There is hope in the Liberator. His name is Jesus. He sets sinners free from their miserable slavery to sin. John 8:36 says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” What does it mean that Jesus is the sin-liberating Son of God?
As the Son of God, Jesus has the power to liberate. To appreciate Christ’s power, we need to tune in to what the Bible says about heavenly or spiritual power. There are terribly powerful evil heavenly authorities. We hear about them in Colossians 2:15 where Jesus disarms them. But, if they are disarmed by Jesus that means that apart from Jesus they are armed. These authorities are cosmic powers over this present darkness. They are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). In other words, there are real evil beings keeping sinners in bondage. Beings that are far more powerful than any of us. But, they are not stronger than Christ. He has put them to open shame by triumphing over them. Hebrews 2:14 says that the devil has the power of death, but Jesus has destroyed him. Jesus has power then to liberate us from evil spiritual rulers, from sin itself, from the devil, and from death.
Along with His power, Jesus has the authority to liberate. You may often find a person who has the power to do a thing, but not the authority to do it. You can find a contractor who has all the ability to renovate your house, but he is not licensed in the state. Or, you might find a man perfectly able to govern a city, but he lacks the necessary credentials and therefore does not have the right to do so. Jesus, being the Son of God, not only has the power but also the right to emancipate us from sin’s slavery. Jesus says God gave Him this authority. God gave Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all the Father has given Him (John 17:2). Some Christians can be so assaulted by the enemy that they begin to believe his lies, “it is not right for you to be free.” But it’s perfectly right for the Christian to be free because he has been justly liberated. Jesus has every credential necessary to walk into the kingdom of darkness and walk out with the children of God.
As the Son of God, Jesus has the truth to liberate. If you are going to be liberated from sin’s deceit then you need to encounter the truth. Lies cannot deliver you from lies. Falsehood cannot deliver you from falsehood. If any person is going to be set free from sin, then he must see the truth about his sin. He must see the truth about God. He must see the truth about himself. But a man can only come to know these things through the word of Christ who is the truth. Jesus says this is the key, look in John 8:31, He says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Our only hope is that the truth of Christ finds a place in us. If the Word of Christ glances off of you, then you are still in slavery. If the Word of Christ abides in you, then you are free indeed.
As the Son of God, Jesus purchased our liberty. He was not only the right man for the job, but He actually did the job. We know that freedom is not free. If you’re going to unchain slaves then you have to buy them. The cost of our liberty was Christ’s blood. Jesus said that He was the one who had authority to lay down His life, no one took it from Him. No one did anything to Him that He did not command to be done.
As the Son of God, Jesus is the only liberator. The Jews claimed another liberator. They thought being Abraham’s physical sons could save them. We are tempted to do the same today. We seek liberation through guilt-bearing, through good-doing, through successful-career, through happy-family, through healthy-eating, through social media-affirmation, through educational advancement. But the apostle’s message is still true, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
There is no need for us to look for another liberator. Christ the liberator sets His people free and keeps them free. Do you feel tempted to go back into sin’s chains? Look to Christ. Let His Word abide in you. He who first threw off your chains will keep them off.
