We like the idea of freedom, and we should. Freedom is a good thing. A truly wonderful thing. It is glorious to come out from under bondage, to be released from captivity, to enter a life that has no unjust restraints.
In part of the letter he wrote to the believers in Corinth, Paul contrasted the differences between the message of the old covenant, the law, and the new covenant, the gospel. The gist of his message was this: The old covenant was glorious in that it revealed how desperately mankind needed God’s intervention, but it did not actually meet the need. However, through the new covenant, God provided the way of reconciliation. He gave us freedom.
“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed,” says 2 Corinthians 3:16. God has extended an invitation to us to dwell in His glory, though we can’t yet take it all in. No longer do we live in the fear of God’s wrath or the threat of condemnation. There is no greater freedom than this.
Sin is a foolish choice we often make to forsake the gift of freedom. It is a step back toward bondage, and God does not want that for His children. His desire for us … is freedom!
Now the Lord is the Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
(2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV)