It's Not Cheap to be Free

Someone had to die for you to be free.

Image from Canva.

Have you ever researched how many American lives were lost in major wars?

Here’s a list I found from Statista.com:

Screen capture from Statista.

Today on July 4, the United States of America celebrates our independence as a nation. But as you can see from the chart above, that independence cost 25,000 American lives.

The Civil War maintained the unity of our country and won the freedom of many slaves - and it cost this nation dearly. Some 620,000 troops lost their lives in that war.

Freedom is not free or cheap.

The red color on our flag stands for “hardiness and valor. Valor means great courage in the face of danger, especially battle” (showallegiance.com).

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The red color on the U.S. flag is a reminder that “some gave all.” Freedom is not cheap. Even our flag is a reminder of that fact.

“With the precious blood of Christ”

Peter reminded Christians that our “freedom” did not come cheap.

…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

“The precious blood of Christ” set us free from sin. The one who “knew no sin” died in our place “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Sinless One died in the place of the sinful ones (1 Peter 2:21-24) so that we might be set free from sin (Romans 6:3-7) and live for God.

If you are a Christian, you have been freed from the captivity of sin - but that freedom was not cheap. It cost the Son of God His life. Thank God that it was not possible for death to maintain its grip on Him! (Acts 2:22-24).

It is through Jesus Christ - the Destroyer of death itself (1 Corinthians 15:24-26) - that we have the victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

And that is something worth celebrating.

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Today on July 4, we are thankful for our independence and for all those who served and sacrificed their lives so that we might be free.

But as great as their sacrifice was, there is one who paid an even greater price - and I hope we will always be thankful and rejoice in Jesus Christ, the one who has purchased our freedom with His own blood.