It
was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm
and
do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
We easily refer to
ourselves as a freedom loving people. Despite the fact that we aspire to
freedom in our personal lives, and defend freedom among the nations of the
world, still there is something about freedom that makes us uncomfortable.
It's not that we mind being free ourselves, it's
mainly the thought of what others would do with their freedom if they had
it. We certainly don't want our children
wandering the streets with the sense that anything goes. We don't really believe that the teachers in
our public schools should be free to teach anything they want to teach or
promote any idea they want to promote.
Television and radio producers should not be free to broadcast any
material they choose to broadcast, after all, there are certain limits to what
can appear on our television screens.
So, though we are a freedom loving people, we are quick to say there
ought to be certain limits upon our freedom.
In the scripture above, even
Paul in his letter to the Galatians seems to backtrack from the implications of
what his own words clearly attest. For though he makes the flat-out declaration
in chapter five of Galatians, "for freedom alone, Christ has set us free."
Just a few verses later in verse 13 we find him trying to qualify and
circumscribe the scope of our freedom. "Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the
flesh."
For though it is true that you are no longer
"under the law," as Paul puts it, still he has a long list of
behaviors in verses 19-21 we are to avoid: namely, "fornication, impurity,
licentiousness ... enmity, jealousy, anger." Having declared that it is for freedom and
freedom alone that God has set us free, the apostle Paul immediately proceeds
to tell us what we may not do in the
name of freedom. Sounds like the law sneaking into freedom's house through the
back door to me! We quickly try to define freedom, confine it, limit it and
control it. And there we are back to law where we are more comfortable.
Ironically freedom is something we are prepared to
fight for and if necessary even to die for, but once we have achieved it, we're
all too anxious about the consequences of our victory. For the truth is, we don't really trust either
others or ourselves to appreciate or handle freedom when we've found it. Freedom is a dangerous thing for those who
are not concerned with the consequences of the abuse of their freedom. God does want us to enjoy our freedom,
responsibly.
We are only free when we allow God to freely come to
help us and we gratefully and joyfully trust His help instead of becoming
slaves of the law. When we turn to a
yoke of slavery, we have wasted His beautiful gift to us. We can live joyfully free lives, basking in
His mercy and grace because Christ has set us free.
Scripture to Claim:
Therefore,
since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
