Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Christian freedom can often be a difficult concept to grasp. On the one hand, man has been set free from the law of sin and of death, but on the other, he has entered into the slavery of God and His righteousness. On the one hand, our freedom has taken us out from under the subjection of earthly figures, yet on the other hand, it compels us to respect authority and to “pay unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” This paradox is with us only as long as we remain in the flesh; true freedom exists in man’s spirit and has nothing to do with the outward appearance.
Christ’s death and resurrection is the source and the foundation of Christian freedom. The soul that is not justified from the wrath of God will never experience freedom from its sin. This justification is accomplished only by the free and gracious gift, offered in love by God, and accepted in faith by man. Because Christians receive their justification from nothing more than faith, their bondage to the law is counted void. That which once revealed their sin and only lead them to death, is now dead itself. Because faith justifies man before God, the works of the law are no longer holding him captive.
Christian freedom, however, does not give one the liberty to sin. This new creation is now made part of a royal priesthood and must resemble its High Priest. This priesthood is not made known to others by wearing the vestments of the law, but by doing the works of the Spirit of righteousness. Freedom in Christ includes the duty to act as a priest and the command to pray for one another in the example of Christ. Christian freedom places one in an active state of being, rather than a passive. We are subject to nothing, having nobility over even the law, yet striving to serve all men in love.