Free to Go

There is an old story that Abraham Lincoln went down to the slave block and saw a girl being auctioned off to the highest bidder.  Lincoln joined in the bidding.  As the slave girl looked at this man bidding on her, she figured he was just another white man, going to buy her and then abuse her. Lincoln won the bid and as he was walking away with his newly purchased property, he said, "Young lady.... you are FREE!"

She said, "What does that mean?"
"It means you are FREE."

"Does that mean," she asked, "that I can say whatever I want to say?"
Lincoln said, "Yes, my dear, you can say whatever you want to say."

"Does that mean," she asked, "that I can be whatever I want to be?"
Lincoln said, "Yes, you can be whatever you want to be."

"Does that mean I can go wherever I want to go?"
He said, "Yes, you can go wherever you want to go."

Then the girl, with tears streaming down her face, said, "Then I will go with YOU."

Jesus said, "Most assuredly,  I say to you,  whoever commits SIN is a 
SLAVE of SIN" (John 8:34).  “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”  (Romans 3:23), therefore all are slaves of sin, under its bondage.  But when sin 
put us on Satan's auction block, Jesus paid the price for our redemption (literally, “bought us back”) with His own blood. "Therefore, IF the Son makes you free, 
you shall be FREE INDEED!" (John 8:36)

Jesus redeems those who accept His offer through:  faith (Acts 16:31), repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confession of Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism (immersion) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  Jesus will CONTINUE to redeem those who will CONTINUE to follow Him (1 John 1:7).

"IN HIM we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). "And He DIED for ALL, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” 
(2 Corinthians 5:15).

When we comprehend the riches of His grace extended to us, we, too, will say, 
"Then I will go with you." 

How can WE not follow a Savior like that?

God bless you!

David A. Sargent, Minister 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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