Free in Christ

As we approach the celebration of American independence, July 4, freedom from the tyranny of British rule wasn’t a promise of individual independence. It would take a great combined effort, on the part of the colonists and others who supported their cause, to bring about freedom. Even with the establishment of the United States, there is a common law, our Constitution, to which we must be subject to have the liberty we enjoy. Everyone doing only what they want as individuals, without any concern for others, is not freedom, but anarchy. While it seems like an oxymoron today, to truly be free we must be willing to submit to those principles of life that allow us to live free.

One person has expressed it this way. “Freedom does not mean the absence of constraints or moral absolutes. Suppose a skydiver at 10,000 feet announces to the rest of the group, ‘I’m not using a parachute this time. I want freedom!’ The fact is that a skydiver is constrained by a greater law—the law of gravity. But when the skydiver chooses the ‘constraint’ of the parachute, he or she is free to enjoy the exhilaration. God’s moral laws act the same way; they restrain, but they are absolutely necessary to enjoy the exhilaration of real freedom.”

Paul reminded the Galatians, “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). It’s by living within the limits of the gospel that we have freedom from sin, are transformed in the image of Christ, and live in the blessings God abundantly provides. Christ lived in submission to the will of the Father to set us free; it is within His will that we experience freedom. Living outside the confines of the gospel places us in sin, and sin only brings destruction and death. In writing of false teachers who advocated immorality as a legitimate lifestyle in Christ, Peter wrote, “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them” (2 Pet. 2:19). Speak to anyone who has had to deal with alcoholism, drug addiction, or any other vice that constantly appeals to the desires of the flesh, and freedom isn’t how they would describe what they’re experiencing. Such is a lie of Satan. This is why Peter urges us, “As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil” (1 Pet. 2:16).

The American Revolution could not have accomplished what it did, in bringing our nation into existence, if every colonist did as they pleased. The freedom they gained was achieved through sacrifice and commitment to a common goal. So it is for our freedom spiritually in Christ. We are part of the body of Christ to be a blessing, as well as to be blessed. We are called to serve, and in doing so find our talents develop, and gain joy and peace. We are to let go of ourselves, that we can find all God offers. As we remember the price paid for our nation’s liberty, remember the price paid for our liberty from sin by Jesus Christ, and what submission to Him frees us to be, His children, and frees us to have, eternal life. “For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love” (Gal. 5:13).

Robert Johnson