Freedom. how is it really defined? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that freedom is "the quality or state of being free." Free is "having liberty or enjoying personal or political independence" and "not subject to or allowing slavery."

I have concluded that to be free and truly have freedom, first there must be restriction to or by something. Freedom comes when there is a release or a relief of something. That restriction could be something that we are born with or that is put upon us. We were not born into this world free. Living in a broken world and bound by sin, we needed freedom, some release. Sin places us under obligations. It breeds shame. It produces disappointment. It is a cycle that only further causes frustration. It does not allow for complete joy. It gives no hope.

The freedom came with Christ. He took the binds of sin and conquered it. No longer do we live as people of no hope, but now redeemed, we know the truth and can take hold of our rightful place in heaven given to us by Him. Jesus brought freedom to a world wrought by sin. This is the freedom I choose to embrace. It is fulfilling today, yesterday, and tomorrow. My future is decided. Whether today is stormy or I walk through a dry land, my hope, faith, and confidence rest in Him and in the freedom He has brought. In this freedom I will live.

Romans 6:5-14