The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me
To bring good news to the humble;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
Isaiah 61:1

Freedom means something to those who are captive. People who are already free, or at least believe themselves to be, do not appreciate it in the same way that someone who is imprisoned will. That perspective matters.

When we were slaves to sin, we needed to first be shown what freedom was before we could believe that our chains were real. If we desire to help others who are in captivity now, we must first establish with them an acknowledgement of their captive state in order to show them the ways that Jesus can save them. We must show sympathy, having been in that state ourselves.

When that moment comes, however, and their chains are gone, the one who has just become free will be able to experience a deeper freedom and truly understand the good news.

Ethan Kirl

Originally Published April 13, 2021