Freedom vs Simply Doing What You Want

William Wallace apparently screamed it before being beheaded. Martin Luther King used the words “Free at last! Free at Last! Thank God Almighty we’re free at last!”. But here’s the kicker, what exactly does it mean to a Christian to be free? The two men that I just quoted were Christians. Martin Luther King quite obviously and Sir William Wallace was a devout catholic (A few years ago there was talk of canonizing him. My question would be what for?) and each made the pursuit of freedom for their people central to their lives, to the point where they each gave their life for it. But what does it actually mean to be free?

Now, I think I would be quite correct in saying that everyone, at some point in time or another, has done the wrong thing. If you haven’t I can only say well done, though you are in a very small company of people. Those that have done the wrong thing (nice to be speaking with the majority again) will understand what I mean when I talk about the remorse and feelings of guilt that have swamped us all from time to time. As a Christian, I am aware, and completely thankful of what Jesus has done for me, though I know I can never appreciate it enough. And there are many things for which I have needed forgiveness. I won’t bore either of us with the details but suffice to say, yes, I was indeed a sinner, a man bound to die an eternal death for my wrongdoings. As Paul says in Romans5:7-8 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Despite the fact of how bad I was, Jesus still lay down his life in order that mine would be saved. How this relates back to the topic is quite simple. I have been made free from the eternal consequences of my actions. In that I am forgiven, I am free.

But now that I have given everyone a license to continue sinning after they’ve said a prayer, perhaps I ought to type quite quickly to keep anyone from doing something stupid, as I am sure that Paul would have written quickly for the same reason. Romans6:1-2 says What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? One of the great dangers of Christianity is that because a person figures that they are free they are free to do what they wish. John Bevere once remarked that Christians seem to fall in the ditches of legalism or liberalism and that the only true path was to walk the road between them. In my case I would say that I fall more into the side of legalism than the other but I guess that in a way of looking at it, liberalism is simply the same as legalism just with a different hat. Both pay exquisite attention to what the Word says when it supports their argument, and not much attention to what the Word actually means when it doesn’t. Liberalism likes to enjoy the promises and forgiveness of God without actually putting any effort in. Not that it can be earned, but it most certainly must be walked in.

So Christians have been made free from the power of hell and the weight of the law. But this gives them no room to simply do what they like outside of this. As Paul also said in Romans (and what have the romans ever done for us?) “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” As Bob Dylan once sung (though I guess with his voice attaching musical terminology may be a mistake) “It may be the devil, or it may be The Lord but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” We were by no means set free in order that we could live believing that all we are here for is to wait until God calls us home. He set us free that we could tell the other prisoners how they too can walk in the love and forgiveness of God.

Josh Zugai