What’s the cost of freedom?

Freedom is a word we all cherish, but it’s easy to forget that freedom always comes at a cost. Someone pays. Someone sacrifices. The good news of the gospel is that the deepest freedom we could ever need did not come because we finally prayed enough, obeyed enough, or proved enough. It came because Jesus paid everything.

Jesus did not come merely to inspire us. He came to rescue us. Sin had enslaved us. Death had claimed us. Shame constantly accused us. Religion kept whispering, “Try harder. Do more. Be better.” But trying harder could never make us new. Only Jesus could do that. 

At the cross, Jesus paid the price we could never pay, and through His resurrection, He gave us the very life we could never produce. He didn't simply come to improve our circumstances or make us better people. He came to free us from sin, condemnation, shame, spiritual death, and separation from God. Your freedom was purchased by Jesus, secured by Jesus, and now lives in you because Christ lives in you.

This means freedom is not something you’re still trying to earn. It’s not a spiritual status you reach after enough growth or maturity. If you are in Christ, you are already free. You may still be learning to live from that freedom, but your freedom itself is never in question.

You may still feel old patterns pulling at you. Fear, selfishness, and temptation may still knock at your door, but they are no longer your master. They are not your identity. You are no longer defined by sin but by the Savior who made you new. You are God’s beloved child, a saint, anew creation, and Christ Himself is your life.

The cost of your freedom was immeasurable, but Jesus gladly paid it because of His great love for you. You are not cheap to Him. You are treasured. You are worth the giving of His life. 

So today, rest in what He has already finished. Stand firm, not to become free, but because in Christ, you already are.

A Prayer for This Week

Father, thank You for giving Your Son so that I could be truly free. Thank You that my freedom is not based on my strength but on Christ’s finished work. Help me recognize anything that tries to pull me back into slavery, and teach me to stand firm in the life You have already given me. Amen.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1