Somewhere between 1871 and the year he died, 1876, P. P. Bliss composed a hymn that begins, “Free from the law, oh happy condition, / Jesus hath bled, and there is remission.”

Working backward from Bliss’ lyric, Jesus stated, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36).  

In Romans, Paul elaborates: “Christ has set you free from the law of sin and death” (8:2).

This is great news. The law is a harsh task master—so harsh in fact that Paul declared the law impossible to keep. So, Bliss’ lyric is understandable: When the law of God is fully and properly assessed, it is a happy condition to be free from its onerous demands.

But what does this freedom mean?

At face value, the implication is you are free to do the opposite of what the law stipulated and embrace a license to live as you want to. Yeah, baby. Sex, drugs, rock ‘n roll. Money, power, fame. Go for it! You are free to do what’s right for you. And isn’t this the refrain we are hearing today in society?

So, I have two thoughts.

First, we tried this before. My generation, the Boomers, went all-in doing what seemed right to us given our circumstances and the times of our lives. We reaped a whirlwind. Our grandchildren, who were told they could be whatever they wanted to be, are now exploring the veracity of this inspirational exhortation. Given the early numbers, they are finding it vapid—and deadly.

Second, after stating the magnitude of Christ’s redemption in Romans 5, Paul proceeds with the logical implication as he begins Chapter 6: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?” Are we free to do as we want?

The question is rhetorical. Paul immediately replies, “May it never be!” The original grammar of Paul’s answer conveys, “Unthinkable!” “How could this ever be?” “Absolutely not!” One street version of the Bible translates, “Hell, no!”

Okay, so adopting a license to live like the devil is clearly a bad course of action. But why?

Again, Paul anticipates the question, “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” In other words, look into your heart and ask, How much do I, the recipient of God’s grace through Christ, desire to sin and live in a manner that is offensive to God and contrary to my true nature as a redeemed child of God? The implied answer is so obvious Paul leaves it unstated: I don’t desire this in the least.

This is also great news. It’s the power of the Gospel to save, redeem, and transform. “Free from the law, oh happy condition, / Jesus hath bled, and there is remission.”

But we’ve only answered the question of freedom in a backhanded way by saying what it’s not; freedom is not a license to sin. You are free from the law of sin and death. Yippee! Sing along with Brother Bliss.

But what are you set free to do?

I have colleagues who will take issue with this question, arguing: “Free to do?”, is a return to the demands of the law, i.e., something to do in order to please God.

But I disagree. First, their disagreement is not biblical. Second, it’s irresponsible. Other than these two issues with their critique, I’m okay.

The requirement of the law is, you must. Freedom in Christ says, you may.

The law threatened: You must or else.

Given your freedom in Christ, you may live free in the power of the Spirit, walk with God each moment of every day, trust Him for each day’s concerns, and dedicate yourself to knowing God more fully. Or, you may not. Whether you live in freedom or you do not, does not alter your standing with God, but it definitely has implications for how you conduct yourself as a new creation in Christ. The scope and reach of the Gospel is amazing grace.

So, what motivates you to do what’s in your heart to do, and to what end?

Motivation emanates from your new heart in concert with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. True freedom is your embrace of personal responsibility to join Father God in your faith journey.

The operative word here is, responsibility. Or, as Frankel puts it, response-ability. You may, or you may not, manage your spirituality responsibly. You don’t have to do anything with your freedom, but you are free to, and most importantly, your new heart desires to.

So what’s the point? Why would God establish His relationship with you based upon this freedom: You may, you may not?

Delving into the grammar again, there are approximately 1500 imperative statements in the New Testament. Grammatically, an imperative statement expresses a mood of doubtfulness, question, and unlikelihood. Given that an imperative statement is a forcefully worded expression of intent, the question isn’t what the writer believes is in your best interest, but rather whether you will act or not. You may. You may not. The imperative statement is doubtful because it is dependent upon your response.

When God set you free in Christ, He set you free from the impossibility of the law and the inescapability of spiritual death. He justified giving you new life, endowed you with a new heart, and instilled a response-ability to choose to live from your new heart, the wellspring of life. This is what it means to be free in Christ and walk in the Spirit.

As a Believer, you celebrate that you have a relationship with God through Christ. At a basic level, this means you are made right with God. But right-standing only scratches the surface of the implied potential in this relationship.

To be in relationship means the interaction between you and the other individual is vibrant, progressive, mutually respectful, and mutually responsible.

The law could never establish mutuality between God and you. But in Christ, the barrier between God and you is taken out of the way. As a result, God is able to have relationship with you and you with Him.

God stands with arms open wide. He has removed every impediment associated with sin and death and has made you a new person with a new heart. Given this, He stands with open arms. What’s He waiting on?

He’s waiting to see if you will exercise your true freedom and actively engage with Him. Note: Exercising engagement is active and aggressive, proactive and profound. Engagement is not passive. You were not set free to be like a baby bird waiting on Mama-bird pastor to stuff a spiritual worm down your gullet or a parental-type teacher to regurgitate masticated spiritual fare. You were set free to soar, to run in high places, be confident in dark places, and to trust Father with abandon because you are engaging with Him friend-to-friend. Your food is the meat of the Word and its corresponding drink.

Recall Hebrews 5:13-14: “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

The life of true freedom is a life of responsibility. It’s a life that exercises your response-ability to embrace robust relationship. This engagement is imperative to your wellbeing.

True freedom is yours to seize. You may. You may not. What’s in your heart to do?

What does this walk in the Spirit and true freedom look like and how do you step into it? The answer to this is why I wrote Rigorous Grace: Practicing the Life of Jesus. If you haven’t read this book, you can get a copy via this link.