Loving Liberty Enough to Give It Up

One of the defining features of American culture is an intense desire for and appreciation of freedom. From the dawn of the United States as a nation, men like Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Though it took time along with blood, sweat, and tears for liberty to be universally accessible to all Americans, America’s founding fathers believed (at least in theory) that liberty should be an inalienable right of man and wove the concept into the Declaration of Independence.

For a culture that so highly values liberty, it is sad to see what so many Americans do with it. Many Americans ignore the warnings of both the Proverbs and Paul and willingly give their liberty to alcohol or some other sobriety stealing drug (cf. Proverbs 23:29-35; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8). Many others like some of the Corinthians have lost their liberty, having been “brought under the power” of “sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:12-13). Still others lose their liberty simply chasing after things which are not “helpful” and do not “edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23), serving material things as though they were God (cf. Romans 1:25; Philippians 3:19; Colossians 3:5). In these and other ways, Americans find themselves as people who love liberty and yet are “slaves of sin,” bringing death instead of freedom (cf. Romans 6:6, 17-18, 20, 22-23)

Only Jesus and His “perfect law of liberty” offer true freedom (James 1:25). Yet herein lies a great paradox: those freed by Jesus feel totally comfortable identifying themselves as willing slaves. Paul, James, Peter, and Jude each identify using this term (Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1). Perhaps this is because each of them realizes that as much as anyone might love freedom, he will ultimately find himself a slave: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). So how can the New Testament offer both freedom and slavery? It is because we can only find freedom in total allegiance to God, Jesus, and righteousness. We must “forsake all that [we] have” to follow Jesus (Luke 14:33) so that we can become “joint heirs with Christ,” the “heir of all things” (Romans 8:17; Hebrews 1:2).

We often need the reminder that freedom sometimes looks like slavery. In fact, it is imperative that even those who totally love and value freedom recognize that there are only two choices: forced and (without Jesus) inescapable slavery to sin or a slave like devotion to Jesus. Paul is quick to point out that while envisioning slavery on either side of the spiritual ledger is necessary, these are “human terms” spoken because of human “weakness” (Romans 6:19), at least as relates to following Jesus. Make no mistake, Jesus didn’t come to make us slaves but to make us sons and daughters (John 1:12).  Christians are able to “stand fast […] in the liberty by which Christ has made us free” (Galatians 5:1).

So to obtain liberty, we must freely give it up and follow Him. Further, to maintain liberty we must continue to give it up. We must continually cast off the world’s yokes of bondage, be those bonds created by amendments to the Gospel (Galatians 1:6-9; 5:1-4) or by the vices which will see us “overcome” and “worse” (1 Peter 2:16; 2 Peter 2:20-21). Like Jesus, we must also use our liberty to “serve one another,” rather than seeking to please ourselves (Galatians 5:13). We must continually seek out and do the works of the Law of Liberty (James 1:25), recognizing that we will judged (James 2:12) but not by our consciences or the standards of men (1 Corinthians 10:29).

It will be glorious to one day stand in the Resurrection enjoying the “glorious liberty” God has already given us in prospect (Romans 8:21). In the meantime, remember, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). No true freedom can be found apart from Him. Men may seek freedom; some may even promise it; but only Jesus can grant it (2 Peter 2:19; Luke 4:18-21). Give up false freedom, and embrace Jesus today.

-Patrick Swayne  
patrick@tftw.org