately realize these guys aren’t going to be a group to hold you up on every shot. Accordingly, we completed all 18 holes in less than four hours without ever seeing the guys ahead again.

Each of us who were born in the United States has unalienable rights of personal liberty. We have certain rights which cannot be taken away by any government force. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” includes the right to worship as we please. The government cannot confine or lessen these rights.

The believer obtained a much greater personal liberty with Christ as our Savior than any Constitution can afford. While a great document, our Savior gives us freedoms that cannot be contemplated by a man, document or law. These liberties can be dangerous, but are necessary by the perfect sacrifice made by Jesus.

We have liberty from the bondage of sin. The believer need not worry any longer about being a slave to sin. Remember before salvation, the weight of your sins you carried upon your shoulders like the Israelites carried bricks for the Egyptians. Sin is a heavy weight to bear. Consider the faces of those who are a slave to his/her sin daily. Sin causes an appearance of sadness, heartache, regret and even embarrassment. The redeemed of Christ, however, should exude of great confidence.

We are free from the penalty of sin. This penalty is nothing other than death. Those who are not saved have a destination of Hell. Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross paid the penalty. He suffered the penalty on behalf of those who accept salvation. The believer can live freely knowing such fate is not attached to his life any longer.

The guilt of sin is no longer attached to the liberty of the saved. Salvation erases the slate full of sin clean. Not only is the punishment of sin eliminated, but also the guilt. Imagine you hit someone with a golf cart. You apologize and buy them a nice dinner. They, after some convincing, agree not to press charges. You will face no penalty for your action, but you are still guilty of the offense. With Christ, however, it is as if the incident never happened because our guilt is wiped clean.

The blood of Jesus Christ delivers us from the dominion of sin. We are born with an inherent desire to satisfy the flesh with all types of revelry available. The world teaches this desire to “live life to the fullest” with no mention of the need of Jesus. We don’t experience a free full life until salvation. We are freed from the worldly way of thinking. We seek righteousness and a sanctified living in a society which strives for worldly gain and intoxication thereof.

Are you truly living a free life or are you holding back from a true commitment to Christ? Sin is like the governor on a golf cart. You feel as if you can travel as fast as you want. However, once we start down the hill it kicks in to let us know we are limited. Sin is the great limiter even though the sinner has the same unalienable liberties afforded by a citizen of the U.S. True liberty is only possessed by the child of God.