What is it to be Free Indeed?
John 8: 31-36
As the Lord preached the gospel "many believed on him”. But as soon as the Lord spoke of being made free those who did not believe, protested, saying, “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?”
The Lord said, “but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Those born of the Spirit of God and given faith in Christ have been made free indeed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Sin is mixed with everything the believer does, yet no threat of the law shall ever be executed upon one for whom Christ died.
The Son of God was made of a woman taking on him the nature of his elect (Hebrews 2: 16). He was made under the law, proven the spotless Lamb of God without any sin of his own (Galatians 4: 4-5; 1 Peter 1: 18-19; 2: 22.) In the perfection of obedience, Christ willingly submitted to the LORD who laid on him the iniquity of all his elect, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree (Isaiah 53: 6; 2 Corinthians 2: 25; 1 Peter 2: 24). Therefore, God was just to curse Christ in place of his children (Galatians 3: 13.) The iniquities which separated his children from God, the sins which hid God’s face from his children, separated Christ from God in our place when he cried out, “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?” (Isaiah 53: 9; Matthew 27: 46.) Having bruised our Substitute with his stripes every believer is healed and God is just to show us mercy. In that Christ died, he died unto sin once: but in that Christ liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Isaiah 53: 5; 1 Peter 2: 24; Romans 6: 10-11; 8: 1-4; Hebrews 8: 12; Isaiah 26: 12.) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation (Hebrews 9: 28.) By his blood, Christ has delivered us from the penalty of sin. In regeneration, we are delivered from sin’s dominion and our conscience is purged from the guilt of sin. When we lay aside this earthly frame in death, we shall be freed from the body and being of sin into“the glorious liberty of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:23).