Galatians 5.1 declares it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Freedom to the Apostle, to God, does not mean the same thing as we use the word freedom to mean.

We use freedom to mean doing anything we want without constraint. This was the freedom our forefathers wanted when they rebelled against God because they didn’t want to submit to His one limitation for their lives.

We continue to want this freedom over our lives; no rules, no constraint, no God.

The definition of freedom God understands is the freedom to no longer have to perform to please Him in order to get to heaven.

All those who have received Jesus as their Savior, who have surrendered themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, are made children of God. Children don’t have to perform to please their parents, to keep their name, they simply ‘are’ by virtue of their relationship. They are loved because they are children not because of their performance.

So too the children of God, those in Jesus, are free from performing to please God in order to earn His favor, they are forgiven, they are loved, they are welcomed into the Kingdom to come because they belong to God as sons and daughters. This is good news.

Among all religions from all time only Christianity offers such freedom, such good news, such peace with God. As a result of this freedom Christians are now free to please God for the joy of pleasing Him not for the attempt to earn our way to heaven.

Like our children, mistakes, disobedience, is forgiven, not held against us. God’s freedom eliminates the effort to be 51% good and 49% bad.

As a child of God we are 100% good because we are His children and He chooses to see us then declare us this way through the good Jesus accomplished when He lived among us.

The freedom definition God uses is the freedom to live at peace with God doing good for His glory without concern for whether we are good enough.