ByThe two words, freedom and liberty, are usually used interchangeably in the Bible. Personally, I’ve asked myself what’s the difference between them whenever I pick up my Bible to explain. According to verses like John 8:36 and Galatians 5:1, believers have both freedom and liberty in Christ. But what is the difference between those two? That’s the purpose of this article – to answer that question.
Christ had made us free
Jesus said in John 8:36 (NKJV) that,
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
So, from Jesus’ own mouth, it’s Him that makes people free. But free from what? From the bondage of sin and its effects. It’s only in the power of Jesus that saves people from such prison, not man. Therefore, if you’re born again, the Son of God has set you free, delivering you from the power of darkness (see Colossians 3:13). Furthermore, He has brought you under His government, which is the reign of grace. For it is written in Romans 6:14 (NKJV) that,
[14] “… sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
You’re under grace, child of God. Therefore, you have freedom in Christ. That freedom is powered by the same grace, which enables you to live as you ought to by the dictates of God without restrictions, and not how sin and fleshly lust dictate your flesh.
Christ has also given us liberty
[1] “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)
According to the verse above, Christ has also given us liberty. But it’s not like freedom, which is more about living by grace in the dictates of God. Liberty, as used in Galatians 5:1, means license to do or to omit things having no relationship with salvation. That’s powerful. Therefore, it implies that we’ve received power to disband anything ungodly from affecting our lives.
For example, in the scriptures, some people tried preaching to people Paul had initially reached them for the gospel, saying that physical circumcision is a necessity for them to be saved. But he arose and spoke against it. In that way, he was using his knowledge of the liberty Christ has made him free to disband the foolish talk of those preachers. This thing is going on to date but in a different way.
In some organisations, some bosses behave as if they have the ultimate authority over their workers’ lives, ordering them around even at weekends as if they are slaves. If you’re a believer in that situation, I want you to rise on that occasion. Don’t continue giving your boss that chance to dictate your life by his wants, giving you work as if you don’t have any other thing to do in life. That is domination, not employment. Use your weekends to spend quality time with God, your family and yourself. Secondly, resist compromising the standards of the gospel because of fear of facing discomfort. Do what is right without fear.
Use both to your advantage
Whether it’s freedom or liberty in Christ, you have both, child of God. Use both well and never allow anybody to subject you to bondage in life, no matter the case. If even the Sovereign God wanted and has made you free, who is man that you must subject your life to? Rise and live unto God.
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