While we love the concept of freedom mankind has
a history of not handling it very well. Ravi
Zacharias said, "Freedom is not the same thing
as autonomy. Freedom does not mean I am a law
unto myself. Prince Philip, the Duke of
Edinburgh, speaking to a hostile university
audience that jeered him, stopped in the middle,
and in non-regal language he said, 'Shut up!
Freedom can be destroyed as easily by making a
mockery of it as it can by its retraction.'
That's precisely what man has done. In an
attempt to be reasonable, man has become
irrational. In an attempt to deify himself, he
has defaced himself. In an attempt to be free,
he has made himself a slave. And like Alexander
the Great, he has conquered the world around him
but has not yet conquered himself."
The question then is not "How can I be
absolutely free?" We cannot. The question is,
"To whom or what shall I be enslaved?" Some are
enslaved to their jobs, their hobbies, their
passions and desires. Others are enslaved to
their past or their prejudices. Try as they
might to put on a front of freedom, the clanking
of the shackles is loud and clear.
Jesus said, "If the Son makes you free, you
will be free indeed" (John 8:36). Those he
was speaking to bristled when he told them how
they could be free. "If you continue in my
word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and
you will know the truth, and the truth will make
you free." (John 8:31,32). Telling them
they could be free of course implied they were
not free and they were determined to persist in
their fantasy of freedom. Many people resist the
idea that they are slaves to any one or thing
because slavery involves subjection and
humility. Who wants that? But Bryan Chapell
noted that while we might be inclined to want
autonomy, experience yearns for authority. In
his book, Christ-Centered Preaching he
wrote, “Though we live in an age hostile to
authority, everyday struggles for significance,
security, and acceptance force every individual
to ask, ‘Who has the right to tell me what to
do?’ This question, typically posed as a
challenge, is really a plea for help. Without an
ultimate authority for truth, all human striving
has no ultimate value, and life itself becomes
futile.” So while we might like to talk big
about going it on our own, we eventually do one
of two things. Either we learn from the error of
our ways and turn to seek God or we destroy
ourselves on the hard realities of life. The
Bible says, “I know, O Lord,
that the way of man is not in himself, that it
is not in man who walks to direct his steps”
(Jeremiah 10:23). Mark writes, “When
[Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he
had compassion on them, because they were like
sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach
them many things”
(Mark 6:34). A sheep without a shepherd
might be quite happy meandering through the
pasture of life, eating the grass along the way,
only to raise his head and come to the
realization he has no idea where he is, how he
got there or where he’s going. Sounds pretty
much like the human experience, doesn’t it? A
sheep without a shepherd is not a good thing to
be. A sheep without a shepherd ends up in the
bottom of a ravine or a tasty morsel for some
wolf. But at least he died with the happy
thought that no one told him what to do.
When we trust Jesus and obey the gospel in
baptism we are "freed from sin" and we
become "slaves of righteousness"
(Romans 6:17,18). Again, we have not become
autonomous. But as Paul puts it "sin shall
not be master over you" (Romans 6:14). Now
under grace we become "slaves of
righteousness."
To quote part of an old song, "Would you be free
from the burden of sin? Would you o'er evil a
victory win? Would you be free from your passion
and pride? There's wonderful power in the
blood."
God bless you,
Brad Fry
