 |
by Samuel Parrish, Campus Pastor, LHM Charleston, SC
For freedom
Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke
of slavery. (Galatians
5:1)
In the United States, we’ve just celebrated one of our most
important holidays in terms of national identity. Born from the colonial system,
we celebrate our independence, our right to rule ourselves. Over the holiday
weekend, Downtown Charleston was full of families decked out in matching red,
white and blue t-shirts with “FREEDOM!” written in bold lettering. Amidst the
smell of hotdogs and sunscreen in the air and under fireworks over the very
harbor the British invaded 240 years ago, it is easy for freedom and
independence to become synonymous in the American psyche. While the fourth of
July may be a strictly American phenomenon, this equating of freedom and
independence is not. If we aren’t careful, we as believers will read
independence into every mention of freedom in the New Testament to our
spiritual detriment.
New Testament writers do not take our freedom in Christ lightly.
In Ephesians and Colossians, Paul declares our freedom as one of the greatest
blessings of being in Christ while simultaneously providing some of his
strongest warnings against being taken captive again by sin and the snares of
the enemy. In Romans 8, creation continues to groan awaiting its freedom from
the ongoing effects of sin. In 1 Peter, we are called to live as free people and
to also be conform to God’s holiness. We have been freed from sin. We have been
freed to serve in the kingdom of light. In Christ, we are FREE! But we are not
independent.
The New Testament attests to this mutual exclusion of
freedom and independence in multiple places. In 1 Corinthians, Paul answers a
charge against his apostleship by declaring himself a servant and steward of the
words of God. For Paul, there is no distinction: Jesus is both savior and lord.
The same blessing that sets us free from the bondage to sin compels us to
obedience to Christ. In Jude, to reject authority is the same as taking sides
with some of the most unsavory characters in the Old Testament and with it the
judgment they received.
Christ’s blood was not spilled for my independence. Rather,
it was spilled for my salvation and adoption—the ultimate example of our
dependence on God. As glorious as the Gospel is, if we miss the beauty of
Christ’s lordship, we miss the Gospel entirely. Yet, the work of the Holy
Spirit is not complete merely when we see our need for a savior. Many of us
grew up in families that were out of control and we were given broken tools for
how to handle trouble in this life. Through choices of our own, we have made
the path forward even more difficult, and are looking for a way to escape
hardship. Beautifully, the Gospel promises a way out from our past—freedom
through dependence. The same faith that asks us to trust in a Good Father who
will save us from our sin also asks us to dependently trust in a Benevolent
Lord who instructs us in our way forward. May we see our obedience as the sweet
fragrance of incense the Psalmists promise it to be!
Where do you need grace to see submission as a beautiful
thing?
Where do you struggle to believe that Christ has a better
way forward?
What are some additional passages in scripture that address
freedom, obedience, or lordship?
