Theology

Set Free by the Cross, Why Do We Live in Bondage?

The Enemy wants us to doubt the efficacy of God’s grace and the assurance of his mercy.

Ian Kiragu / Unsplash

The United States of America is built upon the ideal of freedom. Though it has not always lived up to the true meaning of its creed, the great struggle in the conscience of America has been the struggle for freedom. On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke the immortal words in defense of freedom and the American Revolution: “Give me liberty or give me death!” For Henry, it was liberty or death. For Jesus Christ, it was liberty by death. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ set us free. Yet, as all Americans know, freedom is not free. This is never truer than of the freedom we have in Jesus.

The Good News of the gospel is that Jesus died and rose again so we would be free from sin. Sin is a power that enslaves. From the beginning, the sin of Adam and Eve became the sin of all (Rom. 5:12). Consequently, being born in Adam is being born in bondage to sin. This is much like the great evil of human slavery we see in our history; one of the tragedies of the American slave system was that children born to slaves were slaves as well. But Christ broke the curse of sin in Adam and thus set the children of Adam free (v. 19). No longer slaves to sin, but now slaves to righteousness. No longer bound by the yoke of bondage, but now free in Christ. Nevertheless, that freedom is always under attack.

Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the formal end of slavery in the United States, there came a new kind of slavery, namely the oppression of Jim Crow laws. In some regards, this was more insidious and demeaning than the first. It gave the impression of freedom, yet it systematically and institutionally kept black Americans in bondage. This new slave system was not formal bondage, but it was oppression and bondage nonetheless and, as such, needed to be broken. Similarly, when a person has been set free from the penalty of sin through the cross of Christ, often that person may remain in bondage to the guilt and shame of his or her sin. The Cross sets us free from both slavery to sin and its guilt. This is where the promise and pronouncement of Romans 8:1 is critical to the Christian life. Anyone who is in Christ Jesus is no longer under condemnation for sins committed. In other words, Jesus not only paid the debt but also carried the guilt and shame often associated with it.

Guilt is one of the Devil’s most-utilized weapons against the Christian. Because sin yet remains in our lives and many live with daily struggles to overcome it, the Enemy of our souls often seeks to convince us to doubt the efficacy of God’s grace and the assurance of his mercy. He knows feelings of guilt and shame can be overwhelming and can lead to despair. If the Enemy can get you to despair and to wallow in your failures, he can keep you from living in the freedom Christ secured for you on the cross. And thus, he can bind you in a new kind of slavery—daily living below the dignity of your freedom in Christ and the joy of your salvation.

Yet Christ would have us remember that he put an end to all condemnation for sins past, present, and future. As the Bible asks and answers, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Rom. 8:33–34).

The Irish hymn writer Charitie Lees Bancroft said it well:

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

The work of Christ sets us free from sin and guilt in the past so we can live free today. This freedom is complete and demands we proclaim it.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech ends on an emphatic and unforgettable note. He reminds the nation that his dream was for a day when all peoples—regardless of race, gender, color, or creed—would be able to sing together, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” The apostle Paul used a similar tone when he wrote to the Galatians; he wanted them to hear him loud and clear: Free at last! Free at last! Because of the cross of Christ, we are free at last!

There may not be a more emphatic statement in all the inspired writings of the apostle Paul: “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” (Gal. 5:1). If the nature of sin is bondage, the nature of the gospel is liberty. Christ died to free his people from the bondage of slavery to sin (Rom. 8:2). When Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia to emphasize again the extent of the freedom they had in Christ, the wording he chose drove home the importance of living as freedmen—free from the condemnation of the law, free from the guilt of sin, free to worship and live for our Lord Jesus Christ. Never before have men and women been so free. And never need they be in bondage again.

Consequently, of all the people in the world, Christians should be first and foremost in the cry for freedom. The gospel demands it. Our deliverance from bondage to sin is a theological truth that should bear the practical fruit of freedom from all kinds of human bondage. Human trafficking and slavery are incompatible with the gospel, as is the bondage of physical and emotional abuse. Because we preach the gospel of freedom from sin, we also preach freedom to live free. As Christians, we are free to live and love in Christ. And as ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), we are called to help others do the same.

Therefore, to preach the gospel is to preach men and women free. Though this freedom can primarily be understood in terms of our relationship with God and our freedom from sin and guilt, it also touches our human relationships as we seek freedom for others. For “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Anthony J. Carter is the lead pastor of East Point Church in East Point, Georgia. A graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, he is the author of several books including Running from Mercy, Blood Work, and Black and Reformed.

This piece is part of The Cross, CT’s special issue featuring articles and Bible study sessions for Lent, Easter, or any time of year. You can learn more about purchasing bulk print copies of The Cross for your church or small group at OrderCT.com/TheCross. If you are a CT subscriber, you can download a digital copy of The Cross free at MoreCT.com/TheCross.

Also in this issue

This month’s cover story examines the power of communal confession to heal the church’s—and society’s—deepest divisions. But pastor and writer Jeff Peabody doesn’t point to the early church or to liturgical traditions as the model for how we should pray; he turns to the famous ancient prayer of Daniel at the end of Israel’s long Babylonian exile. The prayer upends our typical notions of what it means to “speak prophetically,” and the implications for our fractious cultural and political moment are striking.

Cover Story

Forgive Us Our Sins (And Theirs, Too)

New Editor, Old Roots

The Motherly Love of a Wrathful God

Reply All

Democratic Christians Weigh Their Primary Concerns

Real Love Requires a Command

News

Have You Noticed Church Is Farther Away Than it Used to Be?

María de los Ángeles La Torre Cuadros

Why Do Fewer Christian Women Work in Science?

Twelve Christian Women in Science You Should Know

Erica Carlson

Mary Schweitzer

Joanna Ng

Audrey Bowden

Margaret Miller

Lydia Manikonda

Jessica Moerman

Keila Natilde Lopez

Georgia Dunston

Mercy Akinyi

Alynne MacLean

Testimony

I Assumed Science Had All the Answers. Then I Started Asking Inconvenient Questions.

The Old Testament Twins We’ve Forgotten

Our March Issue: Us vs. Us

News

Christian Martyr Numbers Down by Half in a Decade. Or Are They?

News

Despite a Murder and Visa Denials, Christians Persevere in Turkey

The Many Faces of Narcissism in the Church

Review

Religious Parents Are Remarkably Similar, Even When They Belong to Different Religions

Review

Be Careful About Reading the Bible as a Political Guide

New & Noteworthy Books

Excerpt

My Generation Prized ‘Authenticity.’ Why I’ve Come to Love Wearing a Mask.

News

Why German Evangelicals Are Praising God in English

View issue

Our Latest

Wire Story

Study: Evangelical Churches Aren’t Particularly Political

Even if members are politically active and many leaders are often outspoken about issues and candidates they support, most congregations make great efforts to keep politics out of the church when they gather.

News

Investigation to Look at 82 Years of Missionary School Abuse

Adult alumni “commanded a seat at the table” to negotiate for full inquiry.

Have Yourself an Enchanted Little Advent

Angels are everywhere in the Bible. The Christmas season reminds us to take them seriously.

News

Western North Carolina’s Weary Hearts Rejoice for Christmas

The holiday isn’t the same with flooded tree farms and damaged churches from Helene, but locals find cheer in recovery.

News

In Italy, Evangelicals Wage a Quiet War on Christmas

Born-again Christians say the holiday is too Catholic and the celebration of Jesus’ birth isn’t based on the Bible.

The Bulletin

Exalting Every Valley with Charles King

The Bulletin welcomes historian Charles King for a conversation with Clarissa Moll about the modern relevance of Handel’s Messiah

News

After Assad: Jihad or Liberty?

A coalition of rebel fighters promises to respect Syria’s religious minorities.

In the Divided Balkans, Evangelicals Are Tiny in Number, but Mighty

A leading Serbian researcher discusses how evangelicals have made a tangible difference.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube