Freedom from Freedom
|| "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:36 ||
"My body, my choice."
"It's my decision. It doesn't affect you."
"It's a free country. I can do what I want."
Our culture loves the idea of freedom. We like the idea of power. Of being whoever we want to be, regardless of what anyone else says we should do. We like being without restraint, without anyone even implying we should act any differently.
freedom; n: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Christians, I think, like to believe that the freedom God offers allows us to do what we want without consequences. Forgiveness is there to catch us, after all. We can live the lifestyle we see fit. Have sex whenever and with whoever we want. Wear clothes that flaunt what we got. Lie. Cheat. Swear.
This kind of freedom is attractive. Sin is attractive. Sin looks good, and, in the moment, feels good. It offers rewards. Sin promises power, popularity, pleasure.
It provides pain.
We demand freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of sexuality, freedom of expression. We want the power, the right, to do whatever we want.
But God doesn't offer us freedom to sin, he offers freedom from sin.
Sin takes us captive. Takes over our thoughts, our actions, our lives. It chews us and spits us out. It lies to us, again and again, tricking us into the chains of slavery it carries. Sin declares freedom from the rooftops. "Live how you want! This will make you happy!"
Jesus reaches down, takes your hand. In the shouting of sin in the street, he doesn't raise his voice to make his point. He meets your eyes and hands you a key.
"Freedom to, or freedom from," he says. "That's your choice."
With the drowning, overwhelming, captivating shouts around us, Jesus doesn't demand our attention. He doesn't yell or scream or shout orders. He offers a choice. Freedom to, or freedom from. He offers a key to the chains that bind us to the desires of the flesh.
God has the power to unlock and break the chains. We have to chose to let him.
In the streets where sin shouts and demands out attention, Jesus offers freedom.
Sin takes us captive. Takes over our thoughts, our actions, our lives. It chews us and spits us out. It lies to us, again and again, tricking us into the chains of slavery it carries. Sin declares freedom from the rooftops. "Live how you want! This will make you happy!"
Jesus reaches down, takes your hand. In the shouting of sin in the street, he doesn't raise his voice to make his point. He meets your eyes and hands you a key.
"Freedom to, or freedom from," he says. "That's your choice."
With the drowning, overwhelming, captivating shouts around us, Jesus doesn't demand our attention. He doesn't yell or scream or shout orders. He offers a choice. Freedom to, or freedom from. He offers a key to the chains that bind us to the desires of the flesh.
God has the power to unlock and break the chains. We have to chose to let him.
In the streets where sin shouts and demands out attention, Jesus offers freedom.
Hey Hadley! I really love the concepts you bring up in this post. It is so true; we - as Christians - can definitely be tempted to use our "freedom" as an excuse to do whatever we want. However, as Paul speaks of in Romans and as you brought up, we are not free to live in sin but free from sin. That makes me think of what else we might be free to. Since we are free from sin, what are we now free to fill our lives up with? With the good things that God's prepared in advance for us to do would definitely be one (Eph. 2:10). It's my prayer that we - as Christians - would be more excited about what we now are free to through God's strength than to continually complain about all the things we "can't." Thanks for the post!
ReplyDelete