Column by Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: What makes us free? Scriptures and God
I hope you're having a great day, and from myself and our church family at the Open Bible Baptist Church, we hope everyone in our Sumter community will have a safe and great Independence Day on July 4th! The thought for today asks this question, "What makes us free?" I want to bring some thoughts to your heart that I pray will be a help and a blessing to you. Let me say that God has blessed America! We celebrate the goodness of God that we do not deserve, and no nation on this earth has the bounty from the hand of God that America has. Freedom is one of the greatest blessings that anyone could ever enjoy, and the great God of Heaven has blessed us with not only political freedom, but personal freedom as well. So, with these facts being true, what makes us free?
First, I believe the Scriptures make us free. In John 8:32, we read, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (KJV) I am so thankful for our nation that was founded on Biblical principles. America provided a place for people to flee religious persecution and enjoy a country where they could freely worship the God of Heaven and not the "state church."
Every place on this globe where socialism and communism has ever reigned, people have suffered because the Word of God has no place in such ideology. That is why socialism and communism are epic failures in every nation where they have been tried. Thank God for our Founding Fathers who valued the Word of God and purposed to allow it to guide their crystal clear vision for America!
Also, I believe that not only do the Scriptures make us free, but the Savior makes us free. In John 8:36, we read these words, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (KJV) Please notice that the word "Son" has an uppercase "S," which is referring to the only begotten Son of God. Jesus Christ sets people free!
Here are just a few examples of the freedom that comes from Jesus Christ. Nicodemus in John Chapter 3 was set free from religious bondage. Zacchaeus in Luke Chapter 19 was set free from his greed for money. The Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in John Chapter 4 was set free from immorality.
Let me go on record to say that the freedoms we enjoy as Americans are gifts from the God of Heaven, so may we never take them for granted and lose them. The Spiritual freedom that can be enjoyed by a sinner needing a Savior is also a gift from God, as Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (KJV) May we enjoy the freedoms in our beloved nation of America that God has given and also remember the courage and sacrifice of those who gave their life on the battlefields of this world to secure it.
If you don't enjoy spiritual freedom today, I pray you will come to Jesus Christ and receive His gift that is yours for the asking! Happy Independence Day!
Dr. Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.