Juneteenth commemorates the newfound freedom of an enslaved people. This freedom had been won, but it was concealed from them, and therefore, they could not possess and enjoy it. They simply didn’t know they had been set free.
Similarly, many people today are unaware that a proclamation of freedom was issued 2,000 years ago, inviting all of humanity into a relationship with Christ. This freedom includes forgiveness of their sin debt, resulting in eternal life. It grants access to a hidden realm of heavenly truth. It transforms the recipient into a co-heir with Christ, endowing them with His unsearchable riches.
But what if those to whom the good news of freedom on Juneteenth had been proclaimed refused to believe it was true? They would have continued in their life of bondage, ignorant of the blessings of freedom. The same is true with the proclamation of freedom in Christ.
This freedom is largely indescribable. Like those who celebrated the first Juneteenth, it must be believed before it can be experienced. The proclamation is both familiar and simple: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17).
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