January 5

If the Son shall make you free. - John 8:36.

THIS supposes a previous state of bondage. And the bondage from which the Son of God delivers us is twofold.

First, The bondage of condemnation. Sin always binds over the offender to penalty. Now no one by nature is free from this bondage-“Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law, to do them.” And who has ever done this? “There is none righteous, no, not one.” But who can lay open the contents of this curse? “Who knoweth,” says the Psalmist, “the power of thine anger: even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.” The apprehension of this wrath is tremendously awful, but the doom will far surpass the dread. There is the bondage, where is the Deliverer? The Son makes us free. He does this by his cross-by sacrifice, by ransom, by substitution, by “redeeming us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,” by “bearing our sins in his own body on the tree.”

Secondly, There is the bondage of corruption. This takes in-the tyranny exercised over us by all our Spiritual enemies. We talk of liberty, “but of what a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage.” Is he free who is the servant of sin-who is taken captive by the devil at his will-who hangs his hopes and fears upon the course of this world-who is governed, not by the convictions of his own mind, but by the smiles and frowns of his fellow-travellers, and approves better things and follows worse? There is the bondage; where is the Deliverer? The Son makes us free. He does this by his grace-by the undeserved and powerful agency of the Holy Spirit; and everything else will prove ineffectual.

The slave of sin resolves to escape; but attempting it in his own strength, he is overtaken, and is “tied and bound by the chain of his sin” faster than before. But when He who proclaims liberty to the captive comes and cries, “Loose him and let him go,” the poor captive is released-his fetters fall off-he gazes on his Deliverer, he melts into tears of sorrow, gratitude, and joy -he kneels, and asks, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” And he rises and says, “I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.” There is the bondage, there the Deliverer.