We often think of freedom in a military sense—a war is won, soldiers return home, prisoners are freed, and bullets no longer fly. People walk their streets in safety, and citizens enjoy such rights as free speech, voting, and worshipping as they choose. From this perspective, liberty is achieved through force—combat or a military presence and maintained through laws, governing bodies, judges, and men and women who fight against those who oppose freedom.
This is certainly a simplistic representation of liberty, because true freedom is so much more than living without war—freedom goes far beyond mere outward order and nominal compliance. Dr. Henry Morris III addresses this in his feature article “Genuine Liberty” (pages 5-7). He points out that true freedom is found at a spiritual level, saying, “The ultimate freedom that is promised is freedom from the rule of evil secured by the salvation granted through the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.”
As believers, we struggle for freedom within, and our opponents aren’t always those wearing an enemy uniform or a terrorist’s mask. We often face far more formidable enemies—we struggle against our own sin nature, worries, fears, and even our “adversary the devil [who] walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
When we lay down our arms and run to Him, we experience spiritual liberty through the grace of God. He is our refuge, our stronghold, our victor in battle. He releases the captive. He sets us free with the power of His cross and resurrection. Only our Creator God could win the battles that rage within us!
While war memorials rightfully bring tears to our eyes, and heroic tales of battlefield bravery inspire us to reach beyond our personal comfort, our own internal struggles and wars lead us to the strong arms of our Lord. We personally experience liberty when we accept the gift of Jesus Christ—and then He enables us to see a world that cries for true freedom and to offer others the peace that’s found in Christ alone.
* Jayme Durant is Executive Editor of the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: Durant, J. 2013. True Freedom. Acts & Facts. 42 (7): 4.
