Let me ask you a simple question: Have you been set free by Christ? You probably think, \u201cOf course! I\u2019ve been redeemed and made holy by Jesus, and I live for him. That\u2019s every believer\u2019s testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now here\u2019s a follow-up question: Does your everyday life reflect the glorious freedom you\u2019ve just described? Would your friends, spouse, or children say that you\u2019ve been set free? Or are you like multitudes of Christians who feel they\u2019re on a spiritual seesaw? Is your walk with Christ continually up and down, seemingly spiritual one moment and carnal the next?<\/p>\n
We accept by faith the great theological truths about Jesus\u2019s work for us: salvation, redemption, sanctification, deliverance. For many of us, however, these are spiritual truths that exist in another world. We sing and rejoice at church over what Jesus has done for us, but is his gift of freedom a reality in our daily lives?<\/p>\n
At times we all struggle to remain pure in thoughts and actions. Whenever we fail in our walk with God, which is often, we wonder, \u201cHas God really set me free?\u201d If your answer to that is no, if you feel stuck in an up-and-down life, you may worry about your standing with God. Perhaps at times you even question your salvation. Friend, that isn\u2019t freedom. So what does it really mean to be set free in Christ?<\/p>\n
The first evidence of this comes from Jesus, who said, \u201cWhich of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? \u2026But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you\u201d (Matthew 6:27, 33, ESV)<\/em>.<\/p>\n Lately I\u2019ve been anxious about something very real: my age. When I was in my twenties, I looked at my dad in his fifties and thought, \u201cHe\u2019s so ancient.\u201d Now that I am well into the second half of life, I\u2019m starting to freak out. What does Jesus say to me in my worries? \u201cGary, can you add a single hour to your span of life? Don\u2019t be anxious.\u201d<\/p>\n Christ offers the same words to all of us who fret about our spiritual lives: Don\u2019t be anxious. Regardless of how broken down and teetering you feel about your walk with him, he declares, \u201cYou are a new creation.\u201d The moment you chose to follow Jesus, he made you new, and that never changes. Even when you think you\u2019ve strayed too far, Jesus says the opposite: \u201cDon\u2019t be anxious. I have provided everything you need to have fellowship with me.\u201d<\/p>\n