In Christ We Have True Freedom
This week is the Fourth of July – the day we celebrate our freedom as Americans! We will shoot off fireworks, wear red, white, and blue, and feast on anything that can be covered in ketchup and cooked on the grill. Freedom is not something to take for granted and we are blessed as Americans to live in this country! As followers of Jesus, we have an even greater freedom to celebrate every single day – that is the freedom we have in Christ. Our freedom as Americans and our Freedom as followers of Jesus look very different from one another, though. Our freedom as Americans is political and social which very much shapes our culture of freedom that shouts, “Be who you want to be! Live your truth! Live your most authentic life!” Freedom with Christ goes much deeper than democracy and culture, though, as it is a spiritual freedom that delivers us from death and sin. Freedom in Christ calls us to die to our flesh, to submit to God’s Word, and to live within the gracious boundary lines He has set before us. While the American version of freedom might sound more appealing, freedom in Christ is what brings life, holiness, and longer lasting joy. Freedom in our culture looks like a parent who sends their toddler off on their own at a big amusement park: “Have fun!” they call out as their toddler waddles out aimlessly and vulnerably among energetic crowds, flashing lights, and big rides. This freedom can lead to a lot of danger, and ultimately, death. Freedom with Christ looks like a parent who clings tightly to his toddler’s hand, even when the little one wants to go off on His own, because he knows what is best for him. God is our loving Father, the Creator of all things good and holy – He is where true freedom is found.
We Are Born in Chains
You cannot be set free unless you are first entrapped or enslaved by something. We are born into enslavement to our flesh, sin, and death. When we put our faith in Jesus and commit to following Him, we go from death to life. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, but this does not mean we are invincible towards our flesh and sin and naturally live in freedom. We can know Jesus and still choose enslavement to our flesh over freedom in the spirit. In this life, we have three things working against our true freedom: the world, our flesh, and the Enemy. John Mark Comer in his book, Live No Lies, puts it this way: “[The] working theory of the devil’s strategy [is this]: deceitful ideas that play into disordered desires that are normalized in a sinful society” (Comer, 2021). The Enemy’s ultimate goal is to convince us that there is a better life to be lived outside of God’s promises and presence. This is the oldest trick in the book (Literally! He convinced Eve of this only three chapters into Genesis!), and he continues to reuse it day after day in each of our lives. As seemingly smart and prideful as we are – is that just me? – we are quite susceptible to the lies that feed our flesh and desires – the things that may feel pleasurable, comforting, and even exciting but that lead to further entrapment. Our lives, when tied to our flesh, look no different than the tired and discouraged unbeliever. This is also part of the Enemy’s plotting. If unbelievers look at the church and see a people that are not encouraged, full of hate, undisciplined, and unfaithful, why would they want to know the Jesus we claim to know and believe in? So, if we want to live a free life and we want others to see this freedom, but we have the Enemy scheming against us, the world cheering our sinful desires on, and a flesh that is quick to fulfill its own wishes, how do we live a truly free life? It begins and ends with Jesus, which means walking in faithful submission to His beautiful blueprints and boundaries of love.
Christ Sets Us Free
“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at the same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered… I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love” (Galatians 5:1-6, MSG).
When we submit to God and live in this full dependence and surrender day by day, we will find true freedom. Although submission doesn’t sound like freedom, it feels like it when you know the goodness and peace that’s found in the arms of the One who created life itself. When we wait expectantly, rely on God, and see everything through the lens of His Spirit and Word, that is when we will live a free life. Like the passage in Galatians says, we will only sabotage and squander this freedom when we try to find it within ourselves – we will always end up disappointed at best and completely hopeless at worst. Psalm 16:4 (CSB) says, “The sorrows of those who take another god for themselves will multiply; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips.” If we have idols in our lives, our sorrows will multiply not necessarily at the hands of God, but at the hands of all the small gods we serve (our comfort, pleasure, alcohol, lust, etc.) because they are not big enough to fulfill our longing; they cannot provide the freedom only found in Christ. We will always be left discouraged, longing for more, and farther from the true source of peace. Freedom begins with submitting to God because He is the Creator of life and all things good and holy. Why would He want to keep good things from us? When we submit to God, we will know true freedom. This doesn’t mean it will always be easy – it might never be easy – but it will always lead to life.
True Freedom Is Found in Good Boundaries
Psalm 16:6 is one of my favorite verses. It says, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” As followers of Jesus, we are like a herd of beloved sheep in a pasture rolling with green hills and crystal waters. Our loving Shepherd has put His blood, sweat, and tears into building a protective fence, post by post, so that we can know where His loving limits are for our lives. When we live to follow Jesus, He sets boundaries for our lives which come from His character of infinite knowledge and endless love. Some of God’s boundaries are very clear through the Bible, and there are others that seem to be gray areas. I know I have had struggles, and I question whether something is right or wrong, and the Bible didn’t give me a clear, concrete answer on the specifics. But I have learned that the question shouldn’t be, “How far can I go?” but, “What best honors God?” If there’s a question whether it’s right or wrong, we might already know the answer just based on this question alone. We want to love Him in the way that He loves us – wholeheartedly and sacrificially – and this means running from anything that has even a chance of turning into full blown sin. He has set us free, and we don’t want to use this freedom to run back to enslavement! We can live in true freedom, and this leads to a life of joy and authentic love that the world around us can clearly see. Living in our culture’s definition of freedom means we have the freedom to… The freedom to give in to the desires of our flesh and fall victim to their lack of fulfillment. The freedom to talk how we want – to complain and react in anger and gossip. We’re free to compare and envy and continue searching for new forms of temporary gratification. We’re free to find passing comfort in vices and addictions. We’re free to live in a vicious cycle of indulgence, guilt, and disappointment. We’re free to run like a toddler amid the chaotic carnival of life – free to eat all the sweets, ride all the rides that are too big for our safety, and stay up all night long. Living in God’s definition of freedom – true freedom – means we live free from… We’re free from our sin and death. We’re free from guilt and shame. We’re free from the pressures to please men and this world. We’re free from a life of frivolity. We’re free from the expectation to know everything and be everything and uphold everything. We’re free from the wreckage of our own flesh, the power of the Enemy, and the influence of the world. When we have life found in Jesus, we have true freedom – and that is something to celebrate!
Further Resources:
Live No Lies by John Mark Comer
Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters by Tim Keller
Sources:
Comer, J. M. (2021). Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace. WaterBrook.