Free At Last

The Bible is clear, we were all born into slavery to sin.  We act sinfully because we are conceived and reared under its power and influence.  It's a wicked and cruel master and it owns us until freedom comes.  Moreover, we do not have the power or ability to free ourselves from its lawful deed to our lives.  But praise be to God, Jesus delivers us and has won our emancipation through His shed blood upon the cross.  It's not that Jesus makes some anemic offer to become our new master, instead, He delivers us from the evil master, trumps his claims of ownership, and we become joyfully indentured to His Lordship, gratefully submitted to His will, and gladly we let Him take His awl and pierce our ears.  How beautiful His redemption!  Jesus said in John 8:34-36: "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (NIV)  So the rendering by God goes even further--we are not just freed from sin, not just made His bondservants, but made His very own sons and daughters through blood-bought adoption!  "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"