There is a cycle in human history that has been repeated again and again for thousands of years. It is a cycle that goes from freedom to bondage to freedom to bondage — and on and on and on.

Free people, especially those who didn’t personally sacrifice to win their freedom, tend to become careless and self-centered. Because they have only known freedom, they are generally unaware of the misery of bondage. They are also unaware or forgetful of the sacrifices made for their freedom to be won. In time, careless self-centeredness leads subtly back to bondage.

We humans have yet to learn the lesson that freedom isn’t free or easy. Freedom always requires fierce determination and sacrifice to win it — and fierce determination and sacrifice to preserve it.

Ask any recovering addict, and they will assure you that freedom requires a continuous fight. A careless addict will always drift back toward bondage. Always.

Christian, the same is true for us. Living in the freedom of the good news of Jesus Christ requires fierce determination and sacrifice. It is why Jesus calls His disciples to deny themselves and take up their cross daily (Luke 9:23). It is why Paul calls on us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) and why he wrote, “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave.” (I Corinthians 9:27) Toward the end of his life, Paul acknowledged the struggle for freedom when he wrote, “I have fought the good fight” (II Timothy 4:7). It is why the writer of the Hebrews implores us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1).

Anyone who thinks following Jesus Christ is easy or convenient isn’t following Jesus Christ. They are, in fact, drifting toward bondage. And friends, bondage is bondage, even if it is wrapped in religiosity.
Why Do We Drift?

It is an important question. Paul wrote his New Testament letter to the church in Galatia because they were already drifting into religious bondage. His language is strong and impassioned (Read Galatians 2:11, 3:1, 5:12). Why would new believers, who had been set free by Jesus Christ, be drifting back into bondage to the Law? We could ask the same question about ourselves. There are many possible reasons, but here are three for us to think about:

First, the blessings of freedom can result in pride. We look at our success and comforts and begin believing the lie that we have done it ourselves, that we don’t need God, or that we can be like God. It is a fatal error. Yes, we look like God and have abilities like Him (Genesis 1:26-27). And yes, He has given us authority on earth (Genesis 1:28). But make no mistake, we are not God or even gods. We can’t save ourselves. When we reject God’s sovereignty or dismiss His existence, the drift toward bondage is inevitable.

Second, pleasure-drifting is easy. Pleasure-drifting seems far more enjoyable than fighting and sacrificing for freedom. Why should we struggle for freedom when we already have it?

Do we really think we have been given the blessings of freedom so we can selfishly hoard them? Think again. Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48). We have been given much, and from us, much will be demanded. Pleasure-drifting is not an option for the followers of Jesus Christ.

Our freedom is an investment made in us by God so we can set others free. Do we really believe God gives us more just so we can have more? Really? Didn’t Jesus command us to store our treasure in heaven and not here on earth? (See Matthew 6:19-21.) If we choose to live in selfishness and ignore the suffering of those around us, we will be held to account. (Read Isaiah 58, Matthew 25:31-46 and II Corinthians 5:11-21.)

Third, bondage allows for blame-shifting. When we’re in bondage, we can blame our misery on someone else. Claiming victimhood is an easy way to cast off personal responsibility and continue the drift. After all, can we really be judged when someone else is to blame for our problems or circumstances? Yes, we can — and we will. Let me give you an example.

The Israelites had been miserably enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. God set them free, but freedom in the desert was also miserable. The difference? This time they had no one to blame for their misery. In freedom, they could fight and sacrifice to chart their own destiny. Instead, they wanted to go back to Egypt, so they had someone else to blame for their misery. Blame shifting is so convenient.

They didn’t want to fight and sacrifice for freedom. They messed up when they rejected God’s plan to take them directly into the promised land. The result was judgment: 40 years of wandering in the desert. Yes, free people are judged when they squander freedom. It is a truth we would be wise to learn and accept.

Friends, all of us have faced problems in life. And it is true that how we got to where we are may not be our fault, but Jesus has set us free, and where we go from here, we cannot blame on anyone else. One of the amazing blessings of freedom is the ability to take account for ourselves — and then fight and sacrifice to overcome our problems. Doing so really does take fierce determination.

Overcomers are victims who are determined not to let victimhood define their lives. We all have obstacles to overcome. We all have people or situations we could blame for our misery. This is why the Bible refers to all of the followers of Jesus Christ as overcomers. I John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” If we choose to live in victimhood, we will drift into bondage — and we will be judged for squandering the blessings of freedom.

Are we willing to fight and sacrifice for freedom? Will pride or pleasure or blame-shifting keep us drifting toward bondage? Friends, we are free — and the choice between freedom and bondage is ours to make. Today is the day to begin fighting and sacrificing to live in the full freedom God has given us. Will it be difficult? Yes, most certainly. But by His grace, we can do it — we must do it.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 15:57