He broke passions, brought to ruin secure prisons;/Colum Cille overcame them with bright actions.

  - Beccan mac Luigdech, Tiugraind Beccain (Irish, 7th century)

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

  - John 8.32

The Christian knows the life of faith to be true liberation. No longer a slave to mere passion or whim, and no longer captive to the lusts of the flesh or other sins of the heart, the Christian is free to read and obey the Word of Christ. And this is where he discovers the true way of life and joy.

It is the unbeliever who sees faith as a confining and oppressing burden. He does not want to be "weighed down" with mandates that "limit" his moral choices. He wants to be "free" to live according to his passions and to indulge his lusts without fear of judgment or condemnation.

But in what sense can we be said to be free if we are always being jerked about by this or that whim or fancy? Or if we have no stable footing to define our moral path? Or if the only authority we can muster to support our moral choices is our own best interests?

Colum Cille understood that, in order to be truly free in Christ, sinful passions must be broken and the chains of sin must be cast down. This takes "bright actions" on our part, that is, specific steps taken in the light of God's Word to enable us to live the truth we have in Jesus Christ.

Freedom comes by walking the path of light and putting to death every base and sinful tendency or practice (Rom. 6). We are Jesus' disciples if we abide in His Word and, by doing so, experience its power to overcome base affections, free us from the power of sin, and illuminate our path unto righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Where the Spirit of God is, there is real liberty (2 Cor. 3.12-18). And the Spirit of God leads along the path, revealed in God's Word, that guides us to the upward prized of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Unless we travel this path, we cannot be free.

What's holding you back? What's keeping you from being free and fulfilled in Jesus Christ? What affections do you need to break, and what chains of sin do you need to cast down? Don't kid yourself about what it means to be "truly" one of Jesus' disciples. They are only His disciples who live in freedom, not in yokes of lust and chains of disobedience.

Jesus can set you free, and then you will be free, indeed.

But you'll have to take up the "bright actions" of His Word if you want to know the joy and peace of His liberating love and power.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.