Romans 6:20-22 (NIV) When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Independence Day here in the United States. Before being independent, this country was made up of thirteen colonies that were under the control and influence of Great Britain. But a hard-fought revolutionary war brought freedom to the people of the colonies and formed the foundation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, we celebrate our freedom. But as it always turns out with freedom when God is not involved, that freedom many times becomes problematic because of the problem that mankind has regarding their sinful nature. While we are free in a sense, we are in bondage in another sense. We are in bondage to sin. Our default position is to have a penchant for doing things that lead us into heartache and trouble. We may be free physically but may not be free mentally or emotionally. Most people don’t have inner peace and if you don’t have that you cannot enjoy most of anything. That’s why a lot of people get by through drinking and substance abuse. Even though we are “free,” we find ways to be in and stay in bondage.

That’s why what Jesus did is such great news. What Jesus did for us can make us free even though we may be physically imprisoned. As we read about the Apostle Paul’s life in the New Testament, we see that he spent a significant amount of time in prison but was so free that he wrote four letters (epistles) to instruct and encourage believers who were free physically. He even admonished the believers in Philippi to rejoice no matter what they were going through, which is amazing given that he was sitting in a dirty Roman prison cell.

The passage of scripture above talks about being freed from slavery to sin, but then strangely transitions into going into slavery again, but this time to God. But the truth is that if you become a slave to God, you are actually freer than you have ever been in your life. The Apostle Paul used a very creative way to describe how free we really are. As a slave to sin, you are free from the control of righteousness, which means that you are in the control of sin and darkness, which leads to death. Now by being a slave to God, you have become a slave to righteousness. That means that you have no choice but to do the right thing. Instead of your default position being doing things that you live to regret, your position becomes doing the things that bring blessings and that lead to life here on earth and then eternal life after this life is over.

The definition of the word independence is freedom from the control and influence of others. If you belong to Jesus, you are now free from the control and influence of sin, the world and the devil. You are now dependent on Jesus, your Lord and Savior. The definition of dependence is relying on someone for support and aid, being under their influence and control. When that person is Jesus, then you are truly free because it’s for our freedom that Jesus came to this world. With His support, His help, His influence and yes, His control over your life, you are free to live independently from the things that were destroying you. Let’s celebrate the dependence that we have on our Lord Jesus that has made our independence from the things of darkness a reality in our lives.

Pastor Joey Vazquez