On Freedom: What Does Liberty Mean in the Bible?
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For much of my life, I wrestled with the concept of freedom. I believed that true freedom meant living without constraints, having no obligations, and following my own will. The world tells us that freedom is the absence of restriction, that human beings should be able to pursue their desires without limits. The Declaration of Independence itself speaks of the “pursuit of happiness” as an unalienable right. Yet, despite chasing worldly freedom, I found myself bound—enslaved to my own needs and wants.
In fact, I set out to write an article about how important freedom is to me and how I want others to live in freedom as well. But through research and prayer, Jesus revealed to me that the world’s concept of freedom is an illusion.
Love Over Desire
What I thought was liberty was actually the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). That is to say that what we think of as freedom today is not true freedom. It is not the ability to do whatever we want (Gal 5:17), in fact doing whatever we want can be hurtful, abusive, and addictive (Gal 5:15).
Instead, we are called not to use our freedom to indulge the flesh (our desires or instincts), but rather to serve one another in love (Gal 5:13). The antidote to living for the flesh and doing what our primal instincts call us to, is to walk in the Spirit, as the flesh and Spirit contradict each other. So the opposite of worldly freedom is what Scripture says is true freedom, to be people of love. What better example of this than Jesus, a person who gave up His life and His authority to die in a humiliating and excruciating way for us. He stepped down from heaven and was stripped of all His dignity. All by His choice and in service of love.
The World’s View of Freedom vs. True Freedom in Christ
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32).
What is the truth that Jesus is talking about? The world defines freedom as an absence of all constraints, a self-assertion that says, I do what I want, and no one can tell me otherwise. But this kind of freedom is deceptive. Desires contradict each other.
Think of the classic example of someone who wants to become healthier, but isn’t willing to give up certain foods that hinder their progress. If I eat whatever I want, I may enjoy temporary satisfaction, but I sacrifice my long-term health. While I may have to say no to my morning donut, denying that desire frees me to live a life of physical ease in my healthy body, which most would say is worth the sacrifice.
As Tim Keller puts it, we must sift through our desires to find the ones that are truly liberating. True freedom comes from choosing the right constraints—the ones that align with God’s reality.
We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin (Romans 6:6-7).
We are not free when we indulge every whim; we are free when we are no longer ruled by our desires and we truly can choose the way that builds character and growth, forming us into mature people of love. Usually that growth means some form of discipline (or restriction).
The Illusion of Freedom in Work
For a long time, I believed that true freedom meant only doing work that I was passionate about. If a job felt meaningless or uninspiring, I resisted it. I thought work should serve me and my desires. But over time, I realized that I had made an idol out of my work. My identity was wrapped up in what I did, and when I wasn’t performing well, I felt worthless. I wasn’t working for God or for the benefit of others—I was working for the benefit of myself. And because my identity depended on my success, I often hurt others in the process. John Mark Comer calls that a disordered desire. Loving my work is not a bad thing, but it becomes bad when it takes priority over more important things, like loving God first and loving people second. True freedom aligns with self denial rather than selfishness.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).
Work is not about self-fulfillment; it is about serving God. When I surrendered my right to self-determination and acknowledged that I am not God, I found freedom. I didn’t have to prove my worth through my work anymore. Jesus had already given me worth. This freed me to not have to search for the perfect job or go against my personal value of work aligning with passions. It freed me up to do any kind of work that was needed, to do it in service of God and for the benefit of others. It felt like I moved from scarcity and wheel spinning to abundance and possibility.
Freedom in Relationship
Another area where I misunderstood freedom was in relationships. The world tells us that true freedom means being independent, not answering to anyone, and making decisions solely for ourselves. But relationships—whether friendships, marriage, or community—require sacrifice. Tim Keller says that there is nothing more freeing than being in a loving relationship, but the more intimate it gets, the more we must give up our independence.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5:13-14).
True freedom is not about living selfishly but about learning to serve. Freedom will strangle you if you aren’t willing to give it up in relationships.
The Cost of True Freedom
Jesus is the ultimate example of true freedom. He gave up His freedom to save us.
Scripture tells us that Jesus, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)
We often resist God’s commands because we think they limit us. But His commands are like the instructions for a well-designed car—when we follow them, we operate as we were meant to. When we try to live by our own rules, we go against our design. But when we submit to God’s design, we experience true freedom.
Living in True Freedom
To summarize, what does freedom mean in the Bible?
God tells a different story about freedom—one not of self-indulgence, but of the freedom Christ gives. Which, turns out, is to deny our fleshly desires (food, sex, money, fame, etc.) and live the ultimate freedom which is a life well lived, full of love, patience, kindness, generosity, sacrifice, etc. One where our deepest desires are fulfilled, to know and to love God.
Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life (Romans 6:22).
True freedom is not doing whatever we want—it is doing what we were made for. It is surrendering to God’s will and trusting that His ways are better than ours. (Prov 3:5-6)
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).
When Jesus is our identity, we no longer have to grasp for control. We can simply live, knowing that we are already free in Him.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)
