“For Freedom Christ has set us free.” Paul shares these words to the church in Galatia. What is that freedom? And how does being set free, free us? What does freedom look like in our lives? We may find the answers in the bits of Paul’s letters that follow. He speaks of letting love reign in our lives, obeying the truth, being cautious in the use of freedom, living by the Spirit (not obeying the passions of the body). And if we do these, God will bear fruit in our lives… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Fruit comes after hard work. Freedom comes as a result of discipline.
This is a good reminder for us as we celebrate our nation’s freedom, namely, that freedom did not come without hard work, discipline, sacrifice. Think of our founding father’s signatures on the Declaration of Independence. They were not pushing papers, or signing an insignificant document to be filed away and never read. They were signing their lives! It was in some sense a Book of Life for them.
As Christians we believe in a Book of Life—the book of eternal life. Our names are written in it when we come to faith in Christ. The hard work and sacrifice of God’s Son Jesus made all this possible. As a result, we enjoy freedom. And in our response to Christ, we live in freedom. For freedom Christ has set us free. Perhaps the words of Elton Trueblood may give us some things to consider about freedom…
“In the conduct of one’s own life it is soon obvious, as many have learned the hard way, that empty freedom is a snare and a delusion. In following what comes naturally or easily, life simply ends in confusion, and in consequent disaster. Without the discipline of time, we spoil the next day the night before, and without the discipline of prayer, we are likely to end by having practically no experience of the divine-human encounter. However compassionate we may be with others, we dare not be soft or indulgent with ourselves. Excellence [and freedom] comes at a price, and one of the major prices is that of inner control.”
Blessings in the freedom of Christ,
JON
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