Authentic Freedom

The New Testament portrays Jesus Christ as the supreme liberator and the Christian life as a life of freedom. Jesus himself had said to some believing Jews, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). But what is Christian freedom? It begins with emancipation from the awful bondage of having to win our salvation by obedience to the law. It includes freedom from guilt and a guilty conscience, the unutterable joy of forgiveness, acceptance and access to God, and the whole experience of mercy without merit. But Christian freedom is not freedom from all restrictions and restraints.

First, it is not freedom to indulge our fallen, self-centered nature. "You, my brothers, were called to be free," Paul wrote. "But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature" (Gal. 5:13). So our freedom in Christ is not to be used as a pretext for self-indulgence. For if we live in the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (v.16).

Secondly, Christian freedom is not freedom to exploit our neighbor. Rather, "serve one another in love" (v. 13). There is a powerful paradox here. So far from having liberty to ignore, neglect, or abuse our neighbors, we are commanded to love them and through love to serve them. So from one point of view Christian freedom is a form of slavery - not slavery to our selfish nature but to our neighbor. We are free in relation to God but slaves in relation to each other.

Thirdly, Christian freedom is not freedom to disregard the law, for "the entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself' " (v. 14). The apostle does not say that if we love our neighbor, we can dispense with the law but that we fulfill it.

Authentic freedom is not freedom to indulge our fallen nature but to control it, not freedom to exploit our neighbors but to serve them, and not freedom to disregard the law but to fulfill it.

See you tonight - week one of "The Impressionist!"

pcraig