“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1
What does it mean to be free? I would guess that most people believe freedom means living without restraint. This was the lie that Satan told our first parents, Adam and Eve, as we read of it in Genesis 3. But the Bible teaches a radically different kind of freedom. It’s one that transcends the dictionary definition of the word. It’s a freedom I found in a solitary confinement cell of a maximum security prison.
True freedom is freedom in Christ. It’s not freedom from the law, but freedom from death—the penalty the law requires for even the slightest sin. It’s freedom from trying to make yourself right with God by keeping the law’s requirements. It’s freedom in the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross.
True freedom is also freedom in the Spirit. It is through the Spirit that those who are free in Christ fulfill the law of love (Galatians 5:13-26). Jesus summarized the whole law in two simple points: “Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40). This is a truth that sets us free!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prison Ministry Edition
Our February Anchor with its prison ministry focus began in 2010 as an idea from my then-13-year-old daughter. She had come home from school excited about the chapel speaker she’d heard that day, a former prisoner. He spoke passionately and authentically of what Jesus Christ meant to him. My daughter was so moved by it that she said, “Mom, you have to meet him and see if he can write an Anchor for you!” And that is exactly what happened.
Fourteen years later, the February Anchor has been written by several current prisoners, former prisoners, directors of prison ministries, pastors of prison church congregations, and a former prison warden. It is the Anchor issue which generates a lot of mail from faithful readers who are themselves incarcerated or know someone who is. As we understand our need for the Savior, these devotionals resonate with us all whether our sin is hidden or exposed. It becomes strikingly clear that if God’s children behind bars can know His grace, His children who are free “on the outside” yet imprisoned by sin can know it, too.
True freedom is freedom in Christ. It’s not freedom from the law, but freedom from death—the penalty the law requires for even the slightest sin. It’s freedom from trying to make yourself right with God by keeping the law’s requirements. It’s freedom in the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross.
True freedom is also freedom in the Spirit. It is through the Spirit that those who are free in Christ fulfill the law of love (Galatians 5:13-26). Jesus summarized the whole law in two simple points: “Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40). This is a truth that sets us free!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prison Ministry Edition
Our February Anchor with its prison ministry focus began in 2010 as an idea from my then-13-year-old daughter. She had come home from school excited about the chapel speaker she’d heard that day, a former prisoner. He spoke passionately and authentically of what Jesus Christ meant to him. My daughter was so moved by it that she said, “Mom, you have to meet him and see if he can write an Anchor for you!” And that is exactly what happened.
Fourteen years later, the February Anchor has been written by several current prisoners, former prisoners, directors of prison ministries, pastors of prison church congregations, and a former prison warden. It is the Anchor issue which generates a lot of mail from faithful readers who are themselves incarcerated or know someone who is. As we understand our need for the Savior, these devotionals resonate with us all whether our sin is hidden or exposed. It becomes strikingly clear that if God’s children behind bars can know His grace, His children who are free “on the outside” yet imprisoned by sin can know it, too.
Scripture Focus
Galatians 5:1-15; 1 John 4:7-11
Insight
Are you walking in freedom today? True freedom consists in knowing that “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Bible In A Year
- Exodus 13-14
- Psalm 32
- Mark 12
