Gospel Freedom

As citizens of the United States of America, we learn at a very young age that this is the "land of the free and the home of the brave." The history of our country is not perfect, but since at least 1776, millions of people have fought (in a variety of ways) to protect our individual pursuit of happiness and the "American Dream." We may not always like the decisions our country makes, or even the people who lead it, but our freedom remains. 

The original designer of freedom is the creator of the world. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them free will (the ability to choose between good and evil). That didn't end well, so God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (old covenant/the answers to the test) as a way to reinforce how God wants us to live our lives. Even that didn't work, as the Israelites kept breaking the rules even after knowing what the rules were! The Apostle Paul alluded to all of this in 2 Corinthians 3:14-17. "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Paul is stating a simple truth that often gets overlooked. As sinners, it doesn't matter what the rules are to follow or what our earthly freedoms look like, only Jesus grants us real freedom. God sent Jesus to die on the cross as the final vindication for our sin. We are redeemed by His blood and are given the chance to live with Christ in eternity. In Christ, the veil of darkness and evil is taken away. I love my country, but I choose to pledge my allegiance to the Savior. Thank you Lord for the freedom of the Gospel.

-Jacob

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