Later this week, the citizens of our nation will be celebrating our declaration of independence from Great Britain.  These celebrations include fireworks, parades, concerts, family gatherings, and barbecues, in the name of freedom and independence, as well as patriotism.  

        “Words from Above” in the Bible speak about a far greater freedom, which is a spiritual freedom.  The apostle Paul writes in Romans 6 about what he calls being “free from sin” and becoming servants of God.  There is an important difference between being servants of sin and being servants of God.  Servants of sin have unknowingly been deceived by the devices and deceptions of the devil.  Servants of God have made a conscious choice to serve the Lord, based on a knowledge of the truth of the Word of God.  In John 8:32, Jesus said, “If you will continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The apostle Paul also speaks in Galatians 5:1 about the importance of “standing firm in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and to not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”  The devil makes every effort to keep people in bondage to him, and he also makes every effort to get us to return to his bondage after we have been freed from it by Christ.  This is why we need to guard the freedoms which Christ has gladly enabled us to enjoy.  There are many people in our country today who are trying to rob us of our freedoms, just like the devil is trying to rob us of our spiritual liberty and freedom.

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul spoke about his own personal struggle with spiritual freedom.  He said that there were goals in his life which he wanted to achieve, but he often failed to achieve them.  On the other hand, he said there were sins that he wanted to avoid, but he often failed to avoid them.  He concluded that there was a law which was operating in his life, which he called the “law of sin and death” which he said was responsible for his struggle.  In Romans 8, he said that he discovered that by living his life according to the Spirit of God, he was able to overcome that struggle.  What he discovered was that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made him free from the law of sin and death.”

As we celebrate our nation’s independence and the freedoms that we enjoy in our nation, let’s be sure to closely guard and celebrate our spiritual freedoms.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.