“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
John 8:36 (KJV)
Imagine a little bird that lived its whole life inside a small cage. It peered through the cage wires at the tall mountaintops, wishing to flutter among the clouds. One day, a kind hand reached out to open the cage door wide.
So accustomed to its cage, the little bird stayed inside, thinking it was still a prisoner. Finally, it realized that no wire shadows obscured its view of the shining sun.
Only then did it step out onto the miniature landing, realizing it was free. It lifted its tiny wings in joy and soared as high as it wanted, exploring the world it had never seen when it lived behind the door.
At the cross, Jesus unfastened the door for us to walk in the marvelous light of the freedom He offers. He opened the prison doors of sin and said, “Walk out into My freedom.”
A Turning Point in History
We celebrate the birth of our country on July 4. Our forefathers put the broad principles of civil and religious liberty into writing. However, this legacy of freedom began long before the Declaration of Independence through the courage of pioneers like Roger Williams, who arrived on the shores of the New World in 1631.
The Puritans at the Massachusetts Bay Colony had fled to the New World to escape the tyranny of England. Yet, they maintained that they should still control people’s religious thinking and practice.
Roger Williams, however, was the first in modern Christendom to establish a government on the doctrine of liberty of conscience. He also asserted that the local magistrate and political leaders should never control the soul’s relationship with God.
In October 1635, Roger Williams was convicted of sedition and heresy. In the dead of winter 1636, he fled into the wilderness to found a colony where religious liberty was the fundamental principle. This seed eventually grew into the very heart of the United States Constitution.
Ellen G. White highlighted this foundation, stating, “Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty.”1
However, we must remember that this freedom still comes at a cost and has been often tested.
For example, on July 4, 1863, during the Civil War, the nation witnessed a massive turning point with the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The decisive Union victory effectively split the Confederacy in half and gave the North complete control of the Mississippi River.2
This July 4, 2026, as well as many others in the last 250 years, remind us that while the Declaration of Independence asserts that all men are created equal, the struggle to maintain that liberty requires constant vigilance. Our pioneers understood that while civil liberty is precious enough to die for, religious liberty is the most sacred of all inalienable rights.
As we recognize that America may still be considered the pinnacle of freedom by the world, we must ask ourselves: Are we truly free? Think of the little bird that stayed in its cage, even after the door was opened, because it had become so accustomed to its bondage. In the same way, many of us live as captives to our habits and sin, even though Christ has already proclaimed our liberty.
Second Corinthians 3:17 tells us: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."3 Indeed, true individual liberty only comes when the Spirit of God dwells in the heart.
Freedom WITHIN the Law
Some think freedom means having no rules, but there is no such thing as liberty in sin. In John 8:34, Jesus told the Jews: “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.”4 The law of God is actually a “perfect law of liberty” that points us to our need for a Savior.
True freedom is not found in escaping the law, but in having the Spirit write that law in our hearts so that we find delight in doing what is right. We are made free from disobedience, not free to disobey. This is the genuine principle of liberty—a liberty actuated by love.
Call to Action
God is the author of both our intelligence and our freedom to choose, and He will never invade our will or force us to serve Him. He stands at the prison door of our hearts today and cries, “Liberty!” The victory has already been won, and the prison doors have been flung wide open. What are we waiting for?
Will you choose to stay in the shadows of the past, or will you walk out into the glorious sunlight of God’s freedom?
Yield your will to the One who loves
you most. Choose this day whom you will serve (see Joshua 24:15). Accept the
gift of the Son, and you shall be free indeed!
- Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), 441.
- “Vicksburg,” American Battlefield Trust, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/vicksburg, accessed June 29, 2026.
- New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
- Ibid.
