Freedom
It was for freedom that Christ freed us... Gal. 5:1
The theme of our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship meeting in WDC last week was freedom. Specifically: Free to be the presence of Christ. Tomorrow (as I write these words) is July 4. It is a day when we celebrate the freedom from tyranny… freedom to be independent from the rule of those who weren’t concerned about our best interest.
From my study of history, the crux of the matter is just that: best interest. Had the British crown been focused on the success of the American colonies (including appropriate representation in parliament) there would have been no motivation for independence. But as this was not the case (“He [the king] has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good…” etc. – as the preamble says) independence was essential for the good of the people being oppressed.
When we talk about freedom in a Christian context, we aren’t talking about freedom FROM God, of course. God has our best interest in mind, and so the last thing we want is to declare spiritual independence. We want to do the opposite. We need to declare absolute dependence, upon God, the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of our lives. We want to be chained to that love, held captive to divine ends, and enslaved by a passion to fulfill our created purpose.
What is the freedom of which Paul speaks in Gal. 5? Freedom from the law, as it turns out. As he goes on to say (sounding dangerous to those who like clear rules): “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (5:6).” Paul is concerned that churches in Galatia not return to a legalistic code, a kind of spiritual tyranny where ritual is king, but that they stay true to the gospel: salvation comes by faith.
Augustine famously said: “love God and do what you want.” If you put the emphasis on the first part, he’s absolutely right. If we love God and neighbor, we are truly free to be… anything we want. We won’t want to go anywhere but good places, if faith is our engine and love is our fuel. We can’t trust that rules, rituals, and traditions will do the work necessary to save our souls. They may help guide us, but they won’t help save us.
A chain can be used to pull a cart of vegetables or used to trap and hold a human being like an animal. So rules can be productive or destructive – depending on how they’re used. Traditions can pull you toward a richer faith in God, or trap you in meaningless action. Rules can guide you towards faithful love, or imprison you behind bars of empty ritual. Rituals can be as healthy as a regular breakfast, or if miss-prioritized can be dangerous to your spiritual health.
God has your best interest at heart. And he has expressed this by love, not by granting tradition alone. To extend my metaphor: no matter how many chains you have, the cart’s not going anywhere without horsepower. If you don’t have horsepower, chains are only good to hold things down. However if you’ve got power, chains can pull you toward freedom. Faith fueled by the love of God, is the power which grants us freedom to move towards being what God intends.
Happy 4th – and may our ultimate freedom lead us to be truly free…
Scott
The theme of our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship meeting in WDC last week was freedom. Specifically: Free to be the presence of Christ. Tomorrow (as I write these words) is July 4. It is a day when we celebrate the freedom from tyranny… freedom to be independent from the rule of those who weren’t concerned about our best interest.
From my study of history, the crux of the matter is just that: best interest. Had the British crown been focused on the success of the American colonies (including appropriate representation in parliament) there would have been no motivation for independence. But as this was not the case (“He [the king] has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good…” etc. – as the preamble says) independence was essential for the good of the people being oppressed.
When we talk about freedom in a Christian context, we aren’t talking about freedom FROM God, of course. God has our best interest in mind, and so the last thing we want is to declare spiritual independence. We want to do the opposite. We need to declare absolute dependence, upon God, the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of our lives. We want to be chained to that love, held captive to divine ends, and enslaved by a passion to fulfill our created purpose.
What is the freedom of which Paul speaks in Gal. 5? Freedom from the law, as it turns out. As he goes on to say (sounding dangerous to those who like clear rules): “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (5:6).” Paul is concerned that churches in Galatia not return to a legalistic code, a kind of spiritual tyranny where ritual is king, but that they stay true to the gospel: salvation comes by faith.
Augustine famously said: “love God and do what you want.” If you put the emphasis on the first part, he’s absolutely right. If we love God and neighbor, we are truly free to be… anything we want. We won’t want to go anywhere but good places, if faith is our engine and love is our fuel. We can’t trust that rules, rituals, and traditions will do the work necessary to save our souls. They may help guide us, but they won’t help save us.
A chain can be used to pull a cart of vegetables or used to trap and hold a human being like an animal. So rules can be productive or destructive – depending on how they’re used. Traditions can pull you toward a richer faith in God, or trap you in meaningless action. Rules can guide you towards faithful love, or imprison you behind bars of empty ritual. Rituals can be as healthy as a regular breakfast, or if miss-prioritized can be dangerous to your spiritual health.
God has your best interest at heart. And he has expressed this by love, not by granting tradition alone. To extend my metaphor: no matter how many chains you have, the cart’s not going anywhere without horsepower. If you don’t have horsepower, chains are only good to hold things down. However if you’ve got power, chains can pull you toward freedom. Faith fueled by the love of God, is the power which grants us freedom to move towards being what God intends.
Happy 4th – and may our ultimate freedom lead us to be truly free…
Scott