Freedom is a word that gets…

Tossed around a lot. Especially in an American context. Freedom is the anthem we sing, the banner we wave, and the prize we guard at all costs. But as I listen to the popular narratives surrounding this topic, it seems there’s a real confusion about the word freedom with something else: opportunity.

To be clear: opportunity is a good thing. I’m all for it. And I’m all for governments doing the one thing they were designed for: protecting it. But opportunity—the ability to have and pursue your own beliefs, values, and goals—isn’t the same thing as freedom.

I say that because freedom, according to the Maker and Sustainer of "all things," isn’t about independence (Colossians 1:15-17). It doesn’t come from having more choices or fewer restrictions. Real freedom lives in dependence—on who Jesus is and has always been for us.

Independence vs. Dependence

According to Galatians 5:1: “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.” The slavery Paul talks about here isn’t a reference to "sin" as it is often peddled today. Because the root meaning of "sin," as defined in Roman 14:23, isn't disobedience, but distrust in who God is.

In short, the sin of independence that runs in our veins lives in the idea that freedom is independence. This independence promises control but delivers exhaustion. It sounds like freedom but lives in a striving we weren’t built for, and a control we don’t have.

So the freedom Paul speaks of in Jesus means you don’t have to prove yourself, because He already has. You don’t have to chase significance, because He gives it to you. And you don’t have to bear the weight of your own salvation, because He’s carried it all (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).

Opportunity Isn’t Enough

The problem with mistaking opportunity for freedom is that it leaves us perpetually striving. When freedom is tied to what we do or can achieve, it becomes conditional. We’re only “free” as long as we’re successful.

But what happens when the opportunities dry up, or were never present in the first place, as is true for billions of people around the world? What happens when we fail? That’s not freedom. That’s fear dressed up as freedom.

In contrast, the freedom Jesus offers is radically different from the cultural idea of freedom. It’s not about independence; it’s about union. It’s not about opportunity; it’s about identity.

Jesus doesn’t offer freedom to go your own way; He offers freedom to rest in Him—who is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

This kind of freedom is hard to grasp in a culture that seeks self-reliance. But it’s the only kind of freedom that truly satisfies and exists independently of our circumstances in this temporary life on earth. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

We are free, my friends, to escape the relentless project of self for the rest found in who Jesus already is for us all.

The question is: Are you tired of chasing a freedom that’s always just out of reach? Because the good news is, you don’t have to chase it anymore. Real freedom is already yours in Jesus because it’s based on Him, not you.

It’s time to give freedom its meaning back.