Going to heaven is based solely upon having a relationship with Christ; one in which you place your total trust in Him. This relationship also involves rules you live by and guidelines that make you more godly. A tennis player isn’t free to play tennis if there is no baseline to let him or her know whether the ball is ‘in or out’. A football or rugby player isn’t free to play without a touchline. A netball player is not free to play netball without boundary lines. You cannot be truly free without restraints. For example, a fish is not free to wander through the jungle, and a lion is not free to dwell in the ocean. Neither was made for that. Freedom is having the benefits accumulate to you that you were created to receive. Freedom doesn’t mean no boundaries. Freedom ‘in Christ’ means that within the right boundaries, you get to experience ‘life more abundant’ (see John 10:10). James writes, ‘If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says…God will bless you for doing it.’ In 1215, the Magna Carta was signed by King John. It protected individual rights and civil liberties, while at the same time asserting that no one, not even the king, was above the law. Today, it stands as a symbol of justice and freedom within the law, reminding you that when you’re in the UK, you can have freedom – as long as you agree to stay within the rules.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.