Do you believe in free-will? If you do, you are not alone; most of the world’s religions believe that man has free-agency in his destiny. But one man did not believe in free-will, Jesus of Nazareth, he said, “No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,” and “Truly, Truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Perhaps you disagree, again you are not alone if you do, in fact Jesus’ direct audience objected, “we have never been enslaved…”
Here is how we can test ourselves: The Bible says that sin is violating God's law, so let’s look at the law. Have you ever told a lie? When we tell lies we esteem ourselves as more important than the truth. Have you ever stolen anything? When we steal we covet things and decide that we deserve them and don’t need to pay for them. The list that shows our bondage is not short: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But there is good news. Jesus expressly stated that one of his purposes for which he was sent was to set the captives free. God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. Jesus lived the most perfect of upright lives, holy, blameless, and undefiled, and though fully God, he gave up his freedom to give his life as a ransom to purchase a people for his own possession. He nailed the debt of their sin to a cross. In his resurrection he opened the way for captives to go free. Now he commands you to repent, to turn from sin to righteousness, and put your full trust in him, and he promises, "If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed."
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