This weekend, as a nation, we celebrate freedom. Many will be taking in fireworks shows and waving or wearing, red, white, and blue. We certainly need to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and we should never, ever take our freedoms for granted.

As Americans, we enjoy some freedoms we have probably never thought about. For example, we have the freedom to name our babies whatever we like. You might be thinking, "Doesn't everybody?" But some countries place limitations on what parents can name their children. Germany, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Morocco, Japan, and Malaysia, have baby-naming laws.

When we hear of children being named I’munique, Baby Girl, Abcde, Appaloosa, Melanomia, Abstinence, and Olive Garden, we might think some laws need to be put on the books.

I've tried to popularize the name Phred, but so far there haven't been any takers.

We do have a lot of great freedoms in America. Freedom to name our kids. Freedom to start a business. And one of the greatest freedoms we have is ...Freedom to worship.

As we celebrate freedom as a nation, let's be reminded that, as Believers, we also celebrate freedom in Christ.

Paul said “So Christ has truly set us free.” - Galatians 5:1a (NLT)

What does it mean to be “free” in Christ? Some people who look at Christianity from the outside don’t see freedom. They often see Christianity as a long list of don’ts. Christians don’t do this and Christians don’t do that. Instead of freedom, they see people bound to a long list of rules and regulations.

It's not uncommon for some people to have a distorted definition of freedom. Many think freedom is doing whatever they want to do, and never denying themselves of any desire. That’s not true freedom. That's not American freedom and neither is Christian freedom.

The freedom the Bible describes is freedom from having to earn our own way to God. The false idea that we make our way to God and everlasting life in Heaven by doing good things is a lie the Devil continues to perpetuate. Many people have bought into this idea that they will gain entrance to Heaven if they're good enough. So they go through life trying to earn favor with God by hoping their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds.

When asked if they are going to Heaven when they die, their response is usually, “I hope so”. If that’s your response, maybe you're one of those people who think you're somehow earning your way to Heaven.

The Jewish people lived under the Law of Moses. If they were going to be counted good enough, they'd have to keep all 613 commands. If a person broke just one, that person is a lawbreaker. Nobody except Jesus was able to do it. So, for the Jew, biblical freedom if they trust Jesus means they are free from having to keep those rules in an attempt to reach God.

Then some people are never under the Old Testament but have put a set of rules upon themselves based on their or society's definition of goodness. They hope that by following those rules, God will open Heaven's gates for them when they die.

But here's the big problem. You and I can never be good enough. Only Jesus was good enough. That’s why He had to die in our place. When we accept the free gift of salvation from God the Father by trusting in Jesus, we can now know we have everlasting life. It’s no longer an “I hope so” scenario. It’s now the full assurance of everlasting life.

Those who don’t know for sure, who are saying “I hope so” do not have freedom. They have uncertainty. They have anxiety. They have fear of the future.

Those who have trusted Christ are truly free. John 8:36 says, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

So freedom in Christ means freedom from uncertainty, anxiety, and fear about the future.

What's great is that none of it is our doing. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Regardless of our human effort, God is not going to love us. more, or make our everlasting life more everlasting. He cannot love you and me more than He already does. He cannot make our everlasting life last longer. John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave is His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Our freedom in Christ is freedom from condemnation.

Sadly, some people think of God as a condemning God who wants to judge people and pour out His wrath on them. Jesus said that the Father didn’t send Him to condemn the people of this world. He sent Him to save the people of this world (John 3:17).

God doesn't condemn people. He condemns sin. The problem is we are all sinners and our sin warrants the death penalty. (Romans 6:23). But when we turn our lives over to Christ, God gives us Christ’s righteousness and takes away sin’s penalty and sin’s condemnation (Romans 6:23). We cannot be made right apart from Christ. Romans 8:1 reminds us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

Biblical freedom is freedom from the power of sin.

Without Christ, in our lives, we are slaves to sin. We are slaves to the devil. The devil is a master who kills, steals, and destroys. I don’t know about you, but I want a Master who initiates life, gives blessings, and restores hope.

Many years ago, Bob Dylan said it best in his song titled, You Gotta Serve Somebody.

“But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Bob Dylan

With Christ as our Master, we have the freedom of living under God’s amazing grace.

Romans 6:14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

So that’s true freedom. Freedom from having to earn our way to Heaven. Freedom from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Freedom from the penalty, power, and, one day, the presence of sin.

Please don't ever think freedom means doing whatever you want to do. Many who have had that definition in America have ended up in a prison cell.

To be set free in Christ does not mean doing whatever I like, or whatever my sinful nature desires. It means freedom to live by the law of Christ, which means to love God and to love people while knowing that my place in Heaven is secure because of Jesus.

Just remember that Christ did it all. We don't earn our freedom. We don't study and get a certificate of freedom. We cannot live a life good enough to add up to our freedom. We didn’t buy our freedom.

Jesus came here as a baby. Lived for 33 years on the planet without ever committing one sin. He healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, caused the deaf to hear, cast out demons, and then wicked men conspired against Him, falsely accused Him, and murdered Him by nailing Him to a cross. On that cross, Jesus took on every sin of mankind, and with His blood, He bought our freedom.

If you are trying to win God’s approval by being a good person or going through some kind of ritual, what you’re actually doing is proclaiming Christ’s death on the cross a meaningless event.

If you have never trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so right now. Believe in Jesus and accept His gift of everlasting life. You can pray your own words something like this: "Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for saving me and for answering my prayer."