“How can we experience true freedom in Christ?”……Everyone seeks freedom.

Especially in the West, freedom is the highest virtue, and it is sought after by all who are, or consider themselves to be, oppressed.

But freedom in Christ is not the same as political or economic freedom.

In fact, some of the most harshly oppressed people in history have had complete freedom in Christ.

The Bible tells us that, spiritually speaking, no one is free.

In Romans 6, Paul explains that we are all slaves.

We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.

Those who are slaves to sin cannot free themselves from it, but once we are freed from the penalty and power of sin through the cross, we become a different kind of slave, and in that slavery we find complete peace and true freedom. ……Although it seems like a contradiction, the only true freedom in Christ comes to those who are His slaves.

Slavery has come to mean degradation, hardship and inequality.

But the biblical paradigm is the true freedom of the slave of Christ who experiences joy and peace, the products of the only true freedom we will ever know in this life.

There are 124 occurrences in the New Testament of the word douloswhich means someone who belongs to another or a bond slave with no ownership rights of his own.

Unfortunately, most modern Bible versions, as well as the King James Version, most often translate doulos as "servant" or "bond-servant."

But a servant is one who works for wages and who, by virtue of his work, is owed something from his master.

The Christian, on the other hand, has nothing to offer the Lord in payment of his sin, and he is totally owned by the Master who bought him with His shed blood on the cross. Christians are purchased by that blood and are the possession of their Lord and Savoir.

We are not hired by Him; we belong to Him

Romans 8:9

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

1 Corinthians 7:4

4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.

So "slave" is really the only proper translation of the word doulos.…Far from being an oppressive slavery, the slave of Christ is truly free.

We have been set free from sin by the Son of God who said,

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

Now the Christian can truly say, along with Paul,

Romans 8:2

2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

John8:32…32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."…Paradoxically, through our bondage to Christ, we have also become sons and heirs of the Most High God

Galatians 4:1-7…4 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles[a] of this world.4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.[]6 And because we[c] are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."[d]7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child.[e] And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

As heirs, we are partakers of that inheritance-eternal life-which God confers on all His children. This is a privilege beyond any earthly treasure we could ever inherit, while those in bondage to sin inherit only spiritual death and an eternity in hell. ……Why, then, do so many Christians live as though they are still in bondage?…For one thing, we often rebel against our Master, refusing to obey Him and clinging to our old lives.…We hold on to the sins that once bound us to Satan as our master. …Because our new nature still lives in the old fleshly nature, we are still drawn to sin. …Paul tells the Ephesians in Ephesians 4:22-32…22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. …24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.…25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. …26 And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, …27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil….28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. …29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.…30 And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.…31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. …32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

…… We have been set free from the bondage of sin, but we often put the chains back on because part of us loves the old life. ……Furthermore, often we don't realize that we have been crucified with Christ …Galatians 2:20…20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.… and that we have been reborn as completely new creatures …2 Corinthians 5:17…17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!…The Christian life is one of death to self and rising to "walk in the newness of life" …Romans 6:4…4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.…and that new life is characterized by thoughts about Him who saved us, …not thoughts about the dead flesh that has been crucified with Christ. …When we are continually thinking about ourselves and indulging the flesh in sins we have been freed from, we are essentially carrying around a corpse, full of rottenness and death. The only way to bury it fully is by the power of the Spirit within us who is the only source of strength. …We strengthen the new nature by continually feeding on the Word of God, and through prayer we obtain the power we need to escape the desire to return to the old life of sin. Then we will realize that our new status as slaves to Christ is the only true freedom and we will call upon His power as Paul says it in Romans 6:14…14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace.…