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“My Country, ’Tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing,”
wrote Samuel Francis Smith.

We have been entrusted with freedom at such a cost. The Preamble to the Declaration of
Independence states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As we celebrate our nation’s independence, it is good to think about what it means to be truly free. Freedom means many things to many people. To some, it means freedom from dictatorship, freedom from kings ruling over us, freedom to exercise religion, freedom from religion, freedom of speech, etc. Jesus said about Himself: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). What was Jesus talking about? Jesus wanted us to think about something much deeper. Everyone is born into this world with an inner sense that there is more to life than what is seen around them. We have deep desires to be accepted, to be valued, to be treated fairly, and to see justice. Where does this come from? It is not something learned in school. From the youngest to the oldest, there is an inner longing to be something more.

Can money, fame, cars,
and prestige satisfy us?

Sadly, we see that those who have these things still feel empty, and many try to find happiness in drugs, alcohol, sex, gender transitions, relationships, or other things. Men and women need more than temporary happiness. What is stopping a person from finding true fulfillment in life?

Jesus met a woman at a well who was searching for something more (John 4). She had tried to find satisfaction in this world and in relationships, and she had come to draw water because she was thirsty. She had been married five times and was living with another man. She realized that Jesus, who was speaking with her, was no ordinary man, for He knew the deepest longing of her heart. She was free on the outside, yet still bound by the emptiness within. That emptiness, for all of us, exists because we are not born into this world in a right relationship with God. God is holy (perfect in truth and free from evil), created all things, and gave the first man and woman a choice to love Him willingly. But Adam and Eve disobeyed God, bringing upon us all the misery, crime, famine, and death we see around us (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12). The Bible states, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). No one is perfect before God, and death is part of our reality. When God said in the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16), He showed His desire for truthfulness at all times. We are not only forbidden to lie, but even to have wrong motives in what we say. God also said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14), meaning not only the act itself, but even looking with lust, which Jesus said is adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:28). Likewise, we must not take God’s name in vain, which includes using it as a curse word (Exodus 20:7). The Bible states, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). In other words, sin is the breaking of God’s law. And we are all guilty before God, for there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10-18). God, who is love, is also holy and cannot look upon sin without judging it. We expect human judges to be fair when they pass judgment on someone who has committed a crime. How much more, then, will God judge perfectly? Nothing escapes His eye or ear. He sees and hears all that we do against His goodness, and He cannot turn a blind eye to our sin.

But the reason we do wrong is because of who we are—sinners. Sin is in our nature, and the only way we can be made right with God is for Him to change us from the inside out. Only He can change our wicked hearts and give us new hearts. The Bible states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We may try to cover our sin with good works, religion, baptism, charity, or other efforts to earn favor, but in the sight of God, our righteousness (what we can do) is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Such things can never gain entrance into His heaven, which is pure and without sin.

The Bible states, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This is not just about physical death. After death comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27), and if we remain in our sin, we will be cast into a literal place called Hell. But Jesus came to bring us to God. He was God manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), and only He could pay for our sins. He did this on the cross when He died to bear the full punishment for our sin, though He Himself never sinned. He took upon Himself the wrath of God, being made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). The innocent died for the guilty so that the guilty might be set free. And God, who is righteous and cannot declare the guilty innocent, can cleanse anyone who sees themselves as a sinner, undone before God, is willing to repent (to turn from sin, realizing that we have offended a good God), and calls for the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. The Bible says that His blood can wash away our sin and make us clean (1 John 1:7-9). God promises to give a new heart to those who trust in Jesus, a heart that loves Him and desires true holiness.

The woman at the well came to see that this world could never satisfy her, and she heard these words from Jesus: “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again,” meaning that the world can never satisfy. He continued, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).

My dear reader, what is it that you are longing for? I am not talking about merely believing in Jesus as someone who lived in history, praying a prayer, being baptized, praying the rosary, belonging to a church, or being a faithful follower of “Christianity.” Jesus did not come to form a religion, but to bring us to God and restore our broken relationship with Him, our Creator. When the woman came to understand this, she cast aside her efforts to earn God’s favor and threw herself upon the mercy of God. God met her need and changed her from the inside out. She “left her waterpot,” went into the city, and declared God’s goodness. Her life was changed forever. What about you?

Have you thought about eternity?

What happens after you die? Are you merely an accident, an alien experiment, or were you created with purpose? These are not small questions, and they deserve more than what this world can offer.

If you feel that you need something more than religion, if you want freedom from sin, from who you are, and from what sin is doing to destroy your life, then come to Jesus. If you truly believe what Jesus said—“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)—and you want this freedom, then come to Him. Turn from all your own “righteousness,” cast it at His feet, tell Him that you deserve Hell, and cry out to Him for mercy. He is a good God and will never turn away anyone who comes to Him. Get a Bible and start by reading the personal account of the disciple John, the Gospel of John, who God inspired to write an eyewitness testimony of what he saw Jesus do and why He came. Ask God to show you your standing before Him, and He will meet your need.

My friend, we do not live in this world forever. At some point, we must face death. Are you ready to meet God? Do you want to be free? Jesus Christ will set you free, so go to Him—not merely to His teachings, but to the Person of Christ. When you humble yourself before Him, He will meet you and do what only He can do: make you a child of God, so that you may be truly free.

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