"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
This past Monday, the United States of America celebrated the date on which the original signing of the Declaration of Independence was signed. That document declared the freedom of the original 13 colonies from the authority of the British, and continues to be celebrated at the date on which a nation was born.
That is an important kind of freedom to celebrate. While it is easy to say that such an event changed the world, it rings no less true. Granted, the freedom we have as Americans is something that many in the world wish was also theirs, and at times we take such freedom for granted. But for a moment, I want to change the foundation of our thoughts on this word FREEDOM.
In the context of our nation, the word freedom essentially has come to mean, "I can do what I want." Yes, there is a particular kind of freedom in that. It's one that comes into conflict with the needs of the good of the society quite often, but it is still freedom. We can choose what we want to do, and there are relatively few restrictions on it.
That's a worldly kind of freedom, and one that greatly appeals to our sinful nature. Our sinful nature does not want to be told what to do, whether by governments or by God (and even by those we love the most, too!). Such freedom, when allowed to become the focus of life, ends up allowing almost every sinful impulse a forum in which it can be practiced. And rarely is that for the good of others, or even ourselves.
Yet, the freedom that Jesus has purchased for us is a far different freedom. It's not a freedom to do whatever we want. It is, instead, a freedom to return to the original design with which God created us. Rather than a self serving freedom, it is a freedom to rejoice that we are free from God's wrath, which frees us to love our neighbors without restraint. It's very similar to something that Martin Luther wrote a number of years ago, when he wrote that the Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant to everyone. We are free to do what is for their good, what will bring them closer to their Savior and their God, and to know that they are loved and valued by God, set free from their flawed sinfulness.
That freedom doesn't look to the good of the individual, but to the good of the neighbor. And that is a profound difference when it comes to how we live out our freedom. Instead of asking how the freedom affects my rights, we instead focus on how my freedom affects others in their relationship with Christ Jesus. I dare say that, were we to really change our thinking in that way, we might find that our support on certain issues of the day would change radically.
That's because freedom looks to the good of the neighbor, even when it comes at the expense of our own selves. That's the freedom we have in Jesus, who looked to our good, even at the expense of His own self. For that, we are immensely thankful to our God in our Lord, Jesus Christ.
This past Monday, the United States of America celebrated the date on which the original signing of the Declaration of Independence was signed. That document declared the freedom of the original 13 colonies from the authority of the British, and continues to be celebrated at the date on which a nation was born.
That is an important kind of freedom to celebrate. While it is easy to say that such an event changed the world, it rings no less true. Granted, the freedom we have as Americans is something that many in the world wish was also theirs, and at times we take such freedom for granted. But for a moment, I want to change the foundation of our thoughts on this word FREEDOM.
In the context of our nation, the word freedom essentially has come to mean, "I can do what I want." Yes, there is a particular kind of freedom in that. It's one that comes into conflict with the needs of the good of the society quite often, but it is still freedom. We can choose what we want to do, and there are relatively few restrictions on it.
That's a worldly kind of freedom, and one that greatly appeals to our sinful nature. Our sinful nature does not want to be told what to do, whether by governments or by God (and even by those we love the most, too!). Such freedom, when allowed to become the focus of life, ends up allowing almost every sinful impulse a forum in which it can be practiced. And rarely is that for the good of others, or even ourselves.
Yet, the freedom that Jesus has purchased for us is a far different freedom. It's not a freedom to do whatever we want. It is, instead, a freedom to return to the original design with which God created us. Rather than a self serving freedom, it is a freedom to rejoice that we are free from God's wrath, which frees us to love our neighbors without restraint. It's very similar to something that Martin Luther wrote a number of years ago, when he wrote that the Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant to everyone. We are free to do what is for their good, what will bring them closer to their Savior and their God, and to know that they are loved and valued by God, set free from their flawed sinfulness.
That freedom doesn't look to the good of the individual, but to the good of the neighbor. And that is a profound difference when it comes to how we live out our freedom. Instead of asking how the freedom affects my rights, we instead focus on how my freedom affects others in their relationship with Christ Jesus. I dare say that, were we to really change our thinking in that way, we might find that our support on certain issues of the day would change radically.
That's because freedom looks to the good of the neighbor, even when it comes at the expense of our own selves. That's the freedom we have in Jesus, who looked to our good, even at the expense of His own self. For that, we are immensely thankful to our God in our Lord, Jesus Christ.
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