Spiritual Freedom vs Spiritual Bondage

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Jn.8:32.
In the beginning after God created Adam and Eve He placed them in the Garden of Eden. Gen.2:8-25. Here they enjoyed perfect spiritual freedom in the presence of God. However, in the process of time Adam and Eve fell victims to the devil and his dirty tricks sinning against God. Gen.3:1-24. As a result of the disobedience and eventual fall of man the spiritual freedom they had enjoyed in the presence of God in the Garden of Eden was lost. This immediately brought upon the entire human race from then until now the curse of spiritual bondage, enslavement, imprisonment, and captivity of the soul by the devil.
Since then the search for spiritual freedom or freedom of the soul have always been the yearning desire in the heart of man. As a result of this deep inner hunger and thirst of the soul for spiritual freedom man have been seeking out the source of this freedom in religions, philosophies of man, drugs, materialism, Christian denominations, cults, paganism, idol worship, man-made systems, various kinds of rituals just to name a few. Consequently, all have failed to set free the soul of man.
However, all is not lost, for after the fall of man God promised to send His Son Jesus Christ to conquer the devil and restore spiritual freedom and victory to man. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.”Gen.3:15.
Hence, at the very beginning of Jesus earthly mission he entered the synagogue and there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Lk.4:18,19; Is. 61:1-3. Later during his discourse Jesus said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Lk.4:21.
Later on in his ministry Jesus clearly vindicated his fulfilment of this prophetic utterance by the prophet Esaias in the following scriptures:
“And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you FREE.” Jn.8:32. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be FREE indeed.” Jn.8:36. Jesus is clearly stating in Jn.8:32,36 that spiritual freedom sought after by man is only found by getting to know the Truth which shall make you spiritually FREE. What is truth and how do we know the truth?
The truth is the spoken and written word of God as well Jesus Christ himself. “And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” Jn.1:4. Jesus also declared, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jn.14:6.
The truth of God is only revealed and understood by and through the Holy Spirit, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Jn.16:13; Jn.15:26; Jn.14:26. Be warned that such divine knowledge and understanding cannot be obtained from a bible school, seminary, man-made theology, any private interpretation of the scriptures, bible college and university, and from false ministers, preachers, teachers and pastors of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 2 Pet.2:1-3; Mt.7:15; Mt.24:24; Mk.13:22; 2 Cor.11:13; 1 Jn.4
God’s divine purpose through His Son Jesus Christ is to restore to man the spiritual freedom that was lost in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, through Christ we are made free from:
The captivity and imprisonment of the soul by the devil: Jesus defeated the devil and through him we now have victory and freedom from the chains and fetters of spiritual bondage. Jesus came to proclaim liberty and deliverance to those held captive by the devil, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound and to set at liberty them that are bruised. “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” Is.61:1-3; 2 Tim.2:26; Lk.4:18,19.
The bondage of sin: Since the fall of man sin was and will always be the major problem in the heart of man and the destroyer of peace and freedom. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Rom.3:23. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom.6:23. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Eze.18:20. However, through Jesus Christ we now have victory over sin by the shedding of his precious blood. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without spot.” 1 Pet.1:18,19; He.9:22; Ep.1:7; Col.1:14.
The bondage of religions, denominations, cults, paganism, idol worship, materialism, drugs, philosophy and vain deceit, rudiments of the world, tradition of men, man-made systems, rituals and any such like entity that would bring man under spiritual bondage. Jesus declared plainly, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the father, but by me.” Jn.14:6.
The bondage of the fear of death and the grave: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Therefore, death has no dominion over us and there is hope beyond the grave. Heb.2:14,15; 1 Cor.15:54-57; Rom.8:21; 1 Th.4:13-18.
The bondage of spiritual blindness and ignorance: “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” Ep.4:18. When an individual is miraculously born again of the Spirit of God that person is set free from the bondage of spiritual blindness and ignorance by the renewal of the spirit of the mind and the putting on of the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Jn.3:1-8; Ep.4:18-32; 2 Cor.4:4.
The bondage of hopelessness and fear: Hopelessness in the heart of man brings about the torment of fear. Jesus Christ gives us the victory and freedom over hopelessness and fear, “Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Pet.1:3-9; He.6:6-18,19; Ep.2:12,13; 1 Jn.4:18; Rom.15;13.
The yoke of bondage of the law and ordinances: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Gal.5:1. “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.” Gal3; Gal.2; Gal.4; Heb.9; Rom.8. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Ep.2:8. Therefore, we are not under the law, but under grace. Rom.6:14,15. Hence, we are no longer, in this dispensation of grace and the New Testament and New Covenant established by Jesus Christ, required to keep the law and its ordinances. Some Christian religions and denominations have placed on the necks of their followers the yoke of bondage by requiring that they follow the law in keeping the Sabbath and that they give a tenth of their earnings to the organizations. Now, we should keep each day of the week holy unto the Lord, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps.118:24. “Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.” Ps.145:2. These church organizations also demand that their followers give a tenth of their earnings as tithes according to the Old Testament Law. Contrariwise, God requires of us in this new dispensation of grace to give freely unto Him as he hath prospered us; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. Please be wary of so call prosperity, seed faith, get rich quick, materialistic, covetous, and capitalist preachers. 2 Cor.9:6-11; 1 Cor.16:2.
Spiritual Freedom is therefore priceless and precious and is absolutely FREE and readily available and achievable through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. Jn.8:36.