What a Child of the 50's and 60's Has Learned About "Freedom in Christ."
How I learned to overcome the chains of daily life.
What does it mean to live in the kind of freedom that Jesus Christ offers?
In Paul's letter to the saints in Galatia, Paul compares the progeny of Isaac with those of Ishmael. Isaac, according to Paul, was born to a free woman and therefore represents the lineage of freedom available to all who are in Christ. Ishmael, on the other hand, was born to a slave woman, and represents a lineage of spiritual bondage. This leads Paul to proclaim in Galatians 5:1 (NIV):
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
As I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s of the last century, I understood, within the context of whatever fledgling faith and intellect I had, that God was good, and Satan was evil. Although I was raised under the influence of a home heralding Christian values and religious weekly attendance in a Protestant church, I was never taught that I was born in sin and needed a Savior. I was effectually a slave to my wrong-doing - always feeling guilty when I messed up, and looking over my shoulder to see if anyone, including God, was watching! It wasn’t until I was 26 years old that God, through the grace and gentle wooing of His Holy Spirit, drew me to spiritual freedom. The bondage I was in convicted me of my sin. Paul expresses it this way:
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24, KJV)
We who are free in Christ call spiritual bondage “legalism” – essentially following (and promoting) the letter of the law, but ignoring, or perhaps lacking awareness of, the spirit of the law. Paul continues:
“You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision [the law] has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:4b-6, NIV)
Does this mean we who are infilled with and led by the Spirit of God can do anything we want? The apostle gives us a clear admonition:
“All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].” (1 Corinthians 10:23, Amplified Bible)
The Old Testament law remains my schoolmaster, my guardian; the conviction of the Spirit leads me to repentance – a change in my behavior and thinking – and freedom from guilt and shame. If I am a true believer, my heart desires to remain under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which permits me to re-enter the “Sabbath rest” freedom found only in Christ.
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his works…” (Hebrews 4:9-10a)
The term ‘born-again’, unfortunately, has become cliché, but we who are in Christ are now different from those who are yet unsaved:
“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Hebrews 8:10)
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (the Old Testament words of the prophet Ezekiel, 36:25-27).
So then, what is freedom in Christ Jesus?
It is the condition of no longer being a slave to sin (wrong-doing, unrighteousness), and instead with a renewed heart becoming a ‘bondservant’ of Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22) Indeed, a bondservant is someone who has been granted freedom but freely chooses to remain a servant!
Allow me to close with this analogy: My guess is that at different times in our careers every one of us has worked for a very good boss and a very bad one. The bad boss is either simply disorganized and unsupportive, or downright disrespectful and deceitful. The work environment becomes depressing and unmotivating, or perhaps even destructive or scary. Work has become a disheartening burden we want only to avoid.
The Good Boss
The good boss provides a much different environment: organized, predictable, supportive, motivating, creative, challenging, encouraging, and purposeful. You get the picture. Even though it may be physically or emotionally tough at times, our jobs are rewarding and fulfilling, and we want to work hard to please our boss. We do not fear condemnation, and we even look forward to carrying out our job responsibilities. There is mutual trust between us and our boss. We feel exhilaratingly free. We are at peace.
A true believer has a good Boss, the Lord Jesus Christ, and can rest in His love and care, experiencing authentic freedom from worry and fear, having unlimited freedom to share boldly the Good News of a Savior, and express Spirit-directed, selfless love – to a lost and dying world.
In my life, as a child of the 50’s and 60’s, I have seen all kinds of freedom movements. Some of them are just, and overdue. Some of them are frivolous. But if it’s true freedom we seek, regardless of our circumstances, there is only one Way, one Source.
Want to be authentically free? Check out JESUS…
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