Freedom – Our freedom from sin was purchased at great cost
Recently, while scrolling through the various streaming services in search of something worth watching I hadn’t seen before, I saw Braveheart. I passed it by because I had seen it several times.
Mel Gibson’s epic movie Braveheart (1995) about the Scottish Patriot William Wallace is a great tale, although probably not historically accurate in many ways. It is one of those tales about bigger-than-life underdogs and struggles for noble causes against impossible odds. Near the end of the movie, there is a powerful scene where Wallace is tortured to death. As he gives up his life, he cries out a single word: “Freedom!”
Freedom is highly valued and often misunderstood. True freedom does not mean doing whatever we want; that is a form of self-worship and bondage. True freedom comes with responsibility for self and others, duty, and sacrifice. It comes with a cost. It isn’t some vague, ethereal mist that someone bestows on you.
We serve a God who is still very much in the freedom business. His heart is to free people from their sins, but that is just the beginning. He wants to grow us in our faith, mature us and give us the privilege of working with Him.
The LORD wants us to release us from the bondage in our life. Our Father wants to see us set free from unforgiveness, bitterness, woundedness, false guilt, worry, and more.
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21
There is freedom in Christ, which we often hear proclaimed from the pulpit, but there is a frequently overlooked aspect to that freedom. There is a cost.
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-26
There is a price for freedom.
Salvation is a gift already purchased by Christ at the cross and available to anyone who earnestly accepts it. True freedom comes after salvation and comes with a price. Are you willing to be free?
Many are not. As much as they hate the pain of their bondage, they would rather stay in it than open their hearts, follow Christ, and be set free.
Until next time, may you find true freedom in Christ. If you have already found it, may you come to fully understand what a generous, loving Lord we serve.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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All contents, “Gleanings From the Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2026 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, “Gleanings From the Word.” All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)
From Gleanings From The Word (Kevin Corbin, 2001– ), a Scripture-based devotional work.