The price of freedom
by Pastor Tim Klein
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So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).
Read John 8:31–36
As a SAPOL (SA Police) chaplain, I visit the Triple Zero call centre in Adelaide’s city centre every week. Just behind the call centre is the city watch house. This is where people who have broken the law are imprisoned until their court case has been heard. I have been inside the walls, and it’s not a friendly place.
Some people are released from there after the court case or hearing; others are sent off to prison for various sentence lengths. Their freedom is cut off. They’re locked in. They are locked out of everyday life at home and the rest of the community.
Sadly, some people carry a criminal record with them wherever they go for the rest of their lives. They may never be totally free again.
But, then again, that’s true for you and me. We might not be imprisoned by our courts and may not have had to stand before a judge and jury but, as sinners, we do live with something that binds us up. John says: ‘Everyone who practises sin is a slave to sin.’ Slavery is like being in prison. We are controlled – even unconsciously so. Is there anything that can free us? What sets us free is truth – the gospel truth of Jesus and his sacrifice for us. That’s what frees us from the eternal consequence of our sin. We call out to the Lord for mercy – confessing our sins. He graciously forgives us.
This freedom can travel with us anywhere, in any circumstance of life. This is the freedom that Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew in his imprisonment. This is a freedom that people with faith, even in their dying days, hold onto with hope and trust. This is a freedom that even a convicted criminal can hold onto as they serve their sentence. This is freedom from the bondage, burden and guilt of sin. This freedom is an undeserved gift of love: God’s grace for you and me.
This is our faith: the freedom we live in is won for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. That is the cost of true freedom. It’s pure grace!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for Jesus and your living truth from heaven. Thank you that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Keep us in the truth of your living word. Keep our hope in him. In the name of Christ, Amen.
Tim has served as a pastor for more than 30 years in Australia and New Zealand. He plans to retire on 12 January in 2025. Husband to his wife Joy, father of three and grandfather of more than 10, Tim says he is living in hope. He enjoys gardening (especially his orchard of more than 60 trees, succulents and flowering plants), making music (he loves to sing), beekeeping and taking photos.
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